The way we interact with the world has changed. Thanks to the internet, mobile phones, and social media, our engagement with brands and businesses has shifted from being physically present in a shop or cafe to being digitally present in our devices. This change has been dubbed the ‘digital transformation’ and it’s opened up plenty of exciting new opportunities for marketers.

What exactly is digital marketing?

Traditionally, marketers have focused on radio ads, print publications, and billboards to reach consumers. However, thanks to the internet, social media, and mobile phones, the game has changed. Now, marketers can use digital tactics like display ads, search engine optimization (SEO), and affiliate marketing to attract and engage customers.

So what is SEO? How does SEO fit into the digital marketing mix?

Search Engine Optimization

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a form of marketing in which you try to get your websites to show up on the first page of search results for relevant keywords. Why does this matter? When a consumer searches for a product or service on their phone or laptop, they’re typically planning to click on the first two or three search results on their mobile phone’s or laptop’s search engine. If your website appears on the first page of search results for a highly relevant keyword, you’ve effectively put yourself in a position to receive the lion’s share of potential customers.

SEO is generally done by inputting keywords into the HTML code of your website’s articles, titles, and headings. You also need to make sure that these words are used consistently throughout your content.

How does SEO fit into the digital marketing mix?

Since the digital marketing world is so new, it can be difficult to know exactly where to fit SEO in. That’s why we at Smart Marketer have decided to outline the various opportunities available to marketers that want to get in on the action.

Why Should You Outsource Your SEO?

If you’re looking to get an edge on your competition and you want to see significant results from your SEO efforts, it’s time to bring in the experts. You may feel that you don’t have the time to dedicate to optimizing your website, but as a business owner, you know that your time is valuable. That’s why you should consider outsourcing your SEO campaign.

Outsourcing your SEO allows you to spend more time growing your business and less time worrying about the technicalities of search engine optimization.

Some of the benefits of outsourcing your SEO include:

• Increased Efficiency- When you outsource your SEO, you’re giving up the time spent finding the keywords, building the articles, and performing the SEO yourself. Instead, you can hire an experienced seo company to do the dirty work for you so that you can focus on growing your business.
• Scalability- Because you’re delegating the work, you have the opportunity to scale your SEO campaign as needed. If you feel that you’re hitting a wall with your current strategy, you can expand your campaign or contract it as necessary.
• Increased Revenue- When your website gets more traffic, you can more easily monetize the traffic with adverts, offers, or affiliate sales. Having a higher performing SEO campaign means that you can boost your income without having to change much about your current marketing strategy.
• Access to Expertise- With your own in-house team, you have access to all the knowledge that your team can bring to the table. However, if you decide that you’d like to bring in some extra expertise, you can easily find and hire an SEO agency that’s fully equipped to take on your project.

While there are certainly benefits to outsourcing your SEO campaign, there are also some risks that you need to be aware of. Make sure that you weigh these risks against the benefits before you jump in.

What Should You Look For In An SEO Agency?

When choosing an SEO agency, make sure that they have the following attributes:

• Experienced- The experts at an SEO agency know how to structure a high-performing campaign. Because they’ve been there and done that, they can help you determine the right strategy for your business. You can also get expert advice from them on how to optimize your website.
• Dedicated- An SEO agency that you work with needs to be committed to your project. Make sure that they have the time to dedicate to your campaign. It’s also important that they take your needs into consideration and put in the required effort to ensure that your business reaches its full potential.
• Creative- An SEO agency that you work with should have a clear vision for what they want to achieve for your campaign. Make sure that they have the creativity that your business needs to succeed.
• Knowledgeable- To be able to properly structure a high-performing campaign, the staff at an SEO agency should have in-depth knowledge of both: SEO and digital marketing.
• Flexible- An SEO agency that you work with should be willing to alter their strategies and tactics as necessary. Because your business is constantly changing, your marketing strategy should be too.
• Results-oriented- Ultimately, you as a consumer want to know that the marketing tactics you’ve paid for have delivered the results that matter to you. The last thing you want to do is pay for marketing tactics that don’t deliver the same results. When you meet with the team at an SEO agency to discuss the details of your project, make sure that they have clear metrics that will let you know whether or not the campaign has been effective.

Hopefully, after reading this you’ll have a better idea of what type of agency to look for and how to choose the right one for your business.