One of the most frequent questions asked of a Bay Area SEO company like RKS Marketing & Web Design is “What is SEO and why do I need it?” A short, simple answer is that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of helping a company or organization to get more people to visit their website through the search engines. And of course, these days that mostly means Google.
The follow-up question is always, “How do you do that?” SEO comes in different forms, but the most common type, called “organic SEO) mostly requires the following activities :
- Changes to the website to make it more attractive to search engines
- Building high-quality links from other websites to yours, called “backlinks”
- Adding meaningful original content to the website
- Using results analysis to make adjustments
That information is usually a good start for Bay Area companies who target either consumers or businesses nationwide or even worldwide. But of course, the more competitors you have, the more effort (and cost) is needed to do well with your search engine results, which usually means coming up on the first page of Google results for your targeted keywords (aka search phrases).
The next logical question for most people is “How soon will I start getting new customers and what will it cost?” That’s an entirely logical question, of course, but the reality is not so straightforward. There are a great many variables, some outside the control of any SEO company, so it’s often very difficult to predict results, time, or costs accurately. Experience helps a lot, but Google and your competitors are constantly making changes, so to some degree SEO is a moving target.
Each client, website, and industry is different. What works for one client does not necessarily work for another. As a Bay Area SEO company, we don’t have a single formula for producing results. Instead, we have experts who solve problems and overcome challenges. Our experts may not initially know exactly what will be the most successful. They do know they will eventually come up with an excellent workable solution.
That said, there are some activities that are common to any Bay Area SEO project. They include:
- Researching keywords
- Use of Google Analytics and/or Google Search Console
- Analyzing existing link profiles, social media activity and citations
- Auditing the web site for current issues
- Initial onpage optimization
- Redesigning navigation, adding and/or removing pages
- Researching and analyzing competitive sites
- Monitor branding
- Reach out to relevant websites
Some SEO activities are one-time services that are never or rarely repeated. Other SEO activities are on-going. Business websites can be compared to a lawn. If they are not maintained, they get out of control. Google is always looking for a constant stream of fresh, new links and content that shows that the website remains relevant and deserves a prominent place in search results.