13 Qualities to Look for When Hiring a San Diego SEO Expert
66% of marketers claim improving their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority. If your website doesn’t appear on the first search engine results page (SERP), you’re missing out on customers.
When you rank at the top, you’re sending a message to consumers and your competitors. That top-of-page ranking demonstrates your authority and expertise in the industry. As you boost brand awareness, you’re also attracting more people to your website and increasing conversions.
It all starts with search engine optimization (SEO)! By hiring the best SEO expert in San Diego, you can boost your ranking and attract more customers.
As you improve your ROI, you can get a competitive edge in your industry and grow stronger than ever. Sound like a plan? Keep reading to discover the qualities to look for in a pro SEO company.
With these tips, you can start boosting your SEO ranking, one post at a time.
Why You Need to Hire the Best SEO Expert
Before you hire SEO specialists to work on your content and website, it helps to understand the importance of SEO. Here are the top reasons you should start searching for the best SEO expert in San Diego today.
1. Boost Website Traffic
In can feel difficult to stand out in today’s competitive business climate. Remember, if you’re not ranking on the first SERP for a keyword, you’re losing business. One of the best ways to attract more people to your website is to boost your SEO ranking.
A well-rounded SEO strategy will help you rank higher for a range of keywords. These keywords are the terms and phrases your customers use when searching for your business.
If you don’t rank on the first page for your keywords, there’s a chance people won’t find your business. When you do rank at the top for these keywords, you can increase website traffic.
The website traffic you attract benefits your SEO rankings even more. Google looks for websites that are relevant to their users. Attracting traffic tells Google you’re a relevant resource in your industry.
However, your optimized website content will need to match the user’s original search intent. In other words, you need to answer the questions the customers are asking. If your answers aren’t relevant to their original search, people will leave your site.
When visitors leave without clicking around, it impacts your bounce rate. A higher bounce rate can impact your SEO ranking.
By hiring the top SEO expert in the area, you can make sure your content matches the user’s search intent. Then, you can attract more people to your site and further boost your ranking.
When Google crawls and indexes your website, it looks for the keywords you’re using. It will also look at your clickthrough rate, dwell time, and bounce rate.
Your clickthrough rate tells Google people are clicking around and interacting with your content.
Dwell time tells Google people are staying on your site to read your content.
If you can improve your clickthrough rate and dwell time, you can rank higher than your competitors. The higher you rank, the more traffic you’ll gain!
2. Improve Credibility and Trust
When you rank at the top of a SERP, consumers will see your website over and over for that keyword. Over time, that initial brand awareness can build brand recognition. Consumers will immediately associate your brand with the product or service they need.
Repetitive exposure can help you become a recognizable resource in your industry. The next time a consumer needs your product or service, they’ll search for you.
Again, you need to match their search intent. Otherwise, they’ll only recognize you as irrelevant to their needs.
A local SEO expert can help you create content that’s relevant to your target audience. When your content matches the consumer’s needs, they’ll start to trust you. That brand trust can help you gather loyal customers.
Increasing your SEO ranking can help improve your brand’s credibility, too.
Google places the most relevant websites at the top of a SERP. Consumers know they can trust the brands listed at the top. A higher ranking tells consumers you’re knowledgeable.
When they see your website, they’ll know you’re a credible, helpful resource in the industry.
3. Strengthen the User Experience
You can’t rank higher on SERPs if your website isn’t up to scratch. A pro SEO company in San Diego can help improve your website for the lastest user experience (UX) design trends.
UX design ensures your website is easy to use for visitors. If it’s complicated, they’ll leave, which will impact your bounce rate. A user-optimized website loads quickly, offers easy navigation, and helps users find what they’re looking for.
There are over 1.5 billion websites on the internet. A website designed with UX in mind will set you apart from the rest.
You’ll need to make sure your website is mobile-optimized, too. Google now uses mobile-first indexing when determining page rankings. If you’re not mobile-optimized, you’re missing every potential customer that visitors your website from their smartphones.
People are spending more time on their phones than desktop devices. If your website isn’t optimized, you’ll miss leads and sales, which can impact your ROI.
4. Increase Engagement
Improving your website for the UX can also help you increase engagement. Remember, you want people to click around, which will improve dwell time and your clickthrough rate. Then, you’ll rank higher!
Optimizing your site for UX will make it easier for people to convert on the page. Buttons will stand out and call-to-action text will attract the eye.
More engagement will help you boost conversions and sales.
5. Better ROI
Search engine optimization is a long-term marketing strategy. Once you improve your page ranking, you can attract customers for a long time. Working with the best SEO expert in San Diego can ensure you keep that ranking, too.
Google’s search algorithm changes throughout the year. By working with an experienced SEO company, you can make sure you’re keeping up with the latest changes.
Trying to work on your SEO alone can cause you to waste valuable time and money. By working with SEO specialists, you can put your marketing budget to good use. They’ll help you generate results, gain more conversions, and boost your ROI for the long-term.
Qualities to Look for in a San Diego SEO Expert
Now that you know why SEO is so important, let’s discuss the qualities you should look for in a San Diego SEO expert!
1. Years of Experience
When searching for the top SEO expert around, the first step is to look for someone with plenty of experience. How long has the company provided expert SEO services? Have they worked in marketing longer or have they always specialized in SEO?
Their track record can tell you a lot about their experience, too.
Ask the pro SEO company about businesses they’ve helped in the past. Which industries did those companies belong to? Have they worked with a business that’s relevant to your industry?
If so, they can use that prior experience to your company’s benefit.
If the SEO pros haven’t worked with many other clients, you might want to keep looking.
2. An Understanding of All SEO Tiers
When speaking with different SEO consultants, try to get an understanding of their approach. After all, you want to know what they’re paying for. How do they plan on improving your SEO rankings?
You want to find someone who prioritizes the different tiers of SEO.
This includes:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
What about local SEO? Focusing on local SEO tactics will help you attract nearby customers to your store. According to Google, 50% of mobile searches lead to an in-store visit the same day.
By improving your local SEO strategy, you can attract more website and foot traffic to your business before boosting sales.
The top SEO expert in the area will provide all four SEO services to ensure your site is completely optimized.
3. A Track Record of Success
Look for SEO specialists who have a track record of success.
How does the SEO company measure its success? Ask if you can see data that proves they’ve helped their clients, including case studies. Can they show you an increase in website visitors, clicks, and conversions?
If they can’t provide this information, look for someone who can.
4. Entirely Marketing Savvy
SEO involves multiple moving parts. When looking for SEO specialists, make sure they’re entirely marketing savvy.
Can they help improve your website with UX design trends? Can they tie your SEO efforts along with your pay-per-click (PPC) advertising?
Look for SEO specialists that understand the importance of combining your marketing efforts into one cohesive strategy.
5. Excellent Communication Skills
As with any consultant, you want to make sure your SEO specialists are strong communicators. How will they provide you with updates regarding your campaigns? Will they email you regularly, or will you have to contact them?
Can they explain their plan clearly, or will they leave you in the dark?
Look for an SEO expert that’s honest and transparent about their services and abilities. Otherwise, you might have a difficult time trusting them to use your marketing budget wisely.
6. Strategic-Minded
The best SEO expert in the area will have a strategic mind. They’ll know how to see the different parts of your SEO campaign before bringing it all together.
Talk with the SEO pros about their strategy. Will they research your target audience beforehand? Will they take the time to learn about your products and services?
The better they know your business, the more likely they’ll create a strategy that will boost your SEO rankings.
7. Creative Content Creators
You can’t improve your rankings without creative content. Remember, your content should also match the consumer’s original search intent. Google prioritizes brands that produce high-quality, unique content.
Look for an SEO specialist that can produce this content for you. Make sure the content is well-researched, knowledgeable, and creative.
Otherwise, you’ll fail to attract visitors or convert those visitors on your website.
8. Relevant With the Trends
SEO trends change throughout the year. When looking for a pro SEO company, look for a team that understands the latest SEO trends.
For example, 22% of voice search queries are looking for location-based content. You’ll need to complete thorough keyword and audience research to optimize for voice searches.
Google’s latest algorithm update, BERT, uses machine learning to better understand users. A top SEO expert will know how this update affects SEO. They’ll have a strategy in mind to optimize your existing content for these new trends.
9. Accountable
When you decide to work with SEO specialists, they’ll likely ask you to sign a contract. Before you do, make sure the SEO company you choose is responsible and accountable.
What are their responsibilities? What promises are noted in the contract? Choosing an accountable company will give you peace of mind they’ll achieve your SEO goals and provide the services you need.
10. Training and Certification
When choosing one SEO expert from the rest, you want to make sure you’re choosing the best. Look for an SEO specialist that has the proper training.
Ask about their qualifications. Remember, SEO trends change all the time. Choose someone up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and tactics.
Their training and certification will indicate they know how to adapt to changes in Google’s algorithm.
11. Always Optimizing
Once the SEO specialists optimize your site, what’s the plan? Will they continue producing content and making changes, or are they done?
The best San Diego SEO expert will continuously optimize your website. They’ll review your data for months to see which strategies are working and which aren’t. Then, they’ll use that data to make future improvements to your content and website.
The best SEO expert is in this with you for the long-term.
12. Reputable
Make sure the SEO specialists you choose have a strong reputation. Ask to talk with their previous clients. Get another company’s point of view and hear about their first-hand experience.
Check online for social proof and read reviews. These reviews can provide you with an unbiased opinion from the SEO expert’s previous clients.
A pro SEO company with a strong reputation will stand out from the rest.
13. Affordable
Finally, you want to make sure you choose an SEO company that fits your budget.
When you hire an SEO company, you’ll have access to their expertise and tools. Make a note of which services you’re receiving as part of the package as well. For many companies, the initial cost is worth the return on investment they’ll receive long-term.
Make sure you understand what you’re paying for before you sign a contract.
Your Guide to SEO Success: How to Find the Best SEO Expert in San Diego
By hiring experts in the industry, you can achieve long-term SEO success. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on potential customers and fall behind the competition. By prioritizing these qualities, you can find the best SEO expert in San Diego equipped to help your business.
Meet your San Diego SEO expert! Contact our marketing and advertising agency today to start boosting your SEO ranking.