SEO CHESTER: WE'LL ENHANCE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE & ENGAGE WITH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Does SEO Still Work?

  SEO still matters, and SEO will continue to matter long into the future. Yes, methods, tactics and practices have evolved; however, the power of SEO remains unmatched for businesses looking to succeed in the medium and long term.
  
  The most significant change to SEO occurred in 2019 when Google launched its BERT algorithm update. It quickly demonstrated the marked improvements in Google's ability to understand the context within user searches and, ultimately, the user intent that was fuelling each search. Essentially, this means that websites consistently publishing fresh, original content that addresses the questions and queries that are already being asked will secure more prominent positions on search engine results pages (SERPs).
  
  So, SEO now is markedly more involved than the keyword-driven approaches of the past. However, the fact remains that SEO should sit at the heart of your approach to digital, and if you get it right, it can help you achieve and, in many cases, surpass a variety of business goals.
  
  If you want to expand your client or customer base: SEO is easily one of the best approaches you can utilise. After all, outranking your competitors and maintaining maximum SERP visibility is an almost sure-fire way to serve your brand and your offering to your target audience as and when they are searching for your solution to their problems.
  
  If you want to connect with a local audience: you need a local SEO strategy. This tactic will help you connect with potential clients or customers already searching for the services or products you can provide in your area. When optimised correctly for local SEO, your website can overshadow all your local competitors in SERPs. Not only will can this increase your sales and inquiries, but you are also weakening the position of your local competitors.
  
  Suppose you want to enhance your brand authority: in that case, you need an SEO strategy designed to amplify your high-quality content, target the long-tail keywords that will allow you to show up in SERPs for a broad spectrum of precise, highly-relevant queries, and solidify your brand voice as an authoritative one within your industry. It's one thing to have excellent content, but it's another thing altogether to effectively serve it to the right people, in the right places, at the right times.

• How Long Does It Take for SEO to Start Working?

  SEO is not a one and done thing. It should always be considered a continuous practice that will drive meaningful results over the long term. One of the most common questions search engine optimisation professionals are asked relates to the amount of time it will take to start seeing results.
  
  Unsurprisingly, as SEO has many moving parts and every strategy is unique to each business, it isn't a straightforward question to answer. But although there are myriad variables, we don't want to leave you hanging here.
  
  Essentially, three key things are most likely to determine how long your approach to SEO will take. These are:
  
  1. Content: Websites that consistently publish high-quality, valuable content that addresses the queries and issues users are looking to resolve are more likely to be rewarded with more prominent ranking positions in SERPs. Don't forget, Google and the other major search engines want to ensure that they provide their users with easy access to the correct information efficiently. If you can demonstrate that you have the answers people are looking for and serve that information alongside a seamless user experience, you will see your ranking positions soar.
  
  2. Competition: The level of competition you will experience depends on the niche you operate within and the demand for the products or services you offer. The tougher your competition, the longer it is likely to take to push your way to the top of key SERPs. Remember, it will be tougher to overtake results at the top of SERPs than to overtake those in the less prominent positions.
  
  3. Inbound links: Securing high-quality inbound links to your site is one of the best ways to demonstrate the authority of your brand voice. Although typically, more inbound links will result in better SEO outcomes, this process shouldn't be reduced to a simple numbers game. A few high-quality links will always bring more benefits than a large volume of links from low-quality and/or irrelevant sites. High-quality links are also markedly more difficult to secure, which means your competitors will find it tricky to replicate your success.
  
  So, businesses operating within a niche with less competition may start to see traffic to their site increase from their SEO strategy in a matter of weeks. Conversely, businesses looking to rank for highly competitive topics could take several months to start seeing meaningful outcomes.
  
  For added context, Google recommends that businesses invest in their SEO strategy for at least 4 months to implement strategies that have the power to deliver measurable benefits.
  
  

• Who Needs SEO the Most?

  As SEO is the easiest and most cost-effective way to connect with the right audience at precisely the right time, all brands should be leveraging the power of this vital strategy. The coronavirus pandemic pushed many more consumers into the online space, highlighting how many businesses need to move forward concerning their shift to digital.
  
  Here are a few more reasons why your business simply can't afford to ignore the value of SEO.
  
  1. Organic Search Delivers High-Quality, Convertible Traffic: Organic traffic from SERPs is extremely valuable. In fact, it is a critical element of the purchasing funnel, and the more organic traffic your site is securing, the more people you will be able to convert into the holy grail, a customer.
  
  2. Good SEO Enhances your Credibility: SEO should form the foundation of a robust digital presence that offers a seamless user experience and maximises your online visibility. The credibility of your brand is critical here, and several components will help build your brand authority online. From fully optimising your site to function on all devices to incorporating natural links that enhance your user experience, presenting your brand as a reliable, trustworthy and authoritative voice within your niche will lead to additional traffic, leads and conversions.
  
  3. The Outcomes of SEO are Quantifiable: Although it isn't quite as simple to calculate SEO's return on investment (ROI) compared to something like paid search, it is still possible to monitor all metrics using comprehensive analytics data. This results in SEO being far more quantifiable than traditional marketing methods such as print, radio, TV etc. The insights gained from this process can be used to refine your SEO campaign, maximising performance and delivering the best possible outcomes for your brand.

• Does SEO Increase Sales?

  As an effective SEO strategy will drive additional traffic to your site, it is only natural to assume that this will positively impact your sales. But this process won't happen automatically, so it's vital to ensure that you have a fully mapped out approach to your SEO that will increase your sales and make your business more profitable.
  
  1. Increasing Sales with Keywords: In addition to helping you create content that your target audience will find valuable, focusing upon a diverse spectrum of relevant keywords will allow you to connect with a highly targeted audience. So, although ranking for 'jackets' may be out of reach, ranking for ‘waxed jackets’ is a term that allows you to target customers that are further down the buying cycle and ranking for 'waxed jackets in ‘Chester' has the potential to drive additional sales within your local area.
  
  2. Increasing Sales with On-Page SEO: Optimising your on-page content will help you ensure that search engines understand your specialism and effectively categorise your site. This will allow them to serve your content to the right people at the right time at critical points in their buying journey
  
  3. Increasing Sales with User Experience: If your visitors can't navigate your site with ease, they will simply take their business elsewhere. Minimising the steps required to complete the checkout process is likely to positively impact your cart abandonment rates, and updating outdated content and links will ensure that you are providing the most relevant and up-to-date information that will assist your visitors on their purchasing journey.

• How Much Does It Cost to do SEO?

  SEO is one of the most cost-effective strategies available to businesses striving to increase their sales and grow. Despite this, the digital marketing sector is notorious for shying away from being completely transparent about pricing structures for SEO campaigns. But we're different. Our rolling 30-day contracts start from as little as £400 per month plus VAT. This allows us to provide clients with maximum flexibility, ensuring a robust SEO solution that meets and even exceeds their expectations.
  
  Every bespoke SEO campaign starts with understanding the goals and objectives of our client. This information informs our planning process, whereby we present a comprehensive proposal including the deliverable elements that can be expected and their associated costs.
  
  When the campaign goes live, we will immediately leverage a full package of analysis and interpretation, allowing us to make key amendments and refinements to drive the maximum return on your investment.
  
  Remember, a strong SEO campaign doesn't need to be out of reach for your business.