You may know SEO as the hottest marketing trend of the era, but you’d be surprised how often it’s disregarded. Believe it or not, 70% of businesses still don’t have an SEO strategy, but that gives you a great opportunity!
However, there is still the age-old question; should I try DIY or hire professional SEO marketing services?
Luckily, we’re here to help you make that decision. Let’s talk about the benefits of hiring an SEO agency today!
Save Labor
When choosing to build an SEO strategy in-house, especially from the ground up, you’re taking your staff away from other valuable tasks for a significant time.
Moreover, this is especially true if you or your staff aren’t experienced in building an SEO strategy, as there is a large learning curve.
At the least, you should expect 20 hours of taking an online course, another 20 for online research, and still needing to hire a web designer to build the foundation of your strategy.
Keep in mind, all of that is before the strategy can even begin, which will take even more time.
If you’re planning to implement an SEO strategy with content marketing yourself, or hiring one person to do it, you can expect weeks of learning and labor just to get the ball rolling.
Once it does, there’s still a “guessing game” of whether or not your strategy will work!
Also, it’s unlikely that a small business owner (or even a sole marketing specialist) would have the time to carry out all of this themselves.
However, a professional SEO company already has the expertise and experience necessary to get you the results you need.
Higher Return on Investment
SEO can be free, but only in theory. You’d be hard-pressed to find somebody who implemented a successful SEO strategy by themselves, and even then, there’s a limit.
Let’s say you do all of the research and groundwork. If it’s your first time doing it, can you really expect it to live up to the standards of a professional SEO strategy?
Yes, there is a higher upfront cost, but the best part is that there’s a limited need for ongoing expenses. Unlike PPC campaigns, you don’t need to keep pouring money into an SEO strategy, no matter how successful it is.
Essentially, if your strategy takes off, you could see years of results with limited additional expenses, making the initial investment well worth it.
Believe it or not, appearing on the first page of a high-traffic search could single-handedly keep your business afloat for years.
Unfortunately, you’re less likely to see these same returns with a DIY strategy.
Faster Results
Let’s be honest, a DIY SEO strategy is bound to take longer to start, implement, and come to fruition. For that reason, there’s no substitute for hiring professionals.
Keep in mind, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It will take at least 4 to 6 months, often up to a year, to start seeing progress, but that’s just the nature of the industry.
Well, you can eliminate the guessing game during your first year and see the fastest results by allowing professionals to implement your strategy.
Diversify Your Traffic
If you’re primarily relying on ad traffic and repeat business, then you need to diversify.
Organic traffic, the traffic you don’t have to prompt or buy, is far more advantageous than paid traffic.
See, most people skip over the search ads in favor of the organic traffic. If that happens to be your website, then your new users are already starting on an initial note of trust.
Consequently, this will help improve your conversion rates, build quality brand recognition, and eventually build brand loyalty.
Not only that, but you’re also adding an entirely new method for people to find your business. Ads can only take you so far, so diversity is key.
Improved Website
On that same note, a boost to your website is a boost to your entire marketing strategy.
What other asset of your business affects your customer journey, SEO, social media, email, and ad campaigns at the same level? None.
Your website acts as the center, or the home base, of your entire digital presence. Any boost to its user experience will result in your other marketing campaigns increasing performance.
Think about it.
In most cases, every marketing strategy that you have will attempt to drive people to your website. Unfortunately, the journey through your website is where most companies lose their traffic.
Well, when users have an easy and enjoyable time navigating through your website, they’re more likely to make conversions. This, in turn, saves you money on your overall marketing strategy over the long term.
Competitive Advantage
SEO is only becoming more and more competitive over time, but it’s never too late to start.
As we mentioned before, most businesses still haven’t invested in SEO, which is great news for you! However, some of your competitors likely have quite a headstart on you.
Consequently, you should take every opportunity at your disposal to get ahead of the competition. If you’re interested in hiring a professional SEO agency, click here to learn more.
Hire an SEO Agency Today
Now that you know what an SEO agency can do for your business, there’s no time like the present to get started. The sooner you do, the sooner you will see results.
Remember, SEO is a long-term strategy, so start today, and stay up to date with our latest digital marketing tips!