TL;DR
Yes, your local business needs SEO to drive traffic to your site. This process includes quite a few variables and while a great strategy can result in an amazing transformation, it’s a significant investment in time and/or money. The Root of Pi is one of a handful of local, Louisville-based SEO agencies that can help you achieve these results. Contact us today for a free consultation.
SEO is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing and growing your business. It can help your website rank higher in search engines’ results pages (or SERPs), which means more people will see your website and potentially click through to it. When you are looking for a search engine optimization consultant, specifically a local Louisville SEO, it is important to choose one that will meet your needs and help you achieve your desired results. In this article, we will discuss definitions and how to choose a provider.
At the end of this post, I’ll share some best practices for finding the best Louisville SEO solutions for your business. Internet marketing is a huge field and can feel overwhelming for business owners who just want to increase their online presence with meaningful traffic. Hopefully, in this article, I can help shed some light on oft-heard buzzwords and provide some ideas to grow your business. There are a handful of awesome Louisville SEO companies, as well as some national digital marketing experts with a local presence. Increasing your organic search results in Google is proven to be a long-term strategy worth pursuing.
What is SEO?
SEO is short for “Search engine optimization”. It is a long-term marketing strategy employed to improve a website’s visibility and organic search results in google and other global search engines. Bleh, amirite? That’s a pretty dry definition. At the end of the day, SEO refers to strategies to help your business rank higher in major search engine (ok, Google) results. Our Louisville SEO agency optimizes for the keywords that will drive traffic to your site using a very robust process (outlined below).
Do I need Search Engine Optimization?
The short answer is yes, unless your website is just a passion project. The long answer is a little more complicated. In a nutshell, if you want people to find your website online, then search engine optimization is an essential piece of the puzzle. Otherwise, you’ve poured resources (in the form of your website) into the proverbial billboard in the desert…looks great but if nobody sees it…what’s the point? In addition to potential traffic and leads from organic search results, SEO can also have a positive impact on your website’s click-through rate (CTR) and search engine ranking. A well-optimized website will not only improve your search engine ranking but can also lead to increased traffic and higher CTRs.
Some useful terms to know
Search Engine Results Page (SERP):
This is the page that displays search results after you enter a query into a search engine.
Organic search:
This is the process of finding and ranking a website in search engine results pages (SERPs) without paying for placement.
Cost-Per-Click:
The amount of money each paid click costs when using a service such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads. By focusing on Organic SEO, we hope to avoid spending money on ads as much as possible, but paid advertisement is still a solid aspect of many professional SEO services.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO):
A different measurement but equally important, this helps you understand how many of your site visitors actually ‘convert’, which in most cases means either making a purchase or performing an action such as contacting your business.
Keyword:
A keyword is a phrase that describes the content on your website. People use keywords when they search for something online, so including relevant keywords on your site can help you attract more visitors from organic search. We don’t consider single words keywords much anymore, as nobody who is performing a search is typing in a single word. Keyword research is s significant subset of search engine optimization and when done properly can form the foundation of an amazingly effective campaign.
Local SEO:
The process of optimizing a website for search engines so that it appears in local search results, f you’re a small business owner or have a primarily service-based business in a defined geographic area (such as Louisville KY)…this is for you. When a client searches for “Dentist office near me”, Local SEO is what will help bring them to you, good doctor.
Backlinks:
These are a crucial part of increasing your website’s Domain Authority, basically it’s other relevant websites linking to yours through their content. This is a long-term strategy that unfortunately drives a lot of charlatanry.
Search Intent:
The reason someone is performing a search, for example, “Best vacuum cleaners for pet hair” as opposed to just “vacuum cleaners”. Understanding the intent of a search will help you better target your website’s content and optimize it for certain keywords.
Whew, that was a lot! I didn’t get into White Hat SEO or it’s more churlish cousin here, as that’s a whole other article and I know you’re looking for the nitty-gritty so let’s keep moving.
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Why SEO matters
If people can’t find your website, they’re not going to visit it or do business with you (online that is). If your online marketing campaigns or social media marketing have sputtered or produced less-than-awesome results, the answer could be a lack of visibility. The higher your website ranks in search results, the more likely people are to click through to your site. Of course, not all traffic will result in sales, but think of it as a funnel with small holes all over the sides, you want to keep the top of the funnel as full to ensure that as many potential customers as possible make it all of the way to the bottom, which in this analogy is a sale. The point of Louisville SEO (or local), is to help your business be among the first results a client sees when they ask their favorite search engine a question, then to help them have their question answered on your site and make their experience as great as possible so they keep doing business with you.
Search Engines are the way you get found
A solid social media strategy can be a very important part of your inbound marketing strategy, and for some niches, can be the primary way you get clients to your website. But if you have a website as your central hub of digital marketing, people still primarily find it using one of the major search engines (Google, DuckDuckGo, Firefox, Brave, etc).
An excellent SEO strategy opens up more possibilities
You may not think so at the moment, particularly if you’re just starting up your dream business, but there’s no telling which directions your potential customer’s attention will pull you in as you learn more and more about how best to serve them. Many small business owners don’t intend to blog when they first get going, but soon find that keeping engaged with their clientele includes strong content marketing strategies.
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Whether that’s in the form of Youtube videos (huge SEO benefits to video!), podcasting or a more traditional blog, your current and potential clients want to hear from you! Statistically speaking, you’re not the one person in the world who sells what you sell, oftentimes your voice and story are what your clients are coming to your web page for.
So what are the main SEO strategies?
On-page vs. Off-page
On-page is all about the stuff you can control on your website, and what I focus on for digital marketing services at Root of Pi. This includes the technical aspects of your site, the content, and the user experience. Terms you’ll encounter when discussing on-page SEO with digital marketing agencies include site optimization and content marketing. A strong technical SEO foundation coupled with a beautiful and effective web design can juice your business traffic.
Off-page is everything else, the stuff you can’t directly control. That includes social media, other people’s blogs, and directories. You’ll probably get hit up by a ton of people when you first buy a domain or start your website offering sales of backlinks, they’ll state they have 100’s of blogs and directories ready to explode your website traffic. This isn’t a good strategy, and eventually, Google will discover this attempt to ‘trick’ their algorithm and punish your traffic. Best SEO practices dictate that each change or move we make to drive more traffic should be done to enhance the customer experience and provide the correct answer to the question they typed when they received a link to your site.
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Organic vs. Paid traffic
Organic search results are listings on a search engine that appear because of their relevance to the search terms, without having been paid for by an advertiser. On the other hand, paid traffic consists of listings that a search engine has determined to be helpful to its users and charges advertisers for each click on their listing.
Paid traffic has a valid place in many campaigns, but I focus entirely on organic SEO during web development as I believe it to have more staying power and that it forces us to conduct extensive keyword research to provide your potential clients with exactly what they were looking for. So which is better? That depends on your goals and your budget. If you’re just starting, organic traffic can be a great way to build up your site’s visibility. However, if you’re looking for immediate results, paid traffic may be the best bet for you to employ.
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FAQ’s
What about link builders I get emails from?
Backlinks (when other websites link to your content) are a major part of gaining Domain Authority, which will help Google decide whether to rank similar content ahead of another, and I wouldn’t dream of diminishing its importance in an overall strategy. There are other Louisville search engine optimization firms or firms I have partnerships with nationwide if you’re ready to incorporate legitimate backlinks into your strategy.
Can you guarantee search engine rankings?
The simple answer is no, and anybody who does guarantee it should be met with skepticism. What I can say confidently that is if your site is properly optimized from a technical standpoint, your web design is created in a way that engages your customers and meets them where they are in their story, and you have a solid keyword strategy, you’ve got all the pieces in place to outrank your competition, particularly in SEO Louisville results.
How long does it take to see measurable results?
After optimization has been complete and a keyword (or multiple) has been researched and content created for, I advise that 90 days is a generally acceptable period to expect to see results. The chances that you see results much sooner are better if you’re targeting keywords that others just aren’t focusing on yet (and there are solid reasons to do that which I’ll get into at a later date). Keep in mind that this process doesn’t have defined mile markers, it’s a process of constant iteration and improvement once the foundation has been built.
Why hire a Louisville KY-based Company?
Hiring a local digital marketing company has many benefits. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that you will be able to meet with your partner face-to-face. This allows for open communication and a better understanding of your needs and wants. Additionally, hiring a Louisville-based company means that you are supporting the local economy. Many providers have sites that look like they’re local, but if your initial conversation revolves around how quirkily we pronounce our city’s name…well nobody in Louisville really talks about that with each other, do we?
Regardless of the service I’m looking for, I always choose a local provider if the right one is available in town. As a small business owner myself, I find that if I can support another local SMB, who in turn becomes a solid relationship that will refer me to clients then that’s a win-win!
I’m right in the heart of the city, (the Highlands to be exact) and can be just about anywhere within 15 minutes. I graduated from U of L, and I prefer face-to-face meetings but can jump on an online chat whenever necessary to see how I can best help your business.
How do I choose the right Louisville SEO provider?
Much like hiring any other B2B provider, you’ll want to rely on results, referrals, and the overall package that fits your business needs. Most firms offer free consultations, some do paid initial audits while some are free, some focus primarily on one aspect of SEO and some offer the whole boat. In many cases what it comes down to is that initial conversation and whether you believe this provider fits your personality and your business’s needs.
Nobody that I know of in Louisville would charge you for an initial conversation, so I’d encourage you to reach out to a few and make sure you’re choosing the partner that best suits you. This isn’t a service you can pay for and the next day it’s done…this is a commitment of at least three months (to be effective), so taking your time and partnering with the right agency is critical to your success.
Our Professional Content Strategy
1. First, we get together for a free consultation and determine if we are aligned in your SEO Louisville goals and it’s what will bring the most value to your business.
2. Assuming we’re a fit, I’ll start with a full SEO on-page audit, which will require just a few items from you (mainly from your Google suite) and we’ll discuss the best SEO strategy to implement.
3. I’ll first build the foundation of all SEO improvements moving forward by completing a full technical site optimization (you’re welcome to all the ugly details, but most prefer to avoid the tedium). Then we’ll target keywords in the Louisville KY market that are attainable and make sense for your business.
4. Finally, we’ll generate a digital marketing strategy (blog, video, etc) that takes advantage of everything we’ve put together so far. It’s like baking the most amazing cake…even the temperature of your butter makes a difference, which is why the foundation is the most critical phase.
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I Why should Root of Pi be your Louisville SEO company?
My entire business is centered around a partnership with your small business to maximize your investment and help you own the [dental, lawyer, car stereo, florist, cakes & cookies…see where I’m going?] SEO Louisville market. My purpose is to help you focus on what you do best by taking the stress of your tech stack off your hands. Your success is my success and I enjoy ongoing working relationships with all my clients.
As a veteran-owned small business, I take every client’s trust to heart. If I cannot provide you with the absolute best solution for your particular business challenge, I am certain I can find a provider who can, often locally through my network.
The secret sauce
I don’t just focus on the technical optimization of your site and keywords, I also look to amp up your visitors’ experience by using the StoryBrand framework. If you’re not familiar with StoryBrand, it’s an amazing way of looking at your entire customer journey through the eyes of the true hero of the story…your client. I’m an absolute evangelist for StoryBrand, and will likely write much more on it soon.
I cut my teeth programming full-stack applications and transitioned over to website development, so I have a deep understanding of all facets of the technical aspects of your site.
As a teacher and coding mentor I have the skills to explain these items in a way that makes sense so we can make the best decisions together to awesomeize your business results. I also spent several years as a digital forensic analyst and licensed professional investigator…so I’ve got the security angles covered, too.
So what have you got to lose? Give me a call today at Root of Pi and let’s build a solid plan for how we can strategically increase traffic to your site and get your amazing service in front of your customers.
Until next time,
~Jay