Yes!

We would not exist as a business if search engine optimisation was no longer effective.

With so many low cost, ineffective providers out there, we understand why this search gets more than 1,000 searches per month in the United States.

Here is what you need to know. In 2021, 84% of businesses that invested in search engine optimization services in the United States saw an improvement in their long-term organic traffic. With that said, not all search strategies are created equal and not all will yield positive long-term results.

When it comes to SEO, there is no rule book that Google spells out. There is no exact science and the strategy that may be highly effective for one business type or industry may not be effective for another.

When it comes to increasing online visibility and improving the quantity and quality of leads that you receive online; “Should I Hire an SEO Company?” is a question that your business may have already considered at length. In 2021, search engine optimization is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it’s critical in an effective online strategy.

Sure, we’re an SEO Agency, so the answers below are probably going to be biased. We have seen the fruits of our labour firsthand and so have our clients. But if you’ve had a bad experience with an SEO Agency in the past, you may be a bit more reserved when weighing up whether or not you should hire an SEO company.

In the interests of transparency, we do not believe that SEO is a good fit for every business and every industry. In fact, we cover this liberally on all of our service pages. There are many businesses and industries that are not the right fit for SEO. Where that is the case, it’s important that the SEO company or consultant that you are consulting with is up front. SEO agencies taking on companies that are not in the right position to pursue SEO is one of the major reasons that there is an inherit distrust of SEO service providers.

So, should you hire an SEO company? Let’s look at some of the questions that you need to be asking your prospective SEO provider before you sign on the dotted line.

No – far from it.

Each time that we work on a website, our approach will be different. Each business and each website will have different requirements based on things like website history, previous SEO work, industry competition, and content gaps.

On top of that, the search engine ranking algorithm is always evolving. The SEO services being offered back in 2010-15 look very different to the services being offered in 2021. Over the years, Google has become more complex in an effort to show the most relevant search results. As a result, many of the ‘quick win’ SEO strategies that were once very popular are almost completely defunct.

The type of SEO service that you receive will be based on a couple of key considerations including:

• Your business type
• Competitor activity
• Consumer behaviour
• Buying channels

A good SEO provider will work with your business to identify your unique circumstances and what is needed to increase organic traffic.

Search engine optimization services are designed to increase the quantity and quality of leads that a website receives online by increasing organic search traffic. SEO services are about identifying how your target market is looking for your goods or services online and then making your website appear for those search terms.

To put that in context, if you are an SEO Company (like us), we want to appear in Google for search terms like:

• SEO Agency
• SEO Services

By appearing for these search terms (which, incidentally, are some of the most competitive in the country) we attract customers that are interested in our SEO services. As of 2021, Google uses around 200 different ranking factors to determine how a website will appear in the search results. Some of the most important ranking factors include:

• Quality Content
• Website accessibility
• Website structure
• Website authority

If you want to geek out on SEO, you can spend hours investigating all of the little nuances that contribute to the way that a website appears in Google. But for now, the big ones that we worry about the most relate to the accessibility, quality, and authority of a website.

When don’t correctly, SEO is one of the best investments that you can make for your business – bar none.

When you partner with a top SEO agency that is aligned with your company and your goals, search engine optimisation SEO has the ability to completely transform your business.

SEO takes time and patience. You cannot simply “SEO Your Website” and expect to be done with it. If you want to reach the first page of Google for revenue-generating search terms, then there needs to be a measured approach that prioritises long term growth and sustainable results.

SEO is not supposed to be easy. As a business, Google derives more than 70% of total company revenue from their paid advertising. That means that it is in their best interest to make SEO complicated. While there is a science to ranking on the first page of Google, it is important to acknowledge that these ranking factors are constantly changing and evolving.

Generally speaking, it can take anywhere from 2-6-months to begin seeing results from SEO marketing. There is a myriad of different factors such as the age of your website, previous SEO work, and the nature of your business that will have a significant impact on the timeline for seeing SEO results.

Search engine optimization is an ongoing process that requires constant care, attention, and updates. If you do not plan on investing in SEO on an ongoing basis, then we would recommend that you put that marketing budget into PPC marketing channels that will yield short term gains.

The companies that you see at the top of the search results for your industry did not get there by chance. Those companies applied a consistent approach to SEO that is now reaping dividends and delivering highly valuable traffic to their website.

SEO is the most scalable online marketing channel in 2021. If you are looking for a marketing channel that works for you while you sleep – SEO is the answer.

In 2021, more than 70% of clicks in Google to the websites in the organic search results. While Google ads have their place, users continue to favour (overwhelmingly) the organic search results when looking for a reliable business to engage for services or products. In simple terms, if you do not have an SEO marketing strategy in place, you are missing out on 70% of prospective customers that use Google.

The truth is, SEO is not going to be the right fit for every business. Some companies are better off investing their digital marketing budget into other online marketing services. If however, your business is a good fit for SEO services, here are five reasons why SEO is important:

1. You do not need to pay for each clicks/call/enquiry that you receive
2. SEO works while you are asleep/not paying for ads
3. SEO enhances the users experience by delivering relevant content
4. SEO helps businesses to identify and stay ahead of their competition
5. The ROI from SEO is easy to measure

Above everything, organic marketing is the most effective way to increase brand awareness and visibility at scale. As opposed to Facebook Ads, Social Media Marketing, or Google Ads, you do not need to pay for each click or impression that your website receives. SEO will continue to work around the clock to generate meaningful leads for your business.

We believe that we are one of the leading SEO companies in America because we talk the talk, and we walk the walk. We don’t just talk about getting our clients to the first page of Google – we also implement those same strategies on our own websites. We have never paid a single dollar for advertising and 100% of our success as a company comes down to the efficacy of our SEO services.

Having your website on page 1 of Google and page 10 of Google can be the difference between endless phone calls and sales and business closure. When it comes to choosing the right SEO company for your business, try to remove emotions from your decision and look at the logistics. Here is what you need to consider:

1. Judge them by their rankings – not the strength of their sales team
2. Ask yourself; “is this company consulting with me, or trying to sell to me?”
3. Is the company working with one of your competitors? If so, give it a miss!
4. Did you find the company through SEO or through another marketing channel?
5. Ranking for SEO PPC is not the same as for SEO
6. Do they employ real SEO experts?
7. Have they considered my unique business objectives?

Considering these factors will give you a better idea of the type of company that you should be working with, and more importantly, those that you should be avoiding.

Technically, yes!

If you have the time to try, fail, learn, and master search engine optimization, then there is no reason why you cannot do SEO for your own website. By the same logic, you can buy all of the necessary materials and build a home yourself as well!

In 2021, there is a wealth of case studies and information online that will guide you through the process of optimizing your website for organic search. The biggest issue that you will find is the volume of conflicting information online around what works and what does not work. Take it from a team of local SEO professionals, the only way to truly learn SEO is to go through trial and error. It takes many years of trying, failing, and succeeding in order to understand what does and does not work.

Working with an SEO company means that you have time to focus on your business and can leave your search engine presence in the hands of seasoned professionals.

If your business is the right fit for SEO services and we are confident that we can devise a strategy that will help you to grow online, then we will take you on as a client. Transparency is hard to find when you are working with digital marketing agencies, which is why we aim to differentiate our business from other companies.

We do not work with everyone. If we feel that your business is more likely to succeed by investing in other digital marketing channels, then we will let you know. Some of the reasons why you might not be in the right position to invest in the services of a US SEO company include:

• Your business model is not the right fit for SEO
• You have a product or services that has no awareness (new or ground-breaking products)
• You need to see results immediately – SEO takes time
• You are not in the right place to invest in long term SEO
• Your budget does not match your industry competition or goals
• Your target market is not using search engines to find your products or services

An SEO firm will work with businesses to create organic online marketing strategies that grow online traffic, traffic quality, and overall visibility in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. SEO companies are responsible for providing a range of different services that include the on-site, off-site, technical, and content considerations that enable a website to rank well in Google search. Each SEO activity should be tailored towards the unique goals of a business and specifically engineered to help the business reach their goals.

A reputable provider of search engine optimization services will abide by the Google Webmaster guidelines to create online strategies that focus on the four pillars of SEO:

1. Technical SEO
2. On-site Optimisation
3. Off-site Optimisation
4. Optimised content + content marketing

At Safari Digital, we create customised solutions that focus on the elements that are going to help your website to perform well in Google search. We develop bespoke strategies that enable our clients to tackle market challenges head on.

In 2021, there is no shortage of information online designed to help business owners and solopreneurs to learn and implement SEO for their own website. The biggest issue that you will encounter is the volume of information available and the tools that are required to implement SEO strategies.

When it comes to paying for SEO, you really have two options:

1. Learn, fail, succeed, and then master SEO.
2. Be prepared to pay a professional to help you

Just like any profession, hiring someone to help you with a job means that you can leave your project in the hands of trusted professionals. Delivering SEO results for our clients is a full-time job for our team of SEO consultants. We have a team of experts with years of experience that specialise in the different facets of search engine optimization.

The cost of SEO in the USA can range from $1,000 per month all the way up to $50,000+ per month depending on your business, your goals, and your unique requirements. In actuality, there are hundreds of individual factors that determine how much SEO will cost in the United States, but here are some of the most important ones that we consider:

• Previous work that has happened on your website
• The amount of new content required
• The competition in your local area and niche
• Your current website rankings and positions in search results
• Off-site work that has been carried out in the past
• The number of new pages that need to be created
• UX optimisation work that needs to be completed

… just to name a few of the most important factors!

The truth is, there is no magic number when it comes to how much you should spend on SEO. Some companies may see a good return and growth on a spend of $1,500 per month, while other companies may need to spend significantly more to see a positive result from their SEO campaign.

Remember, getting a quote for your SEO is not like getting a quote to fix a broken window. When you get a window fixed, there really is only one outcome – a fixed window. Conversely the outcome of SEO can vary dramatically. When you are consulting with an SEO agency, it important to understand what they deliver each month. Weighing up the deliverables (amount of new content, new backlinks, quality of backlinks, reporting) will help you to decide what you are getting for your money.

In 2021, backlinks account for roughly half of how a website appears in the Google search results. Backlinks are the most important off-site ranking factor – bar none. As such, we spend a lot of time building relevant, high-authority links that enhance authority and website trust.

Backlinks refer to a link that is passed between two, separate domains. These links act as a trust signal for search engines and are used to determine of a website. Sites that have a high number of relevant, high-authority domains are likely to appear at the top of the organic results. Link building is one of the most contentious issues when it comes to SEO. When it comes to building backlinks, we consider six very important factors:

1. The authority of a referring website
2. The website traffic of the referring website
3. The number of links on the referring web page
4. The trustworthiness of the site sending the link
5. The anchor text that is used in the link
6. The age of the web page sending the link

Backlinks are a lot like a job reference. Getting a reference from a co-worker or someone in your department is great. Getting a reference from your direct superior is even better. Getting a reference from the CEO or owner of the company is the highest accolade that you can get. When it comes to acquiring links for our clients, we look for the CEO level backlinks that are going to pass the most authority to your website.

Local citations or NAP (name, address, phone number) links are an important way to build legitimacy and trust for a new website. For local SEO campaigns, business citations are an important way to build legitimacy and trust in your local area.

NAP links or citations are one method that search engines use to verify the name, address, and phone number of a business. By having multiple listings with consistent information, search engines are more likely to see a business as a legitimate entity than one that has no other search presence beyond their website.

It’s important to remember that not all NAP links are created equally. Getting some local citations can be a good thing, getting too many local citations from low quality website can be detrimental to your organic search presence. We highly recommend that you consult with an SEO professional before getting any new directory listings for your business. Avoid working with providers that promise hundreds of NAP links – it may lead to negative results.

NAP links will not be the difference between ranking number 30 and ranking number 1. The positive impact of citations has diminished over the years, and we do use them sparingly compared to other US SEO agencies.

Think of Google My Business as the most important directory listing that you can get for your business. Google My Business picks up from crowdsource review sites such as Foursquare, TripAdvisor, and Yelp left off.

In 2021, GMB is the most widely used platform for checking business information, trading hours, reviews, and locations in one place. Here are six of the benefits that you can expect from a well optimized GMB listing.

1. Improved local recognition
2. Greater engagement between businesses and customers
3. Improved local SEO potential
4. Address frequently asked questions (FAQs)
5. Build legitimacy and trust with your target audience
6. Reach your audience with instant GMB updates

The global pandemic has only highlighted the need for a strong, active, and up to date GMB presence. GMB plays an essential role in an effective local SEO campaign as it allows businesses to reach customers with local developments to hours, reviews, and news.

You’re probably wondering; “how does social media fit into a cohesive search engine optimization strategy?” And you would be correct for asking this question.

The first thing that you need to understand is that links from social media websites do not have the same impact as backlinks from other, high-authority domains. Social media signals can be used in other ways to improve your overall website visibility in a number of important ways:

1. Social media can be used to improve brand presence and appeal to prospective customers through a diverse range of marketing channels.
2. Syndicating content across social media can maximise the reach of content that is created to support your SEO objectives.
3. Social media can assist with indexing new content on your website. While this point is widely contested in SEO circles, we have seen anecdotal evidence that confirms social media can improve index rate on new content.
4. Social media can provide similar relevancy signals to NAP links.

Social media is a separate marketing channel. However, it is important to utilise social media to maximise the lifespan of your website content, improve recognition, and build legitimacy through your prospective target audience.