What is an SEO Company?

An SEO company is an organisation that specializes in providing digital marketing and promotion that businesses utilize to have their websites become more accessible and successful through a carefully developed online presence. An SEO company is hired specifically to navigate the complex algorithms that many of the world's leading search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc,) use to ensure that the best possible results are populated. To do that websites need to possess a particular set of aspects that make them top candidates for search query results.

Google’s search algorithms are designed specifically to filter out results that are considered spam. These poor quality results hinder a successful search for those seeking specific information, and are often the result of paid advertisements riddled with ads and possible misinformation.

Currently, the search algorithm at Google filters out results that have organically gained popularity over a long period of time, it will display results instead that are more suited to their algorithm. An intelligently developed and executed SEO strategy generates exactly what algorithms are looking for and gives your site an edge on the competition. This edge allows your business to establish what normally takes years, in a comparatively amount of time.

When picking an SEO company for your website it always pays to check out past clients and the quality of service they received. Like any industry, there are those who offer cheap services with low quality results, and those who are professionals with exceptional track records and fees to reflect their experience.

How does SEO work?

Search engines work by targeting keywords within a search query which then through their algorithms deliver a result. These search engines operate on a constantly evolving and changing set of parameters to deliver the best possible search results. With so many possible results on the internet search engines decipher which results are best in a few different ways, by counting the number of times certain words are displayed on a page(targeted keywords), the number of instances where other sites refer to that page (link network), average time spent on a page, as well as a number of other methods. In order to ensure that SEO companies aren’t promoting fraudulent or poor quality sites the methods of making websites top search results are heavily guarded, often by the search engines themselves.

What are ways that a website gets optimized?

• Targeted Keywords - Sites undergo the creation and selection of accurate and strategic keyword libraries that allow for high visibility for search engine algorithms.
• Page Structure - Building a relevant internal page structure is an aspect that heavily contributes to a site being the best possible candidate for a search result.
• Content Organization - Organizing body content, headings, and descriptions is an important step in formatting a site. The frequency of targeted keywords within your content allows your site to be ranked higher and therefore more valuable to search queries.
• Thorough Business/Service Descriptions - Providing a well defined explanation for everything your business does leaves nothing to chance when attracting new customers. By explaining absolutely everything your business provides, customers won’t go elsewhere when they don’t find what they’re looking for.
• Code Optimization - What goes on behind the scenes of your website is just as important to search engines. A disorganized or poor quality code structure creates difficulty for search engine algorithms, adversely affecting the possibility of your site being chosen as a search result.
• Link Network - By having a network of trustworthy links your site and online reputation grows and attracts more potential customers. SEO can build this network even further to help improve your online presence and grow your business.

Search Engine Optimization is comprised of two main parts, the work that happens internally on your website, and work that happens externally, outside of the site itself.

What is Internal Optimization?

Internal Optimization classifies all the work that is done on the website itself to better format it for search engine algorithms. This may include:

• Arrangement of targeted keywords (Relevant keywords associated with the nature of your business or product)
• Formatting of internal code structure (Robots.txt, sitemap)
• Correction of technical errors (removal of duplicate pages,redundant information, broken links, and improvement of site load times)
• Improving User Experience (loading time, mobile formatting, etc)
• Relevant Imagery
• Internal link structure (page flow and overall navigation)

Internal Optimization may often be a lengthy process, but when done correctly will greatly improve the rank of your site. Search engine algorithms look for well made sites by taking a look at their back end coding and providing results accordingly. Poorly coded sites are automatically flagged as spam and inadmissible as a search result by many leading search engines, including Google. Most importantly a site should be easy to navigate, engaging, and fully relevant to those who visit it.

What is External Optimization?

External Optimization comes down to the quality of other sites that link to yours and vice versa. These kinds of external links provide incredible value that drive your site towards a higher ranking. By creating trustworthy link networks professional SEO strategists keep your site safe from being flagged and even shut down by search engines like Google. Poor quality or cheap links can damage the overall reputation of your website, from which it is difficult to recover. To grow your site organically through the awareness of others a professional SEO strategist will provide you with:

• Curated and relevant content that site viewers will resonate with, share, and return to in the future.
• Get your site registered with a number of different search engines and databases.
• Establish links with high profile resources.
• Create and execute a timeline and strategy for the best times and places to post blog articles, press releases, updates, and posts.
• Generate buzz through relevant forums and external blogs.

External Optimization requires a full competitive analysis to determine what works and what may harm the ranking of your site. Without a proper analysis your site could be flagged as spam or unsafe by Google. Google’s algorithms operate to ensure that sites grow in an organic way and cheap SEO providers often do not provide adequate formatting to ensure top ranking.

Is SEO permissible?

SEO professionals are held accountable by search engines themselves to strategically format sites that work best for them. By following an unwritten code that is common amongst professional SEO strategists, the sites being optimized are high quality and without potential of being flagged spam. With that said, there are varying methods of SEO optimization that do exist which one should be familiar with - white hat, gray, and black hat.

White hat optimization is work done on a site that is rightly within the permitted methods of promotion.

Gray are methods that are not officially prohibited, but ones that are regarded as illegitimate in nature. More often than not search engines will already block such methods and sites that use them.

Black hat optimization utilizes methods that are strictly prohibited. These methods often lead to sites becoming blacklisted under the filters of many search engines.

When it comes to SEO work white hat marketers and optimizers follow the rules of fair play. By keeping up to date with the newest requirements and recommendations of search engines like Google, they ensure sites will be recognized in turn. These requirements and recommendations are hosted publically and are made available through Google's Search Console Help Center for anyone to see. When SEO companies don’t follow these rules, it hurts not only hurts them but the sites they optimize.

What is PPC and how does it differ from SEO?

PPC or pay-per-click is when sites pay for highly visible ad space and pay out a small fee to the host whenever their ad is clicked on by a user. This method can quickly drive users to your site instead of them finding it organically. The most well known form of PPC is Google AdWords, you can recognize it immediately when you see the word “Ad” inside a small green box. Companies pay to have their ads at the top of search result pages which are relevant to the input search terms. While this method certainly works, it can come at a high cost. Google determines prices for PPC advertising by forecasting the amount an advertiser may spend and how relevant their content and sites may be. Without the in depth analysis and optimization of a website, money spent on this type of service is quickly wasted. It’s best practice to consult a SEO professional before utilizing this PPC method of marketing and promotion. Below are some basic differences between SEO and PPC.

Reaching top page of a Google search:
SEO - takes months or years of work to obtain this spot
PPC - instantly visible on top of result page

Cost and result:
SEO - costs are clearly defined to promote a site over the course of time and not based on visitor numbers
PPC - costs are dependent on visitor numbers making budgeting difficult; the more visitors to your site, the higher the cost

Flexibility in Service:
SEO - a professional SEO strategist provides a roadmap of marketing and promotion based on defined keywords
PPC - allows for unlimited and instant changes to be made to keywords and strategy

Final Results:
SEO - a orioerky crafted strategy will organically grow your site in perpetuity
PPC - upon expiration of the ad campaign, services cease to exist thus stopping flow of users to your site

User Trust:
SEO - ongoing user interaction happens more naturally when sites are optimized in a professional manner
PPC - users often dislike advertisements as a whole which can adversely affect the reputation of a business or product

Guaranteed Results:
SEO - professional SEO does not in fact guarantee absolute results
PPC - targets are guaranteed by the provider as long as the service continues to be paid for

While these two marketing and promotion solutions are similar, they both address specific ways of operation. Only after careful consideration of both should an individual make a decision on which solution is best for them and their site.

What tools does an SEO company use to organically grow the rank of a website?

SEO strategists count on the help of a team of highly skilled individuals and their resources to get sites their best possible ranking. From content generation to keyword targeting and code analysis, the team works together to develop a high quality website perfect for search engine algorithms. Some popular resources used by SEO companies may include:

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider - This desktop platform provides technical reporting and analysis and is by subscription only.
• Plagiarism Checker - This is a free resource that verifies the originality of any and all text on a site.
  
• Semrush - This paid service allows for competitive research in any given field.
• Serpstat - This paid service analizes backlink networks, keywords, phrases, positions, and analysis of competitor websites.
• Ahrefs - This paid service display the link profile of any website showing global traffic rank as well as a number of other analytical tools.
• Whoishostingthis - This free service provides the hosting details of any site.
• Builtwith - This service displays technical information of any website.

Why is it important to hire an SEO professional?

• Attempting to grow your website on your own can be an uphill battle. If you happen to have numerous coding errors, inadequate targeted keywords, or low quality content you may never be able to properly rank your website.
• While free SEO tools and resources do exist, they will not provide you and your site with an edge in the highly competitive online world.
  
• Cheap SEO providers provide inferior quality work which can be devastating to your website. Poor quality link networks are easily exposed by search engine algorithms and are automatically flagged. When it comes to SEO, the saying “you get what you pay for” can be considered true.

5 Things to consider when using SEO

1. Online reputation is vital to an existing customer base - In our digital age having a website is an absolute necessity. It builds trust between companies and customers as well as offers a means of communication for marketing and promotion. An inferior website reflects poorly on a business, product, service, or individual.
2. Make it easy for people to find your site - There’s a wealth of untapped customer potential out in the world, some even as close as right here in Calgary. There are people everyday searching out the very service, product, or business you have to offer. Since people make decisions based on the information they have why not provide them with exactly what they are looking for.
   
3. An up to date online presence can work wonders - Your website is your identity online, and having one that identifies everything you do sews the seeds of a solid and growing customer base. By carefully creating your online identity you can target customers who are searching for what you have to offer.
4. Building relationships with other businesses - Fostering these kinds of relationships can open doors for your business you wouldn’t otherwise have known to exist. While competition is important and ever present, cooperation can benefit all parties. Creating a robust link network coupled with high quality content not only promotes your site but also creates opportunity for highly beneficial partnerships.
5. SEO effectively pays for itself - Legitimate SEO will serve your website well in the effort to attract business and create an ever growing customer base. Don’t forget, SEO can work 24/7.

5 Questions to ponder when picking the right SEO for you

1. Where is the SEO company’s site ranked?
2. Did you find this site via a pay-per-click or Google ad?
   
3. How can you be sure this company will properly optimize your site?
4. Are they compliant with the latest search engine regulations? If they don’t mention it on their site be sure to ask.
5. What other websites have they worked on before? Asking for examples is always a great idea. It’s your money after all and you want the best SEO possible for your site.

Why is SEO so expensive?

• Quality SEO takes time - The amount of work it takes to successfully optimize a website for maximum ranking takes many hours, specialized skills, creativity, and experience. As shown throughout the extensive content above, great SEO doesn’t happen overnight. Cheaper and faster solutions will not produce the same results as a professionally crafted SEO strategy. Inadequate SEO hurts your website and its credibility.
• To Advertise is expensive - Many forms of promotion and advertisement are simply out of reach for smaller businesses. Large campaigns like billboards or transit ads don’t fit within a smaller budget. Pay-per-click advertising can result in large expenditures from irrelevant traffic and not lead to profit. SEO may seem an expensive alternative, but will provide your site with lasting value. No matter the budget we have SEO solutions available to help your site become the best.
  
• SEO will pay for itself - Your website isn’t invisible, people need to see it and what you offer. Quality SEO can help your business to not lose any opportunity to attract new customers.

Is there a way that I can promote my site without SEO?

Absolutely! We have resources available such as market research data that can help you get that ball rolling. We can even assist in giving you advice on how to best optimize your site, create captivating content, and how to get your link network started. Whether or not you choose to utilize RAB Digital for your SEO, we can certainly get you off and running .