Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving a website's visibility, helping it to rank as high as possible in search engine results. Because of the frequent SEO requirement changes, including algorithm updates, if you want to go from being unseen on Google and other search engines to the first page, it usually requires more than just the ability to get around on a computer. 

Learn how SEO consultants can help improve your site's ranking.

As Entrepreneur.com notes in an article focused on getting the maximum return on investment (ROI) from digital marketing, the biggest challenge most businesses face is having the proper know-how and expertise to successfully execute a campaign. Without that, it's usually more cost-effective to take advantage of SEO consulting, ensuring that it's done right the first time. When hiring an expert to ensure your site is well-optimized, it will get more and more traffic over time, which means more leads and an increase in sales too.

The top three issues SEO consultants generally look at when reviewing a business's site include the following:

 

Quality of the Content

The most important element of any website is the content, making it the No. 1 factor that SEO consultants will look at. Content must be search engine optimized while also providing useful information to potential and current customers.

When it comes to ranking on Google, quality content is critical, with value placed on semantic optimization and relevance. That means that the SEO expert will likely advise you that a comprehensive, in-depth look on one topic, written in language that's easy to understand, will always beat keyword-stuffed drivel.

Long-form content tends to rank better than shorter articles simply because it delves into a subject in more detail. The consultant will consider the number of words, keeping in mind that the average for a page is usually best at around 500 words. The longer, the better in most cases, but it must be interesting, avoiding repetitiveness and “fluff.”

 

Keywords

While the content must be of high quality, the SEO consultant will also look at keyword use. Keywords are the terms that a user will type into search engines like Google.

Having relevant keywords in the content on your site is essential for getting found in organic search engine results. The best to use are terms closely linked to your type of business and its products/services while also being searched for frequently on Google. SEO experts will check to ensure they're properly integrated as well – if they aren't, it will hurt the site’s ranking. 

 

The Backlinks

Backlinks have long been a key factor for Google ranking, but things have changed over the years with search engines learning how to weed out the bad links from the good ones. Having more links can give you a higher ranking, but only if they come from authoritative, diverse domains.

The SEO consultant will check your current content for quality backlinks – if it doesn't contain them, it all comes back to the content. Creating good content and publishing interesting news regularly will encourage others to want to talk about your business, a natural way to get good backlinks.

When other authorities in your industry read the content and link to it, Google reads the matching anchor text of the backlink and will consider it more relevant. 

 

Conclusion

If you are looking to improve your ranking on Google and other search engines, it is well worth while hiring SEO consultants to help you with the issues above.