When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), you will always find varied opinions on how best to go about it. There is, however no argument about the importance of SEO in internet marketing today. While most businesses now have an online presence, many of their websites have poor ROI. It is no wonder many online marketers still claim it is impossible to work out what search engines want. Traditionally, all you needed was a fabulous website to start ranking for your target keywords, but with search algorithm updates, you have to rethink your SEO strategy. Using SEO tools, for instance, has become a great way to leverage the benefits of SEO without falling foul of webmaster guidelines.
Leveraging SEO for Better ROI
Well, you just have to look at the numbers to agree that SEO is the holy grail of internet marketing. If you still don’t have the inspiration to invest in SEO, it is time to explore what you could be missing. For a start, most online experiences begin with a search engine and this means your website must rank highly on search engine result pages (SERPs). In fact, 74% of internet users don’t check beyond the first page of SERPS. If your website is not ranking on this page for ranking keywords, your target audience will never find you. It is now a fact that search is the #1 driver of traffic to websites beating social media by over 300%.
If you are looking to boost conversion, increase traffic and promote your brand online, it is important to hire a highly qualified SEO expert. These experts have the skills and resources required to carry out an SEO project of any magnitude. More importantly, they understand the current SEO developments and your website will always stay ahead of the competition.
With an SEO consultant working on your site, you are guaranteed of minimal downtime and technical glitches. Through 24/7 monitoring, any problems are diagnosed early and treated. Truth be told, SEO is not easy considering that Google relies on over 1200 signals to determine ranking. To keep up, you need a highly experienced SEO consultant on your side.
Smart Tools the Best SEO Experts Use
The SEO industry is fast paced and you need tools to help you keep up. Doing everything manually is now outdated and if you are looking for an SEO consultant for your site, you need to ensure they are leveraging available tools for better outcomes. When interviewing potential SEO consultants, check whether they will be utilizing some of the following highly effective SEO tools for better outcomes.
- Google Analytics: If you want to stay ahead of the competition then you must leverage the power of information. Google analytics gives in-depth analysis of a diverse range of metrics, from bounce rates, number of visitors, best performing sites, and visitor location among many other issues. If you want to know how visitors are interacting with your website, this is a tool your SEO consultant must use.
- Google Search Console: It goes without saying that Google has invested heavily in boosting user experience on its search engine. This is why its SEO tools rank highly and Google Search Console is among the best. This is a dashboard that helps you visualize how your site may appear in search. You also get crawling errors and the best of all suggestions on how to get things better.
- Google Keyword Planner: Keyword research still remains a crucial part of SEO projects and to get the best results, you should utilize Keyword Planner. Once you provide a seed word, you will get multiple suggestions to get your project going.
- Moz: This is a package of SEO tools that every SEO consultant should be using. There are several inbound marketing tools including Open Site explorer for link analysis, Moz Local for local SEO, and Mozbar, a browser toolbar to get to Moz’s key features on a page. All these tools will help evaluate your site’s performance, understand the competition and also find the best keywords to use.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool: This is another invaluable site evaluation tool. It is a web crawler that gives you important data on every URL.
There are other SEO tools worth mention including Bing Webmaster Tools, QuickSprout.com, SEMrush, Übersuggest, Woorank, Dibz, and Google Trends among others. These tools will no doubt boost your SEO campaign. Your SEO consultant will utilize these tools together with their expertise to come up with the perfect strategy for your SEO project.