The People Behind Search Engine Optimization
In our past articles we’ve talked about how to better optimize your content and what to look out for as search engines change in the face of new and improving technologies. What we have not talked much about though, are the people that make sure websites are performing well and keep up on the latest information on search engines and how they work.
Yes, I’m talking about SEO Specialists, like us here at SEO Market Pros!
I’ll be breaking down what exactly the work entails, and how SEO specialists utilize various tools and strategies to help websites boost their positions in search rankings. By the end, you should have a better understanding of what goes into the work, and why the resource is so valuable to a company looking to grow.
The Day to Day of SEO Specialists
At the core of the job of an SEO specialist are the websites they are working on. The goal is to get that website ranked as highly as possible, and if possible, get as many pages on that site ranked.
There are many ways in which they do this, but one of the main ones is through research. Before starting a project, a good SEO specialist will be sure to thoroughly analyze and explore aspects of the project.
What this entails can come in a variety of forms, but some of the more common ones are:
- Keyword research to see who the competitors are and what search intent is
- Research into the competitors to see how they implement SEO and why they are top of SERP
- Website audits to see what is and is not working for the website they are working on
- Best SEO practices to make sure that there haven’t been any major changes to how search works
- Topical research including current events and top articles for relevant content writing
- Rankings of websites, search terms, and other metrics tracked by SEO trackers.
Many SEO Specialists and companies will develop their own tactics and specialties along the way, but any good one will arm themselves with knowledge to ensure that as the project commences, they are adequately prepared to not only do the work, but answer questions and situations that come along the way.
An area where this is especially important is the testing and upkeep of search engine marketing techniques. Bad SEO can cripple a website’s performance, and possibly even get it de-indexed by Google should the search engine’s algorithm think the site spammy, or toxic to results.
When testing new techniques or tinkering with a website’s content for optimization, a good specialist will know what to do and what to avoid. They will also understand that for may cases in SEO, there will be a timeline of sorts before any kind of dramatic improvement is seen. SEO requires a lot of patience and a constant attention to metrics and testing, and the people who are good at this are going to be aware of what changes are good, and what changes require additional care to improve.
Why You Should Hire an SEO Specialist
Knowing now what goes into the day to day of the work, you might ask yourself what kind of benefit an SEO specialist can have for your company?
If your business has an online presence the answer should be obvious, but to clarify: An SEO specialist knows more about how to implement search engine marketing strategies.
The Specialist Title isn’t Just for Show
As just stated, SEO specialists know more about how search engines work than most people. It is their singular focus, and so they can spend the time and effort into ensuring that they have the utmost knowledge and resources at their disposal.
Whether they work solo, or with a team, they know how to read and parse out useful information from metrics and use that information along with your website to start generating a strategy to better improve search presence.
The reason for this might seem simple at first, but it is effective: Its their job. If they aren’t good at that job, then they aren’t going to get work
SEO Specialists Can Keep Your Website Performing Well
Much in the same way that you hire a trade specialist to handle your plumbing, roofing, or other job, you should work with an SEO specialist for your website. Even excellently designed websites with prior optimization will need upkeep as standards change in search. What was effective SEO a decade ago is not now, and even within the past year there have been dramatic changes to how search works.
As it is their job to keep up to date with the latest trends and tactics, they will be able to look at your website and its content with a keen eye and discover things that you may not have noticed. They will then be able to explain, fix, and implement any needed changes to keep your website in top shape.
SEO Specialists Can Help an Ailing Website
If you find yourself in a position where your website is performing poorly, or seems unable to be saved, this is another good reason to turn to an SEO Specialist. Though it may take a lot of hard work, they can save a website from dire circumstances, and turn it into something beneficial for you and your business.
In some cases this can be undoing the work of bad SEO practices, but in others, much like a home renovation show, it’s a drastic change to get the website more in line with your brand and vision, while also making it something appealing to navigate for users.
Given enough time, they’ll be able to get your website and its content to a state where it performs well and help you to better understand how to avoid those pitfalls in the future.
SEO Specialists Can Keep Your Content Up to Date
Having an ongoing relationship with the people doing your SEO can be more than just behind-the-scenes. Your specialists can work with you to make sure that new and updating content is best poised to take advantage of search systems.
This can take many forms, but one of the most common is blog posts as they have a lot of room for keywords and content. Sort of like the one you’re reading now, they are a platform to communicate with your customers or audience, while also serving a secondary function as a place to generate additional SEO strength.
Additionally, they can assist with ensuring your content is well written for both that audience, and for Google. There have been big changes to the algorithm to prioritize the quality of content over just jamming in keywords in, and ensuring that you are writing in a conversational, engaging manner is going to do wonders for a website’s blog in the long term. SEO specialists can help with writing those blogs and ensuring that content is something people can get value from.
SEO is tricky, complicated, and takes a lot of time. If you are a businessowner you no doubt have much more important things on your plate than worrying about how search metrics work. By working with an SEO specialist, you can improve your website, and make it a valued part of your company’s growth.
