
As one of the cornerstones of every effective digital marketing strategy, you’ve likely already dabbled in SEO — after all, which brands haven’t? And with 75% of users not browsing nor clicking beyond the first page, the race to the first page —particularly the top 5 — you need more than the basics of SEO to succeed.
Everyone knows the basic formula of good SEO: on-page and off-page optimization through keyword density, link-building, good user experience, and active content marketing, among others. But do you have enough time and resources, and a pulse on the latest digital marketing trends?
While most brands these days are somewhat familiar with SEO, there is almost always a trade-off between leveraging in-depth, in-house SEO and investing this effort towards core business processes. Successful brands know which of the two makes a smart business decision.
Here is where professional SEO help comes in. From conducting a full audit of your website, search rankings, and traffic, to implementing industry-leading trends in line with the latest on search algorithms and the larger customer journey, professional SEO services provide you a much more competitive edge in global markets like Toronto.
Struggling to rank — or not ranking at all? Not capturing enough traffic, and generating leads and conversions even when you’re on the first page of search results? Let’s take a closer look at the signs telling you it’s time to call in an SEO company for professional help:
The bare minimum of having any digital presence is at least showing up on Google searches for your brand name. Between your brand’s domain and website content (even when not optimized), you should at least rank when searching your brand name. The same goes for Google Maps — you should also show up for searches within your area.
Not ranking even for your own brand name is a major red flag — and the most telltale sign that you need professional SEO help. Beyond optimizing your site right away, an SEO company can do a comprehensive site health check to address technical issues and/or penalties that are preventing you from showing up on search.
The goal of ranking within the top 5 of search results is to direct customers to your website, where they can take conversion actions, like filling out a contact form, requesting a quote, or completing a purchase. But none of these can happen if you aren’t capturing traffic to begin with, much less getting relevant traffic.
An SEO company can find out why, such as if your site is new or recently redesigned, or worse, if Google has downgraded your site with a penalty. Similarly, they can also take a look at both targeted keywords and conversion elements to get rid of low-quality traffic. They’ll optimize your website to lower bounce rates, increase time on-page, and drive conversions among target audiences.
SEO and PPC go hand-in-hand as core elements of a cohesive digital marketing strategy. But dumping dollars into paid ads isn’t a sustainable way to make up for abysmal keyword rankings and low website traffic.
With professional SEO help, you can reassess ROI on PPC campaigns and drive equal success with stable organic rankings. An SEO company will target short-tail and long-tail keywords, and implement on-page and off-page optimization to achieve organic rankings and balance your marketing strategy.
More website traffic is every brand’s basic digital marketing goal. But more isn’t always quality. You’ll know this is the case when the bounce rate is high and time on-page is low: your website may be capturing a lot of traffic, but visitors quickly “bounce out” because they’re not finding what they need.
What you really want is relevant website traffic. This is how conversions take place, and revenue comes from. With professional SEO services, you can optimize conversion elements, so even with lower but relevant traffic, visitors are enticed to click on links, submit contact forms, or complete purchases.
With mobile-first being the standard and nearly 56% of all website traffic coming from mobile, your website suffers when it isn’t mobile-friendly and responsive. This technical flaw creates a poor user experience, leaving potential customers frustrated and causing them to bounce out of your site.
A full-service SEO company should also offer responsive web design to fully optimize your site for a seamless experience across devices. They can also look into user experience to improve website navigation, implement a clean, professional design, incorporate CTAs, reduce page load times, and more. Ultimately, these enhancements will reduce bounce rates and increase conversions.
There’s more to long-term SEO than setting up the homepage, product or service pages, and the contact page. The fact is, these pages can only have so much content and keyword placement opportunities.
You need more quality, keyword-rich, and value-added content that serves both as a search engine ranking signal, and a customer acquisition vehicle. SEO companies offer content marketing following your website (re)launch to continuously enrich your site, and create opportunities for ranking and customer engagement beyond sales copy.
Website security is everything. Not only does this protect company data, but also builds trust with customers who browse your site, share their information, and make purchases. A basic identifier of site security is having an HTTPS URL.
HTTPS websites have a valid SSL certificate — and browsers are quick to warn visitors against proceeding to websites that don’t have one or have expired. This can quickly deter potential customers, and over time earn you a penalty that will downgrade your search rankings.
Professional SEO help goes well beyond keywords and content. An SEO company can help address these most common technical issues often occurring off-page, and impact rankings:
Is your website suffering from these signs of poor SEO? Consultus Digital offers professional SEO help. Our SEO company can diagnose these site health issues impacting your rankings on search, and implement industry-leading SEO fixes to restore relevant traffic and conversions.
From there, we recommend new SEO strategies and services to leverage keyword ranking opportunities, content marketing, and website upgrades for enhanced user experience. Trust our SEO experts to provide these core digital marketing services, so you can focus on what you do best to drive business in Toronto.
Struggling to rank? Find out why and what you can do to land on the first page of Google search. Discover the difference with professional SEO help by our experts at Consultus Digital.
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