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1. Introduction
Hiring an SEO consultant is crucial to the success of your business online. In a time when consumers are more likely to research purchases online, from a local service to a national or international product, your business cannot afford to miss the mark. In other words, if you are not getting it done on page 1 you might as well not even be doing it, because there are too many choices above you. Times are difficult if you are in a competitive industry as the economy slows. There is growing pressure on marketing departments to “do more with less” and often to justify their worth to the business. These are the times that when a proven marketing tactic like SEO becomes the saving grace to a company, and can be showcased as a shining star of what good marketing has done when the dust settles. SEO and internet marketing is not an overnight remedy; it is a proven long term solution that has a high ROI. In a downturned economy, there is no better solution than efficiency with effectiveness.
Given the high level of competition in California, finding a quality SEO (search engine optimization) consultant that’s right for your company can be a daunting task. There are many companies and each one approaches SEO in a different way. Since SEO is a relatively new industry, customers are still feeling their way around and testing the waters before they dive in. These tips below will help you make a more informed decision whether or not to stick with it in the long term or try another SEO company right after the results fall short of your expectations.
1.1 Overview of the California SEO industry
The California SEO industry has plenty of digital marketing agencies, which can be therapeutic or toxic to your business, depending on which one you opt to hire. These SEO agencies rely heavily on Google’s unpredictably changing ranking and search algorithms and often times lack tangible resources and an effective, efficient methodology. The result is a heavily litigious industry that can be hard for the consumer to compare one company to another though a method like the one NJ SEO offers in our review takes an identical keyword and an identical location and compares your website to 7 competitors three times over the course of your SEO campaign showing how far you have come and where the competitors are currently positioned. SEO agencies also tend to hype their services or down rate one another in order to persuade dissatisfied or undecided customers to buy their services, this takes place on an individual level and consumer wouldn’t know the extent of this unethical practice therein. A few years back there were a surplus of outsource linking companies that ultimately played a huge role in getting rid of the link spam industry due to outsource link companies needing to stay in business and seeing potential income in bad links. The same companies later found themselves out of business or converting their services and calling themselves SEO companies. These companies when doing competitive analysis of their own were referencing the SEO competitors (their former clients) and with the understanding and resources of an actual SEO company were heavily focusing on self-promotion with a 400-500% markup targeting the same clients who hired them for links. Legitimate SEO companies consist of those that have stayed current with change in the industry, have a reputable methodology, have resources such as a team of programmers, and have a clear focus in a specific service(s); those being local and maps optimization, PPC, social media and content creation. An SEO company which is heavily focused on links should be doing so on a small scale within one of the aforementioned services in efforts to increase site traffic. This could be anything from a local business sponsoring an event that gives a link and citation or a news site article on a controversial new law which is shared with social media. Always get an understanding from your potential companies exactly what they plan to do with their services and it should make sense.
1.2 Importance of choosing the right SEO agency
Generally, the purpose of SEO is to increase organic web traffic – done by implementing on-page and off-page strategies. We will delve into this, but for now, all you need to understand is that the work is often time consuming and requires a certain level of skill to do it successfully. What often happens, however, is that businesses opt to delegate SEO duties to an in-house marketing team with little experience in the area of SEO. An alternative case is that the task is delegated to a remote worker, again with little experience in the area of SEO. What happens in both cases is that money is spent and time is wasted with little or no positive results. SEO is something that is highly beneficial to the vast majority of businesses and is essentially essential to modern-day businesses that operate over the internet. Let’s take an example of a local California company that sells health supplements. Most people would initially buy/sell in an area where they know they will get results. So right here at the beginning, we have established that the health supplement company’s target market is California. When people nowadays look for a particular product/service, the first thing that they will do is Google it. Here is where SEO proves to be highly beneficial. Using successful SEO methods, the health supplement company can rank their business website highly on Google – making it visible to those who are searching for health supplements.
2. Top California SEO Agencies
This is not a direct comparison between these companies and their services. We did not rate companies higher because they provided more services. It is based on a comparison of their own client satisfaction and results. In fact, many of these companies cater to different industries and clients and have different service models. If they could all provide the same level of service to all different types of companies, maybe the rankings would be different. But in reality, some of them have found a successful service model working with specific types of clients and only providing certain services and have become experts in those areas. Those are the companies that were rated higher.
This is a ranked list of the top search marketing companies in California. The amount of research that went into this is based on the following: services provided, client satisfaction, and company growth. This is not an exhaustive list; many high-quality firms were left out. If you are an SEO company based out of California and would like to be considered for this list in the future, please send us an email. The best way to inquire about adding your company to the list is to show us higher rankings. We love ranking internet marketing companies.
2.1 Company A: Services and Rankings
As of now, Company A has been named the top California SEO firm since they are the most affordable and consistent. Their search rankings speak for themselves. Company A has held the #1 position for “SEO” and “search engine optimization” since April 2007. This is due to the large amount of article marketing and offsite optimization that the company has performed for themselves. Companies who have moved onto the top of search engines are a surefire way to prove the legitimacy of an SEO firm. And since Company A has done this for such a highly competitive phrase, they are confident that they can provide the same results for their clients. Now the reason Company A is being compared to a horse race is because they have done a great job DOMINATING several phrases. In addition to holding the #1 position for “SEO”, they also have managed to acquire positions for “horse race, horse racing, horse racing game” and many other horse related phrases. The fact that they have SEO’d their site for random phrases such as horse racing game prove that they can get rankings for their clients for anything. These rankings are mainly due to their expertise in onsite optimization and content writing. Now the only bad thing that I see is that they could be a little more “web 2.0”. Their site isn’t terrible by any means, but it’s a little outdated and bit on the small side. This wouldn’t be a problem unless Company A is having trouble acquiring rankings for more competitive phrases. But any company that can get results is a company that I’d recommend.
2.2 Company B: Expertise and Clientele
Mentioned in Company B’s provided details is an assertion to having much data of their field, consisting of staff members holding skills in computer science, communication, and skills in information learning. With this information, Company B states to be at the forefront of the information revolution, defining the relationships between businesses and consumers in today’s market. It is also stated that Company B has spent the past 6 years developing proprietary systems that not only deliver page 1 results, but also ensure greater search engine visibility for a longer time. This refers back to the systems thinking approach, where long-term results are a direct product of short and long-term actions. This is a good actualization of their methodology and systems, hinting at a possible understanding of the ecology and interdependence of complex systems. Made quite clear on Company B’s site is that they highly regard the practice of search engine optimization, rather than the results. It is stated that many SEO marketing companies promise first-page results; however, the methods used often times are detrimental to the future of the business trying to perform SEO. This is a very true statement considering Google’s Panda update, a content farm and spam link tackle, which resulted in many sites losing up to 80% of their traffic. With this knowledge, Company B is targeting businesses that are seeking out an SEO campaign, rather than short-term SEO services. Adapting a needs assessment for clientele, Company B states that an SEO campaign is a very valuable long-term investment for any business, and they are ready to deliver the effective promotion of any product with a clear online market. Last but not least, Company B has worked with some very large clients in their company tenure. While it is difficult to assess the efficacy of their work with these vague statements, it does hint at credibility in the size and type of businesses they aim to cater towards.
2.3 Company C: Case Studies and Success Stories
As previously mentioned, Company C is a large successful corporation with an extensive and well-established background history. Due to its heavy funding in SEO, the company is able to provide its clients with pro bono services that not only assist in business growth and development, but also help those who are in need. One notable case was when the organization took on a project with a non-profit working to save an endangered breed of wolves. The non-profit organization’s website was severely outdated and had little traffic with few to no leads being generated. Company C was able to go into the site and completely overhaul its structure and code, optimizing the website for both search engines and human visitors. Within a few months, the non-profit organization’s website traffic had doubled and they were able to secure new funding with Company C’s assistance in PPC campaign management. This campaign left the non-profit organization extremely satisfied and proud to have saved a nearly lost cause. In another more recent case, Company C accepted a project working with a start-up company. This company was struggling to even make a presence in the current search market and was flying completely under the radar with no traffic or generated leads. Company C’s main goal here was to assist the company in getting a solid and sturdy foundation laid out for their future business goals and the SEO work got them to a point where they were confident in building up a larger scale campaign based on the progress that had been made through the initial SEO work. By building up an optimized, targeted, and well-structured marketing campaign for the start-up company, Company C has successfully generated leads and sales have begun to increase rapidly. This work has enabled the start-up company to create a sustainable internet marketing pattern that should only improve with time.
2.4 Company D: Pricing and Packages
The D Company provides their pricing online. They have 3 packages to choose from, in which they give a 50% off special for the first month. The first package starts at $4000 a month, which can be reduced to $2000 for the first month. It is based on 20 keywords and 10 additional keywords added. The Deluxe Package is complete with detailed reporting and analysis on the current status of your website to help in improving search engine optimization. This package is good for new or small online businesses. The second package, at $8000 a month reduced to $4000 for the first month, is more detailed and has greater quality in terms of the services provided. They ensure an advanced level of campaigns and resources for search engine optimization to your website with 40 keywords and 20 additional keywords for increased access. This package can get 2 new businesses with a moderately established website on the top search engines and develop an online presence. The premium package, as a life support to increase your online presence, is $12000 a month with $6000 for the first month. They aim to get your website an increased access to search engines and drive quality traffic for your website to increase sales. This is done through Google Local promotion and/or a PPC campaign through Google AdWords. This campaign should act as an ad agency for specific keywords and phrases people search throughout the internet to find your website. This may be renewed at your request if it can be maintained to do so.
3. Factors to Consider when Choosing an SEO Agency
– Experience and track record – It’s essential to select a good SEO service that has several years of experience in this domain. This will ensure that your service provider knows the business, has the technical know-how, and can apply a myriad of techniques effectively to your website.
There are numerous SEO companies today, and there are just as many reliable companies as unreliable ones. Thus, it is crucial that you select the right SEO company. Here are a few points that you should keep in mind when selecting SEO services:
To be successful in business today, it’s essential to find a good search engine optimization (SEO) company that will help your website become more visible on the internet. The best SEO companies can help your website increase in search engine rankings as well as improve your online presence. This will lead to more targeted traffic to your website. An increase in targeted traffic will result in an increase in your business and will build a positive return on your website investment.
3.1 Experience and Track Record
Suggestions – Often these SEO companies’ proposals are confusing, express that it separates your more choices. Information is power, the more complex the analysis, the more confident you will be in a good decision. You may end up being very surprised by some of the results. Always remember to ask them about their experience of working in a similar sector of search engine marketing. This may be somewhat far to find an exact match, so don’t always soak up the information as is, the idea is there and the potential understanding of the SEO company is what is being measured.
Experience and Track Record – Search for an organization that has been successful for a long time in the past and has a great customer list. The most ideal option for this is to find an organization that has achieved great results for a customer like your size of business. If you are a small business, find a medium-sized company that has a possibility had some expertise in small businesses or a sole ownership. If you are a company, find a firm that has experience with dealing with large accounts. The idea here is to not just listen to the most brilliant thing they try to sell you, the best website they have, etc., just stay focused on the results. Always ask for a comprehensive case in the results they have achieved.
3.2 Transparency and Communication
When considering transparency and clear communication as the foundation for your SEO agency, it supports both of the above criteria: superior customer service and results. Most of the SEO agencies fall short in delivering reliable and consistent customer service to their clients, therefore portraying the industry in a bad light. First of all, it is important to appreciate that Search Engine Optimization can be a long process and sometimes clients may need to ask questions along the way and work done on the campaign may not always be obvious. SEO clients may not know much about the subject and it can be quite confusing and frustrating for them if they do not understand what is happening or what they are paying for. Unfortunately, most of the time, they may ask their SEO provider to clarify and ask questions however, they can get irritated if the company takes too long to get back to them or does not explain the situation clearly. This indicates that customer service on behalf of the SEO provider has not been at a good standard. On certain occasions, some SEO clients may well feel that they have been left in the dark regarding their campaign(s) and there have been reports of clients who have had little contact or explanation from the word ‘go’ when they signed up. This uncertainty can lead to stress and pressure on the client’s behalf. Hayi Mansoor, an author at Forbes, has said “A clear communication strategy is the key to any successful relationship, the relationship between the business and the SEO agency is no exception. With undesirable results for their SEO, clients would always blame miscommunication and would probably do so correctly. An agency must mitigate blame by clearly expressing what they hope to implement, how they hope to do it, and what results are expected.” It is noted that communication between client and agency for Hayi’s case would be vastly improved by the SEO agency contacting the client first. This therefore suggests that proactivity from the SEO agency is important because ultimately, it is the agency’s service and the client would always like to be updated on what they are paying for.
3.3 Customization and Strategy
There is no such thing as one size fits all with SEO. If a company talks about being able to do SEO practices for all companies, walk away. They are not taking the time to properly promote your site. Customization is the first thing a potential customer should hear about. There is a huge difference in the amount of money that a particular company will spend on SEO. A company selling sunglasses that cost $20 a pair will spend less money than a company selling real estate. The SEO for a real estate agent is going to be a lot more complex and in depth than the SEO for a sunglass website. Strategic planning is closely related to customization. The potential company should be able to explain a plan of attack in a way that you can understand and foresee. The point here is to make the SEO practices feel like they are a halfway effort to making your company self sufficient at the practice. Again, using the real estate agent example, the company would like to have enough business from the internet to eventually cut costs on leads from other practices. A good SEO company can make this happen. Make sure the company is not outsourcing SEO to a third party. A lot of US companies are hiring companies overseas, mainly in India. The problem with this strategy is that it tends to be unreliable and the communication is near impossible in some cases, which leads the customer at a loss. Having a relative company with similar practices and communication is the easiest way to make the customer feel secure with his purchase of SEO.
3.4 Reporting and Analytics
This phase also enables the customer to determine our effectiveness. If we find that the client has been provided with an abundance of pointless information, then this is what we will have to address. Often times the client will still not understand what has been done, and where the money has gone (opt a pastime cost). We need to explain search engine optimization to a customer effectively and show the results. This will and should result in a long-term relationship. Finally, learning that the client isn’t looking for extensive analysis of a lot of unnecessary data now, but a comprehensive explanation of the results and clear concise decisions on future actions.
Ask to talk with a current customer. Step method for effective monitoring and campaign adjustment. Capable diagnosis of what customer is looking for from the reports (keywords, improvement, etc.) and what the client has so far been given (most often this is a host of different spreadsheets and PDFs – too much for the max to deal with). From here we normally provide a included excel report of all findings including our cut on what has been achieved so far, and what needs to be undertaken come the next part of the campaign.
Reports can be particularly lengthy and complex, often times extremely academic in format, and sometimes hard to understand. Make sure you’re buying a report that can be effectively reviewed by the company. For those of a non-technical background, make sure you understand fully the services being provided and how it can benefit you.
The agency should summarize the methodologies that they will use to track your improvement. If you are an e-commerce site, then you would like to track ROI, usually something that takes time to do. Have them explain what you have to expect in terms of reporting and how often. California SEO agency, believe search engine marketing as an ongoing process. It is not going to quickly produce results, so make sure you aren’t just buying into a potential spam campaign that is only going to harm you in the end. Asking for free quotes and proposals is the best way to determine if a service is feasible and right for you.
3.5 Customer Reviews and Testimonials
In general, it is useful to be aware that it’s not all that hard to self-proclaim a title of an SEO expert. Any company can create an aura of efficiency and expertise. The real measure is if the customers have had a positive and tangible experience. This is where testimonials have an advantage over information attained from the company itself. Given they are a transfer of past real experience from customer to customer, and provide feedback in the customer’s own words which can be very revealing. If you have a particular SEO company in mind, it’s quite likely that the direct sales pitch and the possible result on the company’s own website has already been assessed. This might be what brought you to this point. But you should not commit until you have seen what those who have actually walked the walk working with the company have to say.
They say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it’s hard to argue with the results that a company might be able to produce. Similarly, it’s difficult to argue with the results prior customers might claim to have experienced working with a particular SEO agency. Many SEO companies will have a variety of different clients in a number of different industries. This is where it’s important to look for verifiable and independent testimonials and case studies from these clients. This can be from video, email or written and should reflect the provider’s ability.
4. Conclusion
There are many requirements to become one of the best SEO businesses in California. As a business who is looking for help with their SEO, the poor knowledge of some of these businesses is evident because other these businesses cannot be found using certain keywords in California. For potential California SEO clients on the lookout for the best SEO companies in California, finding such businesses may be easier said than done. What defines “best” for any particular situation depends on one’s particular preferences and the nature of their company. Nonetheless, any informed California client should be able to find some of the top California SEO companies in their particular locale using a minimal amount of effort. This defeats the purpose of price competition between companies who are of lower quality. If an SEO company cannot compete with others, they certainly would not be competitive within the market they are trying to promote.
4.1 Final thoughts on the top California SEO agencies
They say building the right home foundation involves sweat and blood. This paper is a testimony of just that. The evaluation of top SEO agencies in California has been an eye-opener in many ways. The exercise makes it clear that “big” is not always synonymous with “good.” A slew of big names in the form of Bruce Clay, iProspect, The Search Agency, and etc do not match up to the quality quotient which a potential client might be seeking. Client retention and employee satisfaction are but a few yardsticks as to how it reflects on the quality of services the company has to offer. Most companies have been short on transparency issues and there’s a general disregard for ethical and white-hat practices. Added to that are their exorbitant costs. It makes one think if the client’s business is actually sustaining their extravagant lifestyles! Medium-sized businesses seem to be the target clientele considering that’s where the money is at. What they fail to realize is that the small business on eking out its living is a potential big-ticket client. Finally, the three companies which have stood out are all at different levels but share a similarity. They are more client-centric and project a very professional image. They have exhibited solid processes whilst sticking to ethical practices and a very high quality of output. And they have just about set the base for long-term client relationships. This is an ideal situation for any client and getting to know of such companies isn’t a bad thing either!
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