But there’s a saying that often rings true: “In order to make money, you have to spend money.”
The tricky part is choosing what to spend your money on.
SEO is a great place to start for many businesses – both big and small, new and old – as it can dramatically improve your business, but it can only do this if you choose the right people to help. Choose the wrong SEO company, and you might end up in Google’s bad books and be banished from the search engines.
If you’re ready to invest in your business and shoot to the top of the search engines, here’s how to choose an SEO company to help you soar.
Why Should You Hire an SEO Company?
1. Supercharge Your ROI
According to research, SEO is the tactic that brings the most significant ROI in digital marketing. So why wouldn’t you do something that practically guarantees results? You’d be a fool not to.
But to actually get those results, you have to do it right.
Many businesses mistake haphazardly implementing a couple of easy SEO tricks here and there and are shocked when they don’t get the results they want. If you can feel your cheeks burning in shame, know you’re not alone! Unfortunately, it’s incredibly common for companies to try and wing their SEO strategy, but it can often do more harm than good.
2. Save Precious Time
On the topic of winging it: if you’ve spent hours and hours reading up about SEO and have burned the candle at both ends trying to figure out the secret sauce, you’re also not alone.
But there’s only so much reading you can do before you have actually started implementing things – otherwise, you won’t see results. Bringing SEO professionals on board to help can improve your website almost immediately and stop you from wasting time trying to optimize for 200 rankings factors (yes, 200!) yourself.
3. Faster Results
SEO is pivotal in generating more organic traffic and more qualified leads. Now, you can either DIY it (which requires hours and hours of reading and even more hours spent experimenting, tweaking, and measuring), or you can get help from an SEO company that can get you results faster than if you were doing it yourself.
We wholeheartedly recommend the second option if you favor your time and sanity!
SEO isn’t an overnight thing – Google estimates it takes 3-5 months to start seeing results – but an experienced company will know how to get you there faster.
4. Hold Yourself Accountable
How often have you alleviated your guilt by saying you’ll work on your SEO strategy tomorrow? And how often has tomorrow turned into next week, month, or even year?
This is the same tune a lot of businesses sing. In fact, it’s so common, mainly when there are a million and one other things you can do with your brand. But this is only common for brands that try and do their SEO themselves. In these instances, SEO stuff gets pushed to the bottom of to-do lists far more often than not, despite the proven results it can get you.
Hiring the help of a professional SEO team will keep you accountable.
5. Play the Long Game
SEO is a long-term tactic that will generate better and better results the longer you do it. A dedicated SEO company will help you map out a long-term strategy and break it down into manageable steps so that you can prepare and plan for the long game.
What Hiring an SEO Company Can Do For You
1. Increase Organic Traffic For Relevant Keywords
Traffic is the lifeblood of every business. Without traffic, you don’t get sales, which means no money.
Imagine getting hundreds of thousands of visitors to your site every day. Imagine every one of them was a relevant and potential customer who had searched for the keyword that describes your business.
It’d be a game-changer, right?
That’s exactly what hiring an SEO company can do. They have tricks up their sleeve to find the best keywords to target and will outline a plan to get you the kind of organic traffic you’ve only ever dreamed of.
2. Generate a Steady Flow of Qualified Leads
SEO companies have tools and tactics to target highly-qualified leads. These people are desperately looking for a solution like the one you’re offering. These people will instantly hit the buy button when they come across your product or service.
3. Boost Conversions With Optimized Landing Pages and Blog Posts
Content is critical in any successful SEO strategy, and an experienced team will help you identify key topics your audience seeks.
Not only that, but they’ll optimize those posts so they show up in the top results on search engines and lay them out in a way that’s psychologically proven to boost conversions. For example, companies that post regular blogs generate 126% more leads than those that don’t.
This is also true for landing pages – a.k.a. some of the most critical pages on your site. If they don’t convert, you won’t get the kind of customers you want. An SEO company will optimize these pages, including all the relevant meta information, so that visitors don’t hesitate to hand you their details.
4. Increase Overall Sales
And, when you get more conversions, you get more sales. So, the end goal for most companies is to increase sales, and SEO offers an incredibly helping hand in that.
Take Fibreglass Pools as an example.
Founder Marcus Sheridan discovered one significant objection to stopping people from buying a pool – they didn’t know how much it would cost them overall. Many people were searching for this information, but no other swimming pool brands gave it.
So, Sheridan created an in-depth blog post targeting the keywords in this question, and, to date, it has generated more than $2 million in sales.
8 Tips to Hire a Reliable SEO Company in San Jose
By now, we’ve probably convinced you that hiring an SEO company is a must-do for your business (especially if you want to boost traffic and sales – and who doesn’t want to do that?!).
But how do you make sure you’re hiring the right SEO company?
Here are some top tips for finding a reliable and professional SEO company in San Jose that will get you the desired results.
1. Be Specific About Your Goals
Before you reach out to an SEO company, we recommend that you have a solid grasp of the goals you want to achieve.
It helps to have SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based. For example, “I want to increase the number of leads I get from my blog by 30% by June 2020” is a SMART goal. Or “I want to outrank my local competitors by the end of the year.”
You then want to find a firm that understands these goals and has the tools and resources to meet them.
2. Have a Budget in Mind
You’ll have to part with some money if you want to create a successful SEO strategy. It’s just a fact.
But it helps to have a budget in mind to keep your expectations from spiraling out of control. Of course, it also helps to know the kinds of results you’d like to achieve within that budget, but it’s essential to be realistic.
If you want to get to the top page of Google for the keyword “Japan tour,” a budget of $500 isn’t cut it. Just be mindful of your expectations before you start reaching out.
3. Check Out Past Case Studies
Case studies provide a great insight into the work an SEO firm has carried out and achieved for past clients. It’s worth having a browse through them to see if you can spot any similar companies so you can get a handle on what kind of results you might expect.
If the company has no case studies, see any client testimonials from which you can pull critical information.
If you’re keen on working with a company but have no case studies, you can always contact them to see if they can put you in touch with a past client who can explain their experience.
4. Look at Their Expertise
Most SEO companies will list their expertise or at least give an insight into the tactics they specialize in, whether writing fully-optimized blog posts or creating irresistible meta information.
A few areas you should look for:
- What industries do they specialize in?
- What type of content do they create?
- Have they published thought leadership content before?
Check out their expertise and determine whether it fits your industry needs and goals.
5. Hop On a Call
One of the best ways to determine if an SEO company will be a good fit is to get on a call or schedule a consultation (many of them offer these for free). You can then get a better feel for their personality, their brand as a whole, and their expertise.
This also allows you to ask any questions you might have to qualify them as a reliable SEO company (but we’ll talk more about that in a bit).
6. Check Out Their SEO Ranking
You’ve got to practice what you preach. And there’s an easy way to get proof of the pudding – check out the SEO ranking of the company.
Are they ranking for SEO company San Jose or a similar keyword phrase? If so, there’s a good chance they can help you rank for the keywords you want to rank for, too.
7. Take a Look at Their Blog
As an extension of the “practice what you preach” mentality, check out their blog to see the kind of content they put out there.
Ideally, you want to opt for a company that consistently publishes excellent, unique content that doesn’t look like it’s been written in five minutes. This will also give you an insight into the kind of expertise and knowledge they have.
8. Ask For a Recommendation
If you’re planning a movie trip, you’ll probably ask your friends for their latest recommendations, right?
You can do the same on your hunt for the perfect SEO company. If you know a brand that’s recently used the services of a company, you can ask them who they used. It’s always nice to find a company that someone you know can vouch for.
Top Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing an SEO Company in Silicon Valley
1. Don’t Choose a “Cheap” SEO Agency
Price is important, but you will have to spend some money to get the desired results. Unfortunately, simply opting for the cheapest agency is a recipe for disaster, as there’s likely a reason that they’re cheaper than everyone else.
2. Don’t Select An Agency That Outsources
The agency might be based in San Jose, but if they outsource every task to other places and professionals, you might not be hiring the expertise you initially thought you were.
3. Don’t Go For the First Company You Come Across
SEO companies vary depending on their skills as a team and their expertise. It’s worth researching to find the right fit for you.
4. Don’t Fall for High and Mighty (and Unrealistic) Promises
You’ll come across several SEO companies making outlandish promises like they’ll “get you to the number one spot on Google in 24 hours”. While it might seem incredibly tempting, such claims aren’t possible.
Companies that make promises such as this instantly lose credibility, so stay alert for any unrealistic outcomes.
5. Don’t Be Suckered in By Flashy Presentations
It’s easy to make a fancy presentation packed full of wild claims.
What isn’t so easy is working hard to get the results clients want and proving that. So ignore any Hollywood-esque videos that promise you big things, and instead, look for proof through case studies and testimonials.
What Questions Should You Ask an SEO Company Before Hiring Them
- Who have you helped rank in the past?
- Do you specialize in my industry or vertical?
- How much should I pay for SEO?
- What results do you expect, and over what timescales?
- How are keywords chosen?
- Have you done work like this for companies similar to mine?
- What contracts, prices, and options are available?
- Do you provide performance guarantees? (a reliable SEO company doesn’t)
- Will I have full access to my analytics account and website?
- How will we communicate?
- What’s the cancellation process?
- Do you have any customer stories you can share?
Find the Right San Jose SEO Company For YOU
Use the tips, tricks, and advice we’ve laid out here to find a San Jose SEO company that meets your needs and can get you the desired results.
To learn more about how we can help you rank for relevant keywords, increase organic traffic, and get more sales, contact us at contact@joseangelostudios.com.
But there’s a saying that often rings true: “In order to make money, you have to spend money.”
The tricky part is choosing what to spend your money on.
SEO is a great place to start for many businesses – both big and small, new and old – as it can dramatically improve your business, but it can only do this if you choose the right people to help. Choose the wrong SEO company, and you might end up in Google’s bad books and be banished from the search engines.
If you’re ready to invest in your business and shoot to the top of the search engines, here’s how to choose an SEO company to help you soar.
Why Should You Hire an SEO Company?
1. Supercharge Your ROI
According to research, SEO is the tactic that brings the most significant ROI in digital marketing. So why wouldn’t you do something that practically guarantees results? You’d be a fool not to.
But to actually get those results, you have to do it right.
Many businesses mistake haphazardly implementing a couple of easy SEO tricks here and there and are shocked when they don’t get the results they want. If you can feel your cheeks burning in shame, know you’re not alone! Unfortunately, it’s incredibly common for companies to try and wing their SEO strategy, but it can often do more harm than good.
2. Save Precious Time
On the topic of winging it: if you’ve spent hours and hours reading up about SEO and have burned the candle at both ends trying to figure out the secret sauce, you’re also not alone.
But there’s only so much reading you can do before you have actually started implementing things – otherwise, you won’t see results. Bringing SEO professionals on board to help can improve your website almost immediately and stop you from wasting time trying to optimize for 200 rankings factors (yes, 200!) yourself.
3. Faster Results
SEO is pivotal in generating more organic traffic and more qualified leads. Now, you can either DIY it (which requires hours and hours of reading and even more hours spent experimenting, tweaking, and measuring), or you can get help from an SEO company that can get you results faster than if you were doing it yourself.
We wholeheartedly recommend the second option if you favor your time and sanity!
SEO isn’t an overnight thing – Google estimates it takes 3-5 months to start seeing results – but an experienced company will know how to get you there faster.
4. Hold Yourself Accountable
How often have you alleviated your guilt by saying you’ll work on your SEO strategy tomorrow? And how often has tomorrow turned into next week, month, or even year?
This is the same tune a lot of businesses sing. In fact, it’s so common, mainly when there are a million and one other things you can do with your brand. But this is only common for brands that try and do their SEO themselves. In these instances, SEO stuff gets pushed to the bottom of to-do lists far more often than not, despite the proven results it can get you.
Hiring the help of a professional SEO team will keep you accountable.
5. Play the Long Game
SEO is a long-term tactic that will generate better and better results the longer you do it. A dedicated SEO company will help you map out a long-term strategy and break it down into manageable steps so that you can prepare and plan for the long game.
What Hiring an SEO Company Can Do For You
1. Increase Organic Traffic For Relevant Keywords
Traffic is the lifeblood of every business. Without traffic, you don’t get sales, which means no money.
Imagine getting hundreds of thousands of visitors to your site every day. Imagine every one of them was a relevant and potential customer who had searched for the keyword that describes your business.
It’d be a game-changer, right?
That’s exactly what hiring an SEO company can do. They have tricks up their sleeve to find the best keywords to target and will outline a plan to get you the kind of organic traffic you’ve only ever dreamed of.
2. Generate a Steady Flow of Qualified Leads
SEO companies have tools and tactics to target highly-qualified leads. These people are desperately looking for a solution like the one you’re offering. These people will instantly hit the buy button when they come across your product or service.
3. Boost Conversions With Optimized Landing Pages and Blog Posts
Content is critical in any successful SEO strategy, and an experienced team will help you identify key topics your audience seeks.
Not only that, but they’ll optimize those posts so they show up in the top results on search engines and lay them out in a way that’s psychologically proven to boost conversions. For example, companies that post regular blogs generate 126% more leads than those that don’t.
This is also true for landing pages – a.k.a. some of the most critical pages on your site. If they don’t convert, you won’t get the kind of customers you want. An SEO company will optimize these pages, including all the relevant meta information, so that visitors don’t hesitate to hand you their details.
4. Increase Overall Sales
And, when you get more conversions, you get more sales. So, the end goal for most companies is to increase sales, and SEO offers an incredibly helping hand in that.
Take Fibreglass Pools as an example.
Founder Marcus Sheridan discovered one significant objection to stopping people from buying a pool – they didn’t know how much it would cost them overall. Many people were searching for this information, but no other swimming pool brands gave it.
So, Sheridan created an in-depth blog post targeting the keywords in this question, and, to date, it has generated more than $2 million in sales.
8 Tips to Hire a Reliable SEO Company in San Jose
By now, we’ve probably convinced you that hiring an SEO company is a must-do for your business (especially if you want to boost traffic and sales – and who doesn’t want to do that?!).
But how do you make sure you’re hiring the right SEO company?
Here are some top tips for finding a reliable and professional SEO company in San Jose that will get you the desired results.
1. Be Specific About Your Goals
Before you reach out to an SEO company, we recommend that you have a solid grasp of the goals you want to achieve.
It helps to have SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based. For example, “I want to increase the number of leads I get from my blog by 30% by June 2020” is a SMART goal. Or “I want to outrank my local competitors by the end of the year.”
You then want to find a firm that understands these goals and has the tools and resources to meet them.
2. Have a Budget in Mind
You’ll have to part with some money if you want to create a successful SEO strategy. It’s just a fact.
But it helps to have a budget in mind to keep your expectations from spiraling out of control. Of course, it also helps to know the kinds of results you’d like to achieve within that budget, but it’s essential to be realistic.
If you want to get to the top page of Google for the keyword “Japan tour,” a budget of $500 isn’t cut it. Just be mindful of your expectations before you start reaching out.
3. Check Out Past Case Studies
Case studies provide a great insight into the work an SEO firm has carried out and achieved for past clients. It’s worth having a browse through them to see if you can spot any similar companies so you can get a handle on what kind of results you might expect.
If the company has no case studies, see any client testimonials from which you can pull critical information.
If you’re keen on working with a company but have no case studies, you can always contact them to see if they can put you in touch with a past client who can explain their experience.
4. Look at Their Expertise
Most SEO companies will list their expertise or at least give an insight into the tactics they specialize in, whether writing fully-optimized blog posts or creating irresistible meta information.
A few areas you should look for:
- What industries do they specialize in?
- What type of content do they create?
- Have they published thought leadership content before?
Check out their expertise and determine whether it fits your industry needs and goals.
5. Hop On a Call
One of the best ways to determine if an SEO company will be a good fit is to get on a call or schedule a consultation (many of them offer these for free). You can then get a better feel for their personality, their brand as a whole, and their expertise.
This also allows you to ask any questions you might have to qualify them as a reliable SEO company (but we’ll talk more about that in a bit).
6. Check Out Their SEO Ranking
You’ve got to practice what you preach. And there’s an easy way to get proof of the pudding – check out the SEO ranking of the company.
Are they ranking for SEO company San Jose or a similar keyword phrase? If so, there’s a good chance they can help you rank for the keywords you want to rank for, too.
7. Take a Look at Their Blog
As an extension of the “practice what you preach” mentality, check out their blog to see the kind of content they put out there.
Ideally, you want to opt for a company that consistently publishes excellent, unique content that doesn’t look like it’s been written in five minutes. This will also give you an insight into the kind of expertise and knowledge they have.
8. Ask For a Recommendation
If you’re planning a movie trip, you’ll probably ask your friends for their latest recommendations, right?
You can do the same on your hunt for the perfect SEO company. If you know a brand that’s recently used the services of a company, you can ask them who they used. It’s always nice to find a company that someone you know can vouch for.
Top Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing an SEO Company in Silicon Valley
1. Don’t Choose a “Cheap” SEO Agency
Price is important, but you will have to spend some money to get the desired results. Unfortunately, simply opting for the cheapest agency is a recipe for disaster, as there’s likely a reason that they’re cheaper than everyone else.
2. Don’t Select An Agency That Outsources
The agency might be based in San Jose, but if they outsource every task to other places and professionals, you might not be hiring the expertise you initially thought you were.
3. Don’t Go For the First Company You Come Across
SEO companies vary depending on their skills as a team and their expertise. It’s worth researching to find the right fit for you.
4. Don’t Fall for High and Mighty (and Unrealistic) Promises
You’ll come across several SEO companies making outlandish promises like they’ll “get you to the number one spot on Google in 24 hours”. While it might seem incredibly tempting, such claims aren’t possible.
Companies that make promises such as this instantly lose credibility, so stay alert for any unrealistic outcomes.
5. Don’t Be Suckered in By Flashy Presentations
It’s easy to make a fancy presentation packed full of wild claims.
What isn’t so easy is working hard to get the results clients want and proving that. So ignore any Hollywood-esque videos that promise you big things, and instead, look for proof through case studies and testimonials.
What Questions Should You Ask an SEO Company Before Hiring Them
- Who have you helped rank in the past?
- Do you specialize in my industry or vertical?
- How much should I pay for SEO?
- What results do you expect, and over what timescales?
- How are keywords chosen?
- Have you done work like this for companies similar to mine?
- What contracts, prices, and options are available?
- Do you provide performance guarantees? (a reliable SEO company doesn’t)
- Will I have full access to my analytics account and website?
- How will we communicate?
- What’s the cancellation process?
- Do you have any customer stories you can share?
Find the Right San Jose SEO Company For YOU
Use the tips, tricks, and advice we’ve laid out here to find a San Jose SEO company that meets your needs and can get you the desired results.
To learn more about how we can help you rank for relevant keywords, increase organic traffic, and get more sales, contact us at contact@joseangelostudios.com.
