However, how does the service actually work in real-life scenarios when you hire an SEO consultancy? To help you better understand this service and eliminate any uncertainties regarding the actions that will take place in your organisation, we have outlined several key steps in this process.
Remember that these procedures may vary according to the scope of services, so always check with the company or professional in charge.
- Preliminary assessment and performance evaluation
The initial phase of an SEO service consists of assessing the extent to which existing optimisation efforts are improving search engine rankings.
This requires a thorough examination of the current site and the SEO strategies already in place, including an assessment of analytical data, site architecture, current content and the backlinks profile. This is where we capture a kind of snapshot of the present.
Improvements to this strategy can only be identified by analysing what is being implemented.
- Examining competitors and keywords
Now it's time to
examine your competitors. In other words, how well are your competitors performing? A crucial aspect, since you're competing with them every day for the consumer's attention - in the form of clicks.
The consultant carries out exhaustive keyword research to identify the most relevant terms for the client's activity. It takes into account the search volume and the intention behind user queries, as well as competitors' rankings for those keywords.
Armed with the information, developing a roadmap becomes simpler, which means effective strategic SEO planning.
It's time to identify which SEM (
Search Engine Marketing) strategies will be most effective, which need to be replaced and the main actions needed to improve performance. These usually consist of the following actions.
- Technical optimisation for search engines
This phase emphasises fine-tuning the technical elements of the site to ensure optimum indexing by search engines. It includes improvements to the site's architecture, loading speed, mobile responsiveness,
URL optimisation, the application of canonical tags and the incorporation of structured data. The configuration of the robots.txt file and indexing instructions are also examined.
The consultancy can also offer services related to Content Marketing, such as what your company creates to reinforce your brand's significance and attract organic traffic, for example.
The experts will determine which formats, themes and resources can be most beneficial to your business when developing new content.
In addition, taking into account keyword analysis and various other factors observed, the site's content is refined to ensure relevance and high quality.
- Improving the user experience (UX)
During this phase, SEO consultancy also focuses on the user experience. This involves ensuring that the site is user-friendly, that pages load quickly and that content is presented in a clear and appealing way.
User experience and SEO play a crucial role in this context, as they directly influence conversion rates and the metrics that search engines use to evaluate and rank websites.
Another crucial responsibility that an SEO consultancy can take on is link building, which refers to the authority of a web page.
The more links pointing to your site, the greater its importance from the perspective of search engines, and this can also be an area for improvement. This helps to establish domain authority and improve search rankings.
However, it is crucial to recognise that SEO consultancy can differ based on the company's objectives. Ultimately, not everyone wants the same result, which makes each circumstance distinct. Sometimes inadequate competitor analysis prevents better performance, while other times it's a deficiency in relevant content.
- Continuous evaluation and modification
Search engine optimisation is an ongoing effort. After the initial set-up, the consultant observes the site's performance using tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console, assessing traffic, user interactions and advances in SERP rankings. According to this information, continuous modifications are implemented to improve the strategy and results.