SEO is a complex and constantly evolving field. As soon as you think you’ve gotten a hold on it, Google will release a major update, or a competitor’s strategy will take off and replace you in the rankings. A lot of businesses choose to hire SEO firms, reasoning that outsourcing to experts will allow them to focus on the parts of their businesses they care and know the most about.
But of course, not all SEO firms are created equal. Firms who brag about high rankings jumps while only offering spammy link-building services and crummy content are focused on quick rather than sustainable ratings boosts. Cloaking, keyword stuffing, and hidden text are all instant fixes for your SEO ranking that will do your website little good in the long run.
In a worst-case scenario, SEO firms engaging in spammy, cheap techniques can wind up earning your website a punishment from Google’s algorithms seeking to stamp out techniques that focus on search engines over people. Though hiring an SEO firm generally makes good business sense, picking the wrong firm could hurt you more than it helps you.
There are hundreds of SEO firms out there. How do you find the one that’s going to help your business the most? It’s important to do your homework and figure out what your most pressing SEO needs are. If you run a geographically-anchored business, such as a restaurant that delivers or really any kind of brick-and-mortar location, then local SEO optimization is one of your top priorities.
Some industries, such as the legal world, have specialized SEO needs, while if your business uses video as a big part of its marketing strategy, then you’ll want a firm who can optimize for video sites. SEO budgets might differ wildly between businesses–a medium-sized ecommerce company might have far more funds planned for SEO than a small restaurant.
Once you’ve determined your needs and budget, it’s time to look for SEO firms with proven track records of sustainable results and healthy customer relationships. Here are a few of the top firms to look into in 2018:
180Fusion
180Fusion was one of the top firms out there going into 2017, and they’re staying industry favorites in 2018. A full-suite firm, 180Fusion has been recognized by Inc., Deloitte Technology, the Los Angeles Business Journal, Forbes, CIO Magazine, and Clutch Research Firm for their consistent, smart business practices and rapid growth.
They provide both national and local-based SEO services, so if you have a business based out of, say, Dallas, a team of local experts familiar with the Dallas marketplace will work with you to improve your rankings when Dallas-area web searchers look for companies geographically near to them. They also provide legal firm and ecommerce-specific SEO strategies, as well as a wide suite of complementary optimization tools including social media management, video SEO, and conversion rate optimization.
What’s most impressive about 180Fusion, and what should probably be a leading factor in your choice no matter what SEO agency you choose, is their dedication to long-term ROI for SEO strategy rather than short-term boosts. This means they’ll focus on quality, accurate content and solid linking partners rather than stuffing your page with backlinks. And that’s what’s earned them a client retention rate of 98 percent–customers know they’ll be taken care of.
Boostability
With an active client base of over 7,500, Boostability is by far the most widely-used top-tier SEO firm out there. This broad base includes small businesses, referral partners, and reseller partners, as well as e-commerce, storefront, multi-location, and professional services-oriented SEO approaches.
Their BoostLite package, costing only $80 per month, is perfect for businesses just getting their feet wet in the SEO world, providing a custom content strategy and ongoing customer support from SEO experts. Their BoostPresence service similarly offers affordable web design options that focus on local SEO, responsive design, and lead conversion. And just like 180Fusion, Boostability has some impressive award credentials, boasting UpCity’s Top Local SEO Agencies Award and sitejabber’s Customer Choice Award for 2017.
Straight North
Straight North is another company constantly appearing on top SEO firm lists. The number of industries they can customize content for is truly impressive, ranging from agriculture to pharmaceuticals to education. Their SEO strategy is also firmly focused on lead generation–they’re interested not just in getting searchers to your website, but capturing clicks and contact information for you to build a business relationship.
Their Display Advertising Services focus on both retargeting (i.e., remarketing) marketing and contextual and site-based display banners, ensuring that your SEO is in play and searches for your keywords are seeing your company even in cases when they don’t wind up on your website. Like 180Fusion and Boostability, their SEO services are supported by design, conversion optimization, and Pay-Per-Click strategies
Which SEO firms are you interested in working with in 2018?
