Outsourcing search engine marketing
Outsourcing search engine marketing is done in all industries. From large companies to freelancers. When you outsource your company's SEO, it not only means that you can be sure that it is done by the right people, but it also saves you a lot of time. Not only do you not have to worry as much about the changes in search engine marketing, but you also don't have to carry out these marketing activities yourself anymore. This leaves you with money to do what you are really good at: business.
Outsourcing online marketing activities occurs in all industries. Yet many entrepreneurs are afraid that this will cost a lot of money. Nothing is less true. SEO should be seen as an investment. When it is done in the right way, you save a lot of money. As soon as you start doing search engine marketing yourself and unsuccessfully apply various activities, this can cost more money than necessary. Moreover, it often does not have the desired effect. That is why it pays in most cases to outsource search engine marketing.
However, we must also make a note of this. Because even though a lot of money is sometimes invested in finding a good SEO company, this does not always mean that this has the right effects on your business. Buying expensive SEO services does not always make sense. After all, not every company has the same level of expertise. Google sees through incorrect SEO almost immediately. If you do not pay attention, this can be punished with a Google Penalty. As a result, you will drop down in the search results, and you will have wasted a lot of your marketing budget. That is why it is important to do proper research into the company you hire. Not every company is equally successful. Therefore, read the various reviews carefully and contact several companies without obligation. Choose the company that gives you the best feeling.
Did you know that there are even companies that guarantee their services? They work on a so-called 'no cure, no pay' principle. They measure the results of the work they have done and show this. Only when their strategy has actually been effective do you have to pay.
Why invest in search engine marketing?
Search engine marketing is more important than ever these days. Partly due to the corona crisis, the digitisation of the world has increased rapidly. Companies are online more than ever. The vast majority of consumers are also online. It would be a shame for an entrepreneur not to make use of this. That is why online findability is essential. Only in this way can you reach your target group optimally. Search engine marketing plays an important role in this.
Think about how often you use search engines to find companies, products or services. This probably happens almost every day. The fact remains that people often look no further than the first search results. When your company appears on the second page or further, there is a big chance that you are missing a large part of your target group and that the competition will make off with it.
We list the advantages of search engine marketing for you:
- You can specifically target your audience. With offline marketing, you are usually not able to determine who sees the advertisement. The fact remains that many people fall outside your target group. A waste of time. With search engine marketing, you are able to focus on a specific target group by using keywords or by targeting your target group via social media. This way, you know for sure that the information is only shown to people who meet certain criteria. This way, you enjoy a higher return on investment.
- One of the biggest advantages of search engine marketing is that the results are easily measurable. Compare it to offline marketing, such as placing an advertisement in the local newspaper. You cannot see how many people actually read this newspaper and whether this eventually led to any leads. Perhaps the number of visitors to your shop or web shop has increased, but you cannot say for sure whether this was because of such an advertisement. However, thanks to handy online tools such as Google Analytics, this is possible in online marketing. This way, you know exactly whether a campaign has been successful.
- Search engine marketing is incredibly flexible. You can adjust the online marketing strategy to your wishes, without having to incur high costs. You measure the results and adjust the campaign if necessary. This is often not possible with offline marketing. And if you know something is not working well, it is obviously a waste of your marketing budget.
- Search engine marketing ensures long-term visibility. When you place an article in a newspaper or magazine, it will only be visible for one edition. After that, the advertisement disappears into oblivion. However, when you place a blog or press release online, it will always be visible. Provided it is not removed from the site. This gives you long-term visibility. If you approach this in the right way, you can be sure that you will benefit from more leads for a long time. Please note: SEO is primarily aimed at the long term. If you opt for SEA techniques (advertising via the search engine), this will mainly produce results in the short term.
The most important marketing activities at a glance
Those familiar with SEO know that there are many roads leading to Rome. There is not just one way to end up higher in the search results. It is often a combination of various activities. Which marketing activities work best for your company depends entirely on your company, your working methods and your target group. Even the best marketing agency often cannot give you a ready-made plan of attack. Not to guarantee you 100% success. It is necessary to try out different activities, measure the results and adjust where necessary. The search engine marketing meaning is therefore different for every company. No marketing strategy is the same. Not even if you compare two very similar companies. That is why it is good to delve into the various possibilities and to work together with a search engine marketing agency.
Below, we list the most important search engine marketing services:
Content marketing
Content marketing is the core of every form of search engine marketing. Without the right content, you cannot run an effective online marketing campaign. However, mistakes are often made here. There are still plenty of companies who focus on fooling around with Google's algorithms. However, remember that you are not creating content for Google, but for your target group: the readers. They deserve to be offered qualitative and interesting information. It is therefore the message that matters, not the way in which the algorithm can be triggered.
Unfortunately, some SEO companies have not yet fully grasped this. As a result, they think less about the needs of human visitors, which does not benefit the quality of the content. You can easily spot these companies by the frequent use of keywords in their texts, which disturbs the reader experience.
Remember that you want to offer the consumer something. You are there for the customer. Not for Google. The best way to rank higher in Google is to really earn it. That is why it is better to invest in quality content and a good technical website, than to choose for the so-called 'shortcuts'. Usually, this will yield much more.
The use of keywords and other forms of content marketing is good. As long as it is relevant and does not get in the way of the user experience. That way, you appeal better to your target group and you really earn that position in Google.
Link building
Link building is one of the most important parts of search engine marketing. Collecting quality links is indispensable in your battle for that top position in Google. Yet this is not as easy as it seems. In recent years, a lot has changed in the field of link building.
In the past, it was mainly about collecting as many links as possible. The quality of those links hardly mattered. Quantity over quality. Because many website owners therefore opted for the 'easy' solution and bought huge amounts of links, Google has greatly modified the algorithm. That way, only the website that really deserved to end up higher in Google would actually get that position. Buying links is not allowed by Google. It is necessary to build a natural link profile and to show Google that your website really deserves to be ranked higher in the results.
Do you have a lot of bad backlinks to your website? Or is it clear to Google that you are doing link exchange or buying large amounts of links? Then you run the risk of receiving a penalty. This means you will drop in the ranking and your good position will be lost (and with it, all the investments you have made so far).
Fortunately, there are special search engine marketing agencies that specialise in link building. They know exactly how to optimise your website and provide the right content to earn backlinks. After all, that is what it is all about. Sharing real quality content in order to be mentioned by other websites. When you really earn the links, this will not only result in a better position within Google, but it will also help the consumer to make the right choice. Moreover, this does not have to cost a lot of money. A few adjustments and writing good content can already lead to great successes.
Social media marketing
Social media are expected to play an increasingly important role in the near future. This is mainly due to the corona crisis. As we have started to live more online, we have also started to communicate more via digital channels. This means that we are not only in contact with our immediate surroundings via social media, but also with companies. Moreover, more and more social media channels are introducing special functions for companies.
A major advantage of social media is that you can precisely target your audience. You can reach people based on age, gender, hobbies and other personal information. Moreover, the algorithm ensures that these people only see your company if they are likely to be interested in it.
A completely new form of social media marketing is also the use of influencers. This will possibly become even more popular in 2022. Influencers are people on social media with a large following. Over time, they have built up a relationship of trust with their followers. What they say is quickly accepted as true. Better word-of-mouth advertising does not exist. That is why it is worth choosing an influencer who connects with your target group. Let him or her come into contact with your services or products and ask them to place an ad about it. This can be in the form of a review or, for example, a contest. Not only will you attract more visitors, but you will also generate more brand awareness within your target group.
SEA
SEA stands for Search Engine Advertising. In other words, the way in which you advertise via search engines. Google, for example, created Google AdWords for this purpose. SEA is a good method to achieve results very quickly. This mainly concerns results in the short term.
If you want to profit from long-term online findability in search engines, you should preferably choose SEO. This is an organic way of making sure that your website ends up higher in the search results. For example by improving the technical side of your website, writing better content, etcetera. However, it takes longer for Google's algorithms to pick up on this. Once it is successful, however, it will bring immediate positive results in the long run. SEA is a good way to bridge this waiting period and benefit immediately from more visibility.
