An SEO service is the best choice for many people who want their website to appear on the first page of Google's search results. One reason is that using an SEO service is considered more practical, since you don't have to do the optimisation yourself. And of course the work is done by professionals experienced in the field.
Is that really so? What exactly is an SEO service? And do you really need one?
Before you decide whether to use an SEO service, it is worth reading the following, from what it is to its pros and cons.
What Is an SEO Service?
An SEO service offers website optimisation so that your site ranks at the top of Google search.
These services exist because competition between websites to reach the search results keeps growing. The number of websites keeps rising, but not every website owner understands how to optimise for SEO.
On top of that, getting the most out of search engine optimisation is a complex series of processes. Apply it wrongly and your website can end up impossible to find in search results. Add to that the fact that Google's algorithm keeps changing.
For these reasons, the market for SEO services keeps widening. The global market value of SEO agencies and services has kept rising and was projected to pass USD 40.92 billion in 2021.
But do you really need an SEO service? And what services do they offer?
What Services Do SEO Providers Usually Offer?
Here are some of the services SEO agencies usually offer:
1. On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is optimisation carried out on the content you publish. This is the type of optimisation SEO services offer most.
SEO providers usually focus on factors inside the website, such as keyword research, internal and external link strategy, image SEO and more.
However, every SEO service offers different on-page optimisation depending on its packages, for example in keyword optimisation.
Generally, SEO services limit optimisation to a few main keywords and their variations. So you need to know your main target keywords first; the SEO service then helps analyse them.
In on-page packages, SEO services often offer content creation too. They write SEO-optimised articles to post on your blog, which are, of course, expected to rank well in search results.
Often, though, content writing is a separate SEO package, outside the on-page package.
2. Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is optimisation carried out outside the website. Unlike on-page, off-page optimisation is mostly about things like:
- Running link building
- Improving E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness)
- Paying attention to local SEO
- Increasing social media engagement
- Using online forums
Usually, though, SEO services do off-page optimisation with a focus on the number of backlinks, and on raising domain authority and page authority.
The reason: once your website earns backlinks, meaning links from other websites, its chances of ranking at the top of Google open up.
Why? A website that gets links from others is considered trustworthy for the information it provides, so Google gives that kind of website extra weight.
Links matter even more if your website covers health, finance or journalism. The more links relevant to your topic, the more credible your website.
With that in mind, you can use an SEO service to help your website meet E-A-T. Once it does, Google trusts you as an expert in that niche, and you can rank at the top.
3. Technical SEO
Technical SEO is optimisation of a website's technical side so it matches Google's algorithm. Because it is technical, not just anyone can do it.
Examples of technical SEO include reading website performance in Google Analytics, improving site speed, creating a sitemap and more.
Some SEO services have packages that help make sure your website follows good technical SEO practice. They usually use a range of tools to get a technical analysis of a website.
4. Local SEO
Local SEO is a way of showing your business in local search, so nearby potential customers can find it.
Around 46% of Google users run local searches to find shops near them. Every business owner wants their business found by potential customers.
That is what drives SEO services to offer dedicated local SEO.
Usually, an SEO service optimises your business location, your Google Business Profile and your business details (NAP citations). All of these are then optimised with the most relevant keywords and connected to your business website.
5. Backlinks
Aren't backlinks part of off-page SEO? Yes, but many SEO services offer backlink optimisation separately, because getting the best links from the right niche for your website is not easy.
SEO services generally offer a quantity of backlinks at a set price, judged either by how many you get or by the domain authority of the linking sites.
If you use an SEO service, what kind of quality backlinks should you get? Here are some criteria:
- Relevant to your website's topic
- Good domain authority or page authority
- Good website traffic
- A credible website with good, up-to-date content
- A good outbound link record, without much spam
- Indexed by Google
Because choosing good backlinks and getting them isn't easy, using an SEO service can be a strategy worth considering.
6. Voice SEO
Today, nearly 40% of Google searches are made by voice. So SEO for voice search is clearly needed.
No surprise, then, that SEO services now often offer voice SEO. If you want your business found much faster in voice search, especially by mobile users, this service can be an option.
And if the optimisation goes well, your website also has a chance of winning a featured snippet, the very top spot on Google.
You can also use long-tail keywords for more specific searches that match how people speak when using Google Voice Search.
7. Content Writing
Good content can help your website rank at the top of Google search.
The more good-quality articles you have, the more likely people are to find your website. And that, of course, affects your business, because it becomes better known.
But writing quality, SEO-friendly articles isn't easy. That is why an SEO service can help you get strong articles in a practical way.
SEO services understand the ins and outs of SEO-friendly articles, so they often offer content writing as a dedicated service.
Your articles are then optimised with the best keywords for your business.
What Can You Get from an SEO Service?
With everything an SEO service provides, there are several benefits you can get. What are they?
1. More Traffic
An SEO service can help you optimise keywords that fit your business. If your website ranks at the top of search engines, plenty of visitors will come.
That is why it matters to choose an SEO package that fits your needs.
If you are just starting out, you can ask the SEO service to do all the optimisation needed. Or you can ask for a set of specific keywords most relevant to your business.
2. Greater Brand Awareness
If SEO optimisation succeeds, your website gets not only traffic but awareness too. Why?
If every keyword on a topic that users search for brings up your business, your brand awareness grows, because more people know your business and the products you sell.
Even if this doesn't immediately get them to buy, the strategy pays off over the long term.
3. Better Credibility
A website is considered credible when it shows expertise in a particular niche. In SEO, this is closely tied to E-A-T.
In reality, improving a website's credibility in search engines isn't easy. Besides getting the optimisation right, you always have to keep up with the latest algorithm.
An SEO service offers a practical way to improve your website's credibility. Through its work, you come to be seen as an expert in your field, with authority and trustworthy information.
4. More Leads
Leads are people who might buy your product because they are already interested and willing to leave their contact details.
With leads, you can promote products directly to potential customers so they buy the products they want.
Because an SEO service optimises your main keywords, your website is likely to be found by potential customers who match your products or services. They are your website's quality visitors.
When the SEO work is well targeted and the content is useful, visitors are often willing to leave their details to get the latest information or product offers.
One way to grow leads is a newsletter subscription for every visitor who fills in their details.
5. Higher Sales
When an SEO service helps you optimise keywords that match your products, your sales may rise. Why?
Say you sell quality jackets at low prices in Bandung. With good SEO, when people search for "cheap jackets bandung", your business appears in the results.
Generally, when a search is already specific to a product, the goal is to buy.
The more keywords optimised for your business niche, the more sales you can get.
6. The Right SEO Optimisation
An SEO service has experience optimising websites for search engines, both in what works best and in strategies that stay up to date.
That expertise takes time to build, while you want results sooner.
With the right SEO service, you get more accurate results that fit your needs. And most SEO services also report on the progress of the optimisation.
That way, you can measure how well it is working.
