Hiring an SEO company can be a significant investment for any business, but is it worth hiring an SEO expert? The short answer is yes, but it depends on your specific needs and goals. In this article, we will explore the benefits of hiring an SEO agency and how it can help your business.
Covered in this article: 5 Reasons Why Hiring an SEO Company Is Worth It | Experience (Preferably Industry-Specific) | Evolving SEO Knowledge | Advanced Keyword Research and Targeting | Technical SEO Skills | Maintained Business Focus | The Cost of SEO Services | Retainers | Hourly | ROI – Are SEO Services Worth It?
5 Reasons Why Hiring an SEO Company Is Worth It
The following benefits and reasons will clarify what an SEO agency will do that you would not know about, even as a tech-savvy entrepreneur.
1. Experience (Preferably Industry-Specific)
One of the biggest benefits of hiring an SEO company is that they have the expertise and experience to help your business rank higher in search engine results. According to a study by Moz (“The State of SEO in 2021”), the top three organic search results get nearly 40% of the clicks. An SEO company can help your business achieve higher rankings and, as a result, more traffic and revenue.
While search engine optimization knowledge is relatively portable from industry to industry, having specific experience in your industry should be something that you look for in an SEO firm. Keyword ranking research tools like Semrush or Ahrefs make it easy for an SEO company to quickly share industry portfolio examples of their work with you.
2. Evolving SEO Knowledge
Another benefit of hiring an SEO company is that they can help you stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and best practices. SEO is an ever-changing field, and it can be difficult for businesses to keep up with the latest developments. An SEO company can help you stay current and ensure that your website is optimized for the latest search engine algorithm updates.
At the time of this writing, there have been two major algorithm updates in the past month alone. The Helpful Content System update (v2), and the December 2022 Link Spam update. As a business leader, you’re likely focused on your business operations. The chance of you keeping up with Google’s regular algorithm updates to continue driving business from organic search is improbable and unexpected.
3. Advanced Keyword Research and Targeting
An SEO agency can help you to identify and target specific keywords that are relevant to your business. This can help you to drive more targeted traffic to your website and increase your chances of converting visitors into customers. According to a study by HubSpot (“The Importance of Long-Tail Keywords in SEO”), long-tail keywords have a higher conversion rate than short-tail keywords.
A good hub and spoke content marketing plan supplemented by an intentional internal linking strategy can help amplify the time invested in keyword research. Contact a knowledgeable Cleveland SEO agency to learn about your next steps today!
4. Technical SEO Skills
An SEO firm can help you to identify and fix technical issues on your website that could be hindering your search engine rankings. This includes things like broken links, duplicate content, and slow page load times. According to a study by Google (“Page Speed and Search Engine Rankings”), page load time is a significant factor in search engine rankings.
Even as an expert technology user, a non-SEO professional won’t know how to use tools like Screaming Frog and Chrome Dev Tools to identify and resolve technical search engine optimization issues that could be holding your site back. In some cases, coding issues on your website could even be causing your website not to show up on Google. A reputable search marketing expert can quickly resolve these issues.
5. You Maintain Business Focus
One of the most important benefits of hiring an SEO agency is that it allows you to focus on your business while they take care of your SEO efforts. This can save you time and resources that can be better used for other important tasks. It also ensures that your SEO is in the hands of experts who can make strategic decisions that are in line with your business goals.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that SEO is not a one-time solution. It is an ongoing process that requires regular maintenance and updates. Steer clear of guaranteed SEO results, as such a guarantee is unreasonable and cannot be lived up to. Several bad actors in the SEO arena have burned unsuspecting businesses with unachievable or misrepresented guarantees, tarnishing the reputation of real professionals in the industry. A good SEO company will work with you to create a long-term strategy that evolves with your business.
The Cost of SEO Services
Let’s look at some data from Business2Community about the cost of SEO.
Retainers
“The most popular retainer is between $500 and $1000 dollars. Keep in mind, these figures are for global averages. The most popular monthly retainer in the U.S. only is between $2500 and $5000.”
Hourly
“So what does SEO cost if you plan on paying hourly? For SEO professionals charging an hourly rate, the most popular price range was between $100 and $150 dollars.”
ROI – Are SEO Services Worth It?
The ROI of your SEO efforts depends on factors like the competitiveness of your industry, the quality of the SEO services being provided, and the overall goals of the business. If you’re still wondering — are SEO companies worth it? — this next section should give you a definitive answer.
Some general estimates for the ROI of SEO for different industries are:
- E-commerce: It is reported that the average ROI for e-commerce businesses is around 14.6%.
- Local Businesses: Local businesses have reported an average ROI of around 22%.
- Service-based Businesses: Service-based businesses have reported an average ROI of around 15%.
- Healthcare: Healthcare providers have reported an average ROI of around 18%.
- B2B: B2B companies have reported an average ROI of around 13%.
It’s important to note that these numbers are just averages and they can vary greatly depending on your specific industry, website configuration, and involvement. Additionally, SEO is a long-term strategy, it’s not an overnight project. It may take some months (or years) to see the results, so it’s important to have a consistent and long-term plan. In general, it takes around 3 months to see any results, and about a year to gain a steady lead generation foothold.
In conclusion, next time you ask yourself — is SEO worth paying for? — you can definitively say yes. Choosing a good SEO company can be a valuable investment for your business. It can help you to achieve higher search engine rankings, stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and best practices, target specific keywords, fix technical issues, and save you time and resources. It’s important to work with a reputable SEO company that can provide a customized solution that aligns with your business goals.