There’s a chance your company has a long list of items it deems “most important” – anything from delivering a quality service or product, to amazing customer service, to even maintaining a positive and nurturing working environment. Those are all noble pursuits, but if those are the only things on your company’s “most important” list, you’re missing out on one small detail: the customers and clients.
As a small- to medium-sized business owner, your company can create world-class products and offer services that are second to none, but if no one knows about either, how do you expect to sustain your business? Word of mouth only goes so far, and print ads are all but dead. You have a website for your business, but unless someone specifically searches for your company, chances are they won’t find it.
All hope is not lost, however. Just because a potential client or customer doesn’t see your website on the first page of Google when they search for products or services you offer, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. This is where the value of search engine optimization, or SEO, really pays off. Unless you know your way around SEO, though, it’s good to find help. There are a few things to consider before you decide to choose the best Maryland SEO company.
Understanding SEO and Its Value
We’ve written before about SEO terms you should know, techniques to get to the top of the Google rankings, and avoiding shady black hat SEO agencies, which you can read by clicking on any of these links. While it’s good to read up on these things, it’s necessary to understand why SEO is important for the success of your business and why it’s so valuable.
Search engine optimization is just that – optimizing your website and its content so it performs better in search engine results pages, or SERPs. At this point, it should be noted that SEO can be difficult, time consuming, and sometimes overwhelming and frustrating. When it’s done well, however, it makes it all worth it. Seeing your website go from page 17 in the search engine results to page 1 is not only exciting, it also means your company will see a sharp increase in the number of leads.
That’s where the value comes in. Right now, you might be asking why getting your company’s website on the first page of Google is so important. Once you take away Pay-Per-Click (or PPC) Marketing, only 8.5 percent of web traffic makes it past the first results page. When broken down further, 91.5 percent of users click on a first-page link and go no further.
This is why SEO is so valuable. By optimizing your website – which includes work on each web page, writing informative blogs, and even using social media – your business can be seen by that 91.5 percent, which increases your chances of landing new clients and customers.
Understanding Your Goals
You realize as a business owner here in Maryland that your company would benefit from using a company that specializes in Maryland search engine optimization. That’s great! What would you like to do now?
Your initial response to that question might be, “I want my website to rank on the first page of Google.” That’s a good answer, and definitely something to set as a goal. When you look for a Maryland SEO company to help your business achieve that goal, it’s good to have a list of goals prepared to discuss with the agency.
What do you hope to get out of this?
This is a reasonable goal, and one that should be discussed to your satisfaction with any Maryland SEO company you consider. It’s important to know that no matter the amount of effort put into optimizing a website, there’s a chance it could end up on page 2 instead of the first page. If your business offers a product or service that a larger company offers, it might be difficult getting to the front.
Difficult, but not impossible. There are many ways to get your website – or even a blog from your website – to the front page, including the use of backlinks and guest blogging on a different site. So, your goal should always be to get your website to the front page, but it might take time, so temper your expectations.
Remember, you have a budget
How often have you heard people say, “If you throw money at it, it’ll fix the problem?” They were probably joking, but still, wouldn’t it be nice to just use a bunch of money to make things better? If you had money to spare, you could have a team of SEO experts working around the clock to make sure your company’s website was always on the first SERP.
As we dive back into the real world, we realize if we had all the money in the world, we probably wouldn’t need to worry about SEO in the first place. Before you meet with any SEO agency, you need to have a budget in mind – how much are you willing to put into search engine optimization? Most Maryland SEO companies will tell you the same thing when it comes to finances, and it’s true in all business practices. The more money you have to put into the project, the more time and energy can be allocated to optimizing your website.
A good SEO company will not make you feel pressured. If you’re not comfortable going over what you have set aside for the budget, don’t do it. A good Maryland SEO company will work with you.
Work with a Veteran Maryland SEO Company
One more thing to add to your company’s “most important” list – choose a Maryland SEO company that’s the best fit for you and your business. You’re going to be working with these people a lot, so it’s good to know you’ll be able to work well with them.
Here at New North, we understand exactly what you’re going through because we’ve heard stories like yours from hundreds of other business owners. Our staff is trained on SEO best practices, and continue to study new techniques.
We work with you to meet your goals and get your business on the path to success. If you have any questions about how we can help your company, contact us by clicking on this link, or call us at 240-575-5887. We look forward to hearing from you.
