A Beginner’s Roadmap to Understanding SEO

Written by Jason Jimenez-Vanover | Jul 24, 2024 2:00:00 PM

While larger freight companies have whole departments to handle marketing, it can often come down to one or two upper-level decision-makers in any SMB. With so much hype over digital marketing and everyone claiming to be the best, choosing a professional SEO services provider is your nightmare.

This can be a daunting task, but luckily there are professional search engine optimization (SEO) service providers that can help while also ensuring companies understand the basics of SEO and how it can lead to more significant visitor traffic, i.e., sales prospects, over time. Ultimately, professional SEO services achieve higher rankings in search engines to lead to more customers. It sounds like smoke and mirrors, but it’s an exhaustive process for small and one-person teams.

The choice is simple if you need help figuring out where to start or don’t have time to do it yourself. You need to consider hiring a professional SEO service. Professional SEO marketers can help you reach your target audience and grow your freight business. But how does SEO work and what does it really mean? Let’s take a closer look.

Defining “SEO”

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental to successful digital marketing. SEO is improving website visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs) to increase organic traffic and enhance internet presence while also avoiding adverse effects, such as Google Penalties. As a result, it can involve content development, optimizing page titles, working to acquire backlinks, monitoring website metrics, and more.

The Different Types of Professional SEO Services

Businesses can utilize many SEO services to improve their online presence and drive more traffic to their website. Some of the most common types of SEO services include the following.

Keyword Research and Selection

One of the first steps in any SEO campaign is identifying the right keywords to target, and it’s usually the number one strategy for SEO. HubSpot found that 71% of marketers turn to keyword research and content as their primary source of SEO.

Professional SEO services can conduct keyword research to identify the terms and phrases potential customers use when searching for products or services related to the business. There are both short-tail (less than or equal to two words in the phrase) through long-tail (more than 4 words) keywords. The right blend of both can help businesses create content more likely to rank well on search engines and attract the right visitors to the website.

On-Site Setup and Auditing

Hiring an outside resource, i.e., a marketing agency, can help supply chain businesses optimize their websites for search engines by conducting technical audits and making necessary onsite changes. The content on its own could work, but without the right meta information, it’s like walking through a maze, in the dark, and without knowing you’re in a maze. Technical SEO is all about optimizing meta tags, titles, and other technical elements that can impact a website’s ranking on search engines.

Inbound Marketing Campaigns

Inbound marketing involves creating content and campaigns that attract potential customers to the website. This is where SEO and content creation form the basis of successful organic strategies. Professional SEO services can help businesses develop and implement effective inbound marketing campaigns, such as creating press releases or blog articles, to drive more traffic to the website. Of course, that content needs the JCI White-Glove Marketing™ value-add to ensure that the logistics-specific nuance is alive and well within the content.

Monitoring Website Rankings and Performance

Another trick to SEO isn’t so much about action as it is watching for signs of change. It is monitoring web rank and performance. Professional SEO specialists can track a website’s ranking on search engines and monitor its performance over time. This can help businesses identify issues impacting their ranking and make necessary changes to improve it. Think of it as an ongoing SEO analysis for your brand.

Analyzing Competitor Websites

Competitor analysis is also crucial to playing the SEO game. It’s a way for you to look beyond your goals and essentially take advantage of the work of your competitors. Their weaknesses can help you figure out how to outpace their brands, and your online presence will grow.

Professional SEO service providers can also conduct competitor analysis to identify the strategies that other businesses in the same industry use to rank well on search engines. This can help companies to identify opportunities to differentiate themselves and improve their search engine ranking. There’s also an element of social media analysis that goes into this step. SEO without social is false hope. Social media without SEO is false hope. Are you catching a theme?

Creating Content for Blogs and Social Media Profiles

Content creation is the essence of SEO and must be consistent across all platforms: website and social channels. Professional SEO services or solutions providers can help businesses create high-quality, relevant content for their websites and other online platforms, such as blogs and social media profiles. This can help improve the business’s online visibility and attract more visitors to the website. Together, these forms of SEO create multichannel marketing solutions that will help your brand thrive.

What to Look for When Hiring Professional SEO Services

Choosing reliable and professional SEO experts can be difficult, yet instrumental in optimizing online visibility. Fortunately, you can simplify the process by following these steps:

Before committing, thoroughly research the company’s credentials and history in the SEO field. Review their record for creating content and understanding SEO best practices. It’s essential to do your due diligence and ensure that your chosen company has a proven track record of SEO success. For example, SEMrush-certified agencies have thoroughly completed an SEO course and can apply SEMrush to generate more substantial results.

Make sure the services provided align with your project requirements. Choosing a provider that offers services that align with your specific project requirements is essential. Look for a provider that offers a straightforward approach tailored to your needs and will help strengthen your brand presence on search engines. Also, think about the type of experience you need. Do you want content written by those well-versed in your industry or those who have never explored your services?
Inquire about the provider’s expertise. Don’t be afraid to ask the provider about their expertise and experience in SEO. This will help you understand their level of knowledge and ensure that you are working with a knowledgeable and experienced provider. Some providers may also run webinars or workshops on SEO tactics and best practices.

There is one word of warning to remember. If the provider guarantees something that sounds too good to be true, such as Page 1 ranking within 30 days, run! They are going to spam people with your content, and that is DETRIMENTAL.

How Much Do Professional SEO Services Cost?

The cost structure for professional SEO services can vary widely depending on which SEO services are used and how extensive your plan for improving SEO is. Here are the top factors to consider, but a quality agency, i.e., JCI Marketing, should be able to help you tackle most, if not all, of these needs within a single service contract.

Size and complexity of the website. Optimizing a larger and more complex website may require more time and resources.
Level of competition: If there is a high level of competition for the keywords that a website is targeting, which is common in the freight industry, it may require more effort and time to rank well in search results.
The location of the business. SEO firms may charge different rates based on the location of the business. For example, SEO services may cost more in a larger city with a higher cost of living versus those that operate overseas.
Type of services included. SEO firms may offer different packages and services, affecting the overall cost. For example, a comprehensive SEO package that includes on-page optimization, technical SEO, content creation, and reporting may cost more than a basic package that only includes on-page optimization.
Level of expertise and experience of the SEO firm. SEO firms with more expertise and experience may charge higher service rates, and depending on whether you already have content that needs a refresh or entirely new content, the cost will vary.
Quality and quantity of existing content. A website with poor-quality or thin content may require more effort to create and optimize new content. Longer content is a gateway to conversion rate optimization.
Local page SEO services. Local SEO verifies business listing details accurately across all platforms, including Yelp and Google My Business. This is among the easiest SEO opportunities, but updating each listing can be a nightmare, especially for a company operating SEO in-house. Sure, there are tools that can help you achieve this, but they could easily run into the $1000s over the course of a year. JCI Marketing includes these depending on your monthly spend.
A website’s current search engine rankings. A website already ranking well for its target keywords may require less effort to optimize, which can reduce the cost of SEO service and streamline the SEO process.
The website’s current link profile. A website with a high number of low-quality or spammy links may require more effort to clean up the link profile, which can increase the cost of SEO services.
Level of customization required. Customized SEO strategies and tactics may require more effort and resources, increasing the cost of SEO services, and you will also need to think about who is publishing the changes. If you will be publishing, costs can decline. If you want the agency or provider to execute the changes, costs increase.
Level of reporting and analysis included. Some SEO firms may offer more in-depth reporting and analysis, which can increase the cost of their services, but regardless, you should know what is and isn’t working. Remember that SEO is an evolving process that can change quickly. Ranking today doesn’t mean ranking tomorrow nor vice versa. Instead, it’s a comprehensive process that requires careful monitoring.
Use of specialized tools or software. If an SEO firm uses specialized tools or software to optimize a website, it can increase its services’ cost. JCI Marketing leverages Semrush and a variety of other tools to understand your SEO profile. These costs are built into our foundation and don’t impact you.
Length of the contract. Longer contracts may have a lower monthly cost than shorter contracts.
Payment terms. Some SEO firms may offer discounts for upfront payments or charge a higher monthly payment rate.
Budget and resources available for SEO. The budget and resources available for SEO can affect the cost of services. A business with a larger budget may be able to invest in more comprehensive or customized SEO services.
Business’s overall marketing strategy. The business’s overall marketing strategy can also affect the cost of SEO services. For example, if a business is also investing in paid advertising or social media marketing, this may require more coordination and resources, which can increase the cost of SEO services. There’s an ultimate power play to consider. Social media could replace your paid ad costs if done properly.
The industry and competition within that industry. The industry and level of competition can also affect the total cost. For instance, highly specialized content requiring advanced industry knowledge will cost more than run-of-the-mill content and SEO.

Are Professional SEO Services Worth the Investment?

Investing in professional SEO services could be a great move for businesses that lack the knowledge or resources to optimize their websites. With the expertise and experience of an SEO specialist, businesses can reach a wider audience without having to worry about struggling with complex search engine algorithms.

Professional SEO services provide targeted keyword research, content optimization, meta tag creation, link building, and other measures designed to improve organic traffic on your website. With these services, you’ll know that your website is up-to-date with the latest industry standards and practices to maximize online visibility. Professional SEO services can be invaluable if you want truly effective results. As you can see, a lot goes into professional SEO services.

Get the Help You Need With SEO at JCI Marketing

It is not just about adding keywords or metatags. A good SEO service provider will take a comprehensive approach to increase your online visibility and help you rank higher in search engine results pages. At JCI Marketing, we offer high-quality, professional SEO services tailored to your unique business needs. Speak with a JCI Marketing B2B growth specialist to get started.

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