Most business owners believe it’s enough to simply “put something online” and wait for visitors to flood in. Reality hits hard. Without SEO, attracting traffic is difficult, if not impossible.
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As the owner of an SEO agency, I’ve identified five essential services that every serious SEO company should provide. Without these, your SEO strategy is like a house without a foundation—it might look good on paper, but it won’t stand the test of time.
SEO audit and technical optimization
A colleague once said, “Technical SEO is like the plumbing in your house—nobody notices it until something starts leaking.” And it’s absolutely true!
Every serious SEO campaign needs to start with a thorough SEO audit. Think of it as a health check-up for your website. Experts examine your site’s “vital signs” and look for anything that could be holding back your search rankings.
Last year, I worked with a client whose website looked flawless on the surface, yet it just couldn’t rank well. After a detailed audit, we discovered major issues with duplicate content and URL structure, problems the owner would never have noticed alone. Once we fixed them, their traffic jumped by 43% in just two months!
What should a thorough SEO audit include?
- Page loading speed – This has become absolutely critical. Studies show that 53% of users abandon websites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Google knows this, which is why site speed is a key ranking factor.
- Mobile-friendliness – Who doesn’t use their phone to browse these days? With over 80% of all searches coming from mobile devices, Google now prioritizes your site’s mobile version when ranking results.
- URL structure and navigation – Confusing URLs are like bad road signs—neither users nor Google will know where they’re headed or what to expect at the end.
- Duplicate content – This is a common mistake. If the same product description appears dozens of times, search engines won’t know which page to rank.
- Meta data – Title tags, meta descriptions, and headings act like signals telling Google, “Hey, this is important!” Without them, Google is left guessing what your page is about.
According to Ahrefs, a staggering 90.63% of websites have at least one technical SEO issue. That’s like 9 out of 10 cars on the road having a mechanical problem—pretty alarming, isn’t it?
Keyword Research and Content Strategy
“Content is king”—it’s a phrase you’ve probably heard a million times, and while it’s become a cliché, it’s still absolutely true. But it’s not enough to just throw some text on a page and hope for the best.
You can have excellent, in-depth articles, but that doesn’t guarantee visitors. The problem arises if you’re writing about topics no one cares about. That’s why thorough keyword research and aligning your content with what people are actually searching for is so important.
Keyword research isn’t just about dry data mining—it’s about understanding the psychology of your potential clients. What are their pain points? What do they want to know? How do they phrase their questions?
What does effective keyword research and content strategy involve?
- Finding relevant keywords – For example, a client had a category called “wireless speakers,” but people were mostly searching for “Bluetooth speakers.” Simply changing the category name led to a spike in visits.
- Competitor analysis – Why reinvent the wheel? Take a look at what your successful competitors are doing and learn from their strategies. You might even discover a golden niche by analyzing keywords your competitors aren’t targeting.
- Understanding user intent – This is crucial! Someone searching for “how to fix a washing machine” has a completely different intent than someone looking up “buy a new washing machine.” Your content needs to match the right intent.
- Creating a content strategy – This isn’t just a list of blog topics. It’s a comprehensive plan that defines what types of content you need, who you’re creating it for, with what goals, and when to publish.
Building backlinks and off-page optimization
In the world of SEO, backlinks are your votes of confidence. They tell Google how valued and trustworthy your site is.
Off-page optimization is everything you do outside your website to improve its ranking. The most important aspect is building high-quality backlinks.
What does effective backlink building involve?
- Analyzing existing links – Links from questionable websites can damage your reputation. Plus, over time, your site can lose valuable backlinks.
- Studying the competition – If someone is linking to your competitors, why not try to get the same link for yourself?
- Creating link-worthy content – This is the toughest strategy. Instead of begging for links, create something so valuable that people want to link to you on their own. In-depth industry research, breaking news, or even controversial topics make for highly shareable content.
- Guest posting – Writing for other relevant websites is a great way to build authority and earn high-quality backlinks.
A single link from an authoritative website is worth more than a hundred links from low-quality directories. According to Moz, the quality of the domain linking to you has a much greater impact on rankings than the sheer number of links.
Local SEO
If you have a physical location or serve a specific geographic area, local SEO isn’t optional, it’s a must!
According to Google, 46% of all searches have local intent. Even more impressive, 88% of people who search for a local business on their phone visit or call that business within 24 hours! That’s an incredible conversion rate.
What does effective local SEO involve?
- Google Business optimization – This is absolutely fundamental. Every local business needs a fully completed Google Business profile with reviews.
- Local keywords – People often add a location to their searches: “hairdresser Zagreb center,” “pizza delivery Rijeka,” or “dentist Split Žnjan.” Your content needs to include these local terms.
- NAP consistency – NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone. These details must be exactly the same across all platforms.
- Local reviews – These are worth their weight in gold! Encourage your customers to leave reviews and make sure to respond to them.
Analytics, monitoring, and reporting
Without tracking results, SEO is like driving blindfolded, you might be heading in the right direction, or you might not. A quality SEO agency doesn’t just implement strategies; it continually monitors their effectiveness and makes adjustments as needed.
What does effective SEO analytics involve?
- Setting up tracking tools – Google Analytics, Search Console, and other specialized tools are essential. Without them, you’re blind to what’s happening on your website.
- Defining key performance indicators – What do you actually want to achieve? More traffic? More inquiries? More sales? Different goals require different metrics.
- Regularly tracking rankings – You might be number one for a certain keyword, but is that keyword actually bringing you customers?
- Analyzing user behavior – It’s not enough just to get visitors to your site—you need to know what they do once they arrive. Measuring your conversion rate is essential.
- Transparent reporting – A good SEO expert will show you exactly what you’re getting for your money, without complicated jargon or hiding behind confusing metrics.
How do you choose the right SEO agency?
After years of working in this industry and collaborating with various agencies, here are a few tips for choosing the right SEO agency:
- Look for transparency – If an agency promises you the #1 spot on Google in a month, run for the hills! A good SEO expert will be honest about what’s possible and realistic timelines.
- Check their experience in your niche – SEO for an e-commerce site is completely different from SEO for a law firm. An agency with experience in your industry already understands the specific challenges and opportunities.
- Ask about communication – Will you receive regular reports? Who is your main point of contact? How quickly do they respond to your questions? Poor communication is often the first sign of trouble.
- Think about a long-term partnership – SEO isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Agencies that emphasize long-term collaboration are usually focused on sustainable results, not quick fixes that could hurt your site in the long run.
A good SEO agency is worth its weight in gold.
Unlike paid ads that stop bringing traffic the moment you stop paying, good SEO keeps working for you for months and even years.
The five key services we’ve covered, technical SEO, content strategy, backlink building, local SEO, and analytics, together form the foundation of a successful SEO strategy. Neglecting any one of these can seriously limit your results.
If you’re looking for an SEO agency, make sure they offer a comprehensive approach that covers all five key services. And remember, SEO isn’t a one-off project, it’s an ongoing process that, when done right, can transform your online presence and drive sustainable growth for your business.
And if you’ve already hired an SEO agency that doesn’t provide all these services, it might be time to talk about expanding your strategy. In today’s competitive digital world, a half-hearted approach to SEO simply isn’t enough.
