Homeowners often have difficulty deciding whether to go DIY or hire professional expertise to update their space. One option may seem cheaper but also time-consuming or dangerous.
The dilemma is the same for local business owners who cannot choose between DIY and agency services to address their SEO strategies and issues.
A usual scenario is to opt for the DIY path, study local SEO nuances by yourself, and then apply your learning to save money. Then again, some SEO aspects are highly technical and impossible to master overnight.
The best solution is to understand when you can handle things independently and when hiring local SEO experts is more practical.
In this article, we’ll make the roadmap easier and highlight why you should partner with local SEO experts and when is the ideal time to do it.
A better understanding of this matter should help you maximise your business resources and get optimum SEO results.
Part 1: Assessing Your Local SEO Needs
Holding off on hiring local SEO experts is understandable, especially if your business is new and funds are limited. In these cases, free or less expensive SEO options are usually ideal.
However, once your business starts making a profit, it’s always wise to save and invest in more effective solutions later.
While affordable tools and services may initially work, competitors will be fiercer and start employing strategies that can outperform yours.
When you think it’s time for you to level up your SEO game, you cannot just hire local SEO experts, though.
You should weigh the pros and cons first and identify the signs that signal your current SEO efforts need boosting.
That way, you know that every dollar spent on the SEO agency is results-driven. Here are some assessment questions to help.
Is your website not driving enough traffic?
When your website is not getting a lot of visitors, your rankings and revenue are the most affected. However, stagnant search rankings or a drop in traffic can be because of several reasons.
It can be due to the latest Google algorithm update, content or link issue, market behaviour change, or competitor upgrade.
All these require proper tools and expertise to address. Asking SEO experts to help with this is like having a doctor check you for an accurate diagnosis.
They can pinpoint the exact cause of your problem so you can apply the best treatment.
Do you have enough time and in-house staff to handle your SEO campaign?
You may have a hardworking team that handles your website and online marketing strategies. However, they may lack the expertise for effective and up-to-date SEO implementation.
Also, local SEO factors like citations, schema markup, competitor analysis, and Google My Business take time and continuous monitoring. Handling these and the usual tasks may affect your team’s overall performance.
When you hire local SEO experts, you get a dedicated team to work on your local SEO continuously and for the long term.
That means you can get things done and still manage other equally important areas of your operations.
Are you redesigning your website?
Over time, your business will grow. You might think of offering new products or services, adding helpful website sections or content, giving your site an upgraded look, and more.
If you update your website, remember that your changes should align with SEO. Also, monitoring schemes should be in place to ensure your modified website and SEO efforts are working.
This process is a big step and can be complex without the right professional help.
Having SEO experts from the get-go gives you extra pairs of eyes to spot or foresee problems and apply the most cost-efficient solutions.
To sum up, if you think your business is not doing well, lack the technical know-how, or need a website upgrade, getting things back on track is easier when you hire local SEO experts.
Part 2: The Power of Local SEO Expertise
The decision to hire local SEO services is not only about assessing the needs of your business. It is also about knowing how the experts can help.
What do local SEO professionals bring to the table that makes them worth the investment?
Local SEO experts possess hyperlocal knowledge and strategies.
It is wise to hire local SEO experts if you have a brick-and-mortar or online-based business targeting a specific locale.
These professionals are well-versed with your market’s unique customs and behaviour. They can identify what your customers are looking for online and how they do it exactly.
Local SEO experts also understand what the existing trends are in your area. Each locale has a diverse and distinct mix of demographics, and understanding these gives your business an advantage.
You can make your local efforts well-targeted when you understand your customers better. Giving what your audience needs also means you are not wasting resources on strategies that won’t boost your rankings, reputation, or revenue.
Local SEO experts have the technical prowess and optimisation magic.
While you can easily research various SEO strategies and techniques online, most are challenging to implement without ample experience.
They are impossible to learn and master overnight and considering you still have a business to run, DIY SEO can take so much time and energy.
Hiring local SEO experts can instantly fit into your plans and help you accomplish a lot, including:
- website auditing
- extensive keyword research
- content creation and optimisation
- high-quality link building
- competitor analysis
The pros can also help you optimise your Google Business Profile, get more online reviews, and boost your reputation through better local listings or social media presence.
Local SEO experts typically work with a network of companies that can help your business.
If your local SEO team serves other businesses within your area, chances are they can easily link you to relevant operators that can broaden your network.
You can use this advantage to acquire links, request guest posts or content collaborations, or participate in local events.
Having a local-based business is about working with the community and helping one another, after all. Your local SEO team can double as your bridge.
Local SEO experts can help with data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
Local SEO, once implemented, is a continuous process. Moreover, results and SEO success do not happen overnight.
Your business needs regular and constant SEO monitoring to keep it on the right track. This crucial task requires skills, tools, and time, and it will be much easier to execute when you hire local SEO experts.
They can help keep your website accessible, error-free, and mobile-friendly.
Also, as local SEO and Google’s algorithms are ever-changing, having professionals work with you ensures you stay up-to-date, relevant, and competitive.
This factor is also one of the main reasons why it is advisable to get professional help within or close to your business area.
Local SEO will involve constant consultations, reporting, and modifications, and it will be convenient to have easy-access services.
Local SEO experts are cost-efficient.
Some business owners choose to get in-house SEO employees. The problem is you need to pay them continuously while waiting for results. You also have to spend for all the SEO tools they need.
On the other hand, when you hire local SEO experts from an agency, you’ll be investing in tested pros that can deliver a more stable outcome.
Moreover, the tools necessary to make SEO strategies work are often part of the service package. Their higher level of experience also means the transition is smoother.
In other words, you get more value for money from an organic local SEO team. Also, you can achieve SEO results with considerably fewer steps and less effort.
Part 3: Finding the Right Local SEO Partner
Plenty of research, planning, and evaluation goes into choosing the best local SEO partner for your business.
It can be overwhelming when you don’t know where to start and what factors to prioritise.
So, let’s narrow them down into two general components: what your business needs and what the local SEO experts should provide.
Choose a Local SEO Partner Based on Your Needs
Here are some points and practical tips to consider:
- Define your business goals: Do you need an SEO team to help with your conversion rate, organic traffic, rankings, content creation, or social media channels?
- Identify your budget: Maximise your resources by finding a team that can address your SEO issues at a reasonable price.
- Talk to current clients or industry peers: Ask about their experience or recommendations. Were they happy with the results? What are the difficulties they encountered?
- Create a shortlist of candidates: Contact your local SEO service options and schedule a consultation or interview with a representative from the company. Prepare a list of questions and other criteria that may help your assessment.
Choose a Local SEO Partner Based on Expertise
Local SEO agencies offer similar services, so you should screen them well to ensure everything aligns with your operations and goals.
Here are the things to look for or ask about:
- Industry knowledge: Ask them about local SEO strategies, trends, search ranking factors, and similar concepts to gauge their level of expertise. Also ask about their ongoing training to assess how updated their skills and services are.
- Contract details: Ask them about timelines and deliverables. Discuss their reporting strategies (how often and the content).
- Good communication skills: An initial interview with potential partners is one way to assess their personality. Are they easy to talk to and understand? Do they bombard you with jargon? How efficient are they in answering phone calls or emails? Remember, SEO is a long-term process, so find a partner that delivers results and fosters an enjoyable relationship.
Aside from the good points above, keep an eye out for red flags when you hire local SEO experts. Make sure they don’t give you:
- One-size-fits-all solutions: Look for partners that prepare custom SEO plans for your business and customers, not cookie-cutter or templated strategies.
- Unclear account management: Find a partner that values honesty and transparency. Be sure experts are managing your campaign and not outsourced freelancers or subcontractors.
- Guaranteed rankings: Local SEO results are unpredictable. So, it’s better to get honest progress reports than unrealistic promises.
- Vague reporting: You must know what an SEO report looks like, how often you should expect one, and its content. Think of SEO reports as a summary of how well your campaign is doing and where your investment is going.
Conclusion
It is not that easy to hire local SEO experts for your business. The process requires research and assessment before you can make a decision.
Moreover, professional assistance can be quite an investment.
However, once you know your goals and what the experts can do, you’ll have access to knowledge, opportunities, and strategies that can give unimaginable local online visibility and growth.
Considering SEO constantly evolves, partnering with the right local SEO experts now ensures your business’ future.
So, complement your SEO efforts with skilled professionals. Keep the points and tips mentioned in this article in mind and find the best local SEO service that can keep your business thriving for years to come.
