The 3 Types of SEO Companies
Whether they are local, national, or international, the three types of SEO providers available are: Freelancers, Agencies or In-house Teams. Freelancers can provide cost-effective services, while agencies offer comprehensive strategies and in-house teams ensure dedicated attention to your project.
Each option has its own pros and cons, so make sure to do your research and check out their reviews and websites before deciding who to choose.
Looking for SEO Companies or Providers?
If you are searching for SEO companies or providers, you will want to learn as much information as possible before taking the leap and hiring for SEO. This might include the different types, the services they can provide, and the diverse types of SEO involved. An SEO company’s primary goal is to optimise your website so that it can be found on the first page of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
With their expertise, SEO companies and providers are instrumental in enabling your business to grow by helping you achieve higher rankings on search engines, such as Google, Bing or Yahoo, through Search Engine Optimisation. This, in turn, will ensure your website receives higher levels of organic traffic from potential clients, contributing to more leads, conversions, and revenue. (More quotes, sales, and work for you to get paid!)
The Different Types of SEO
Before we dive into the distinct types of SEO companies and providers, let’s cover the various types of SEO. If you want to delve into more detail about what the different kinds of SEO involve, feel free to read our guide on What is SEO.
Local SEO
Local SEO is all about boosting a website’s visibility in local search results. It is especially handy for tradespeople and local service providers looking to attract clients in specific geographical areas. SEO companies will tailor your website to particular locations and use techniques to help your business rank higher in local searches.
National & International SEO
SEO for national and international markets aims to optimise websites to attract audiences from the UK and abroad. Like local SEO, it also includes improving web pages to rank for specific keywords. However, unsurprisingly, you should expect higher competition with a broader client base. Therefore, achieving higher rankings takes time and ongoing effort.
E-commerce SEO
E-commerce websites, like Amazon or eBay, allow businesses to sell their products online. To attract more customers and organic traffic, SEO companies will employ various strategies to increase visibility and boost your rankings on SERPs.
On-site SEO
On-site SEO, also known as on-page SEO, is everything SEO-related to do with your website. This involves creating a well-designed website with a responsive and mobile-friendly design. It should load quickly and provide high-quality, unique, updated content that prioritises the reader’s needs. You should incorporate engaging images and videos and ensure site security with HTTPS and verified contact forms.
Off-site SEO
Off-site SEO, also known as off-page SEO, involves SEO companies improving your business’s visibility and reputation across the internet beyond your website. Quality is more important than quantity, so this would focus on high-quality online listings, like reputable business directories and backlinks from authoritative websites, and consistent business details. Using the right social media platforms and positive customer reviews is also crucial for attracting web traffic.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO means ensuring search engines can easily find and list your website. SEO companies will optimise your website’s architecture and mobile compatibility. Additionally, they will use Schema.org text, which is a particular vocabulary of tags that is added to your HTML to improve the way your page is indexed in search engine results. Regular audits and Google Core Web Vitals reporting are also essential for monitoring your website’s performance.
So, What Types of SEO Companies or Providers Are There?
When it comes to hiring SEO companies and providers, you have several options: freelancers, agencies, or an in-house team, available either locally, nationally, or internationally. Make sure to check their reviews and websites to ensure you are making the right choice.
If you want to know about the potential costs involved in SEO, feel free to check out our article on How Much Does SEO Cost in the UK. SEO is not something you can just stop and start; it has to be ongoing in order to get the best results. You may find that some SEO companies charge by the day or hour, whilst others have a monthly fee. This might buy you one day per month or various tasks, deliverables, or packages at different prices.
Freelance SEO Providers
Freelance SEO providers can offer a cost-effective alternative to larger teams while still delivering top-quality results. Experienced freelancers may charge more, but this reflects their expertise. While freelancers with less experience have cheaper rates, highly skilled ones may ask for higher fees due to their higher quality of work. (You get what you pay for!)
Whether you opt for full-time or part-time SEO services, freelance SEO providers can dedicate their attention to your project and are often flexible to accommodate your requirements. However, it is important to note that reaching them in case of illness or holidays may be challenging. Additionally, although they specialise in certain aspects of SEO, they might need to outsource some work or seek expertise in other types of SEO due to working alone.
SEO Companies & Agencies
SEO companies and agencies are known for their comprehensive strategies, backed by diverse teams of professionals who excel in various aspects of SEO. These teams of SEO providers typically include web developers, copywriters, and marketing experts, ensuring a thorough approach to improving your online presence.
While their services may be more expensive than those of freelancers, SEO companies and agencies provide ongoing support and maintenance for your website, ensuring your long-term success. Their extensive expertise often leads to successful results, making the investment worthwhile. Additionally, they are usually easily accessible to contact via phone or email.
In-house SEO Teams
Many larger companies choose to have an in-house team for SEO services due to its importance despite the higher costs involved. This approach requires directly employing staff, including paying for salaries, pensions, and holidays.
However, having a dedicated team for a company’s SEO needs can lead to loyalty and reduce potential conflicts of interest. If the right people are hired, an in-house SEO team can also work efficiently and provide quality results. However, if you own a small business, they may not be the best choice for you.
Offshore vs Local vs National SEO Companies
Hiring offshore SEO companies can sometimes provide cost savings and specialised expertise but may present challenges such as communication across time zones, monitoring work quality, and potential security concerns.
On the other hand, local SEO companies allow you to interact with your SEO providers face-to-face. In addition, national SEO companies may have more skills and expertise while still being easy to contact via Zoom, phone, or email.
Types of SEO Services
Now that we have covered the types of SEO companies and providers, let’s discuss the types of SEO services they offer. These services include local, national, international, e-commerce, on-site, off-site, and technical SEO elements. Below is just a glimpse of what they can do for your website.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an integral part of Search Engine Optimisation. Keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs, are excellent options for determining the monthly search volume for specific keywords and the potential organic traffic your website could attract if optimised for that particular search term. They will indicate how often a keyword or keyphrase is searched for, such as 0-10, 10-100, 100-1K, 1K-10K, 10K-100K, or even 100K-1M.
When SEO companies choose a keyword, it must be relevant to the user’s intent and the information they offer. For example, there is no point in picking a keyword out of a hat, such as “pink unicorns,” which has a monthly search volume of 1K-10K and writing about black stallions. Additionally, they should avoid “keyword stuffing,” which essentially means overkill for your keyword if they add it to every sentence at the expense of not making sense or reading well.
Blogging
Blogging is a fantastic way to help your website rank higher on SERPs and boost your existing keywords. It is a key component for on-page SEO. However, you cannot use the same keyword on more than one page on your website. So, for example, if your keyphrase was “SEO services” (search volume of 1K-10K), but your website already had a service page dedicated to that keyword, you could add an adjective, such as “professional SEO services” (search volume of 100-1K), to focus on that keyword for your blog.
This would also involve keyword research, optimising images, and adding internal and external links. Not to mention, it should be as helpful and informative for your readers as possible; blogging should always be written for the reader first, not SEO.
SEO Audits
An SEO audit will include an SEO company evaluating how well-optimised your existing website is to be found on search engines and how it can be improved. This is a bit like servicing your car after an MOT to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible or a general health check if you were to go to your GP.
This typically includes on-page, off-page, and technical SEO, such as checking your site for indexing and crawlability, assessing the usability and site architecture, conducting competitor and keyword research, and adding backlinks. Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools will allow you to request indexing for your web pages, detect potential SEO issues, and track relevant data.
Link Building
Link building is a technique that is part of off-page SEO and is used by SEO companies to boost rankings on search engines. It is a crucial method by which search engine algorithms determine a webpage’s alignment with the user’s search intent.
However, quality is far more important than quantity. The authority of a website linking back to yours also signals to search engines the relevance and importance of your site. This may involve integrating links into social media profiles and business directories or attracting them by creating high-quality, link-worthy content.
White Hat SEO
White hat SEO companies, also known as ethical SEO providers, use SEO practices, including on-page, off-page, and technical SEO, which follow search engines’ guidelines to improve your websites’ rankings on SERPs while maintaining honesty and integrity.
This means writing high-quality, keyword-rich content without overdoing it with keyword stuffing. Using your keyword in meta descriptions, meta titles, and relevant alt text to describe images and making sure your website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and fast to load will also contribute to your SEO. Link building by adding and attracting backlinks on authoritative websites will also help improve your ranking on results pages.
Black Hat SEO
On the other hand, black hat SEO companies use unethical techniques to improve a website’s search engine rankings by violating search engine guidelines. They will often exploit loopholes in algorithms.
This might involve paying for backlinks, keyword stuffing, or scraping content from other websites. Cloaking is another technique used to show readers one thing and search engines another, for example, by adding white text to a white background or text with a tiny font size.
However, while these techniques will quickly boost your website to the top of search results, they are often short-lived, as search engine algorithms will detect improper SEO practices. Conversely, grey hat SEO companies use both white hat and black hat techniques, but this will provide short-term results as their website will be quickly penalised. In addition, both black and grey hat websites may even be permanently removed from search engine results pages.
Need an SEO Company for Your Business?
If you are looking for SEO companies or providers for your website, the Web Design and SEO Company can help you with your business needs as a white hat SEO agency. Specialising in trades and service-related businesses, we can provide a range of SEO services, including on-page, off-page, technical, local, and national.
However, due to the complexities in optimising existing websites for SEO, we only provide SEO services for the sites we have developed ourselves, ensuring that they are equipped with built-in SEO strategies from the start.
Get in Touch
If you are interested in our SEO-optimised Websites and SEO Services, head to our Online Shop for Websites for Small Businesses and Tradesmen. Alternatively, if you have unique functionality and/or styling requirements, Book a Call with us for a Bespoke Website Design.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to explore our Knowledge Hub, where you’ll find FAQs and useful resources, such as Blogs, Videos, and even eBooks on choosing the right website design company and SEO agency for your Trades or Small Business.
You can also reach us by calling 01752 291865, messaging us on WhatsApp on 07457 404241, completing our contact form, or starting a Live Chat now!