Many businesses have considered using a Michigan SEO company to enhance their online presence and get more for their marketing dollar. However, without proper knowledge as to what an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company does or how it can effectively bring results, many business owners and managers have shied away from this type of marketing.
What is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a method used by online marketing professionals to increase the flow of traffic to a website to bring in more “hits”, which then leads to additional business. This may be done in different ways, but the most valued method to get good results is through White Hat SEO. When in search of a Michigan SEO company to help you accomplish this goal, there are a few questions to ask when interviewing each candidate.
What type of content do you develop? – If you are interviewing a Michigan SEO company that promises to develop content for your website or social media platforms, you need to make sure it is high quality. Research should be done to determine the best keyword usage to attract viewers to your web and social media sites, and the content should be relevant to readers’ interests. The information should be useful, easy to read and scan, and full of material for which readers and potential customers are seeking. It is important to disperse keywords throughout the content to bring visitors to your site, and they should flow naturally with appropriate density. Typically this means the keyword phrase should appear once in the first paragraph, once in the closing paragraph, and then about 2 or 3 times throughout the body of the document. Ask to see samples of content they have published to websites for other clients.
How do you address local searches? – Many people notice that when they type something into Google, they often get results from relevant local companies. A good Michigan SEO company knows how to make sure your company pops up for such local searches by optimizing profiles with complete and accurate information on Bing Local, Yahoo Local, and Google Places. They will also ensure that your social media sites are updated and localized.
How do you conduct link development? Some options are:
- a. Attracting links through quality content
- b. Creating links via hand submitted directory listings, image sharing and classified.
- c. Automated link building campaign where automated programs submit business information to directories and other sites.
Of these different styles of link building options a and b are more time consuming, higher quality and unlikely to be negatively affected by a search engine update. In option c however you are virtually spamming websites with your content. Like many shortcuts in life this method is highly likely to backfire by creating associations with less than reputable websites that could negatively impact your rank.
If you are interviewing companies to find the right Michigan SEO company for your needs, be sure to ask these questions first and compare results to make sure you get what are paying for.