Do You Need Your Wheeling Website to Rank on Search Engines?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fun topic of conversation. If you are a local business or website owner, you have likely heard the term SEO. Few business owners understand the techniques to be effective. Odds are you don't have a full-time person on your staff that optimizes your website for search engines. SEO knowledge isn't a requirement to have a website - but it is a requirement if you plan on being #1.
Successful businesses have adopted search best practices and are teaming up with the best SEO companies and agencies. Search engine optimization is a very detailed and ever-changing industry. Having a nerd like me on your team helps you get the advantage you need. There is a huge difference between being #10 on the first page of Google and being #1.
I spend a lot of time keeping up with the latest algorithm changes and digital marketing tactics. Add an SEO specialist to your team. His name should be Eric Hersey.
Do You Need an SEO Consultant or Can You Do It Yourself?
No one will be able to produce better content about your business than someone within your business. But, it's not always a clear answer to do-it-yourself.
The veteran custodian at Wesbanco Arena can tell more stories about that building than any writer covering the events - yet you don't see his name on the front page of The Intelligencer. The person running the business is successfully running the business - not spending hours a week keeping up with search engines.
Successful SEO strategies require a partnership. Local business owners tell the stories and explain what they need to be successful. SEO specialists take the message and craft plans creating online results. You can only get so far without the help of the other.
Local SEO Solutions for Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia is full of great businesses and great websites. However, we are not full of SEO Agencies. In fact, there are only a few. Much like web designers, you have a choice - agency or freelance.
Why Use an SEO Agency?
SEO agencies are experienced and knowledgable. They have teams ready to optimize your website, content, and digital marketing. Most agencies have great backend tools for reporting. If you want to have a meeting with the staff, they have fancy buildings and glass offices. You probably can even get a customized water bottle with their logo on the wrapper.
SEO Agencies are impressive.
When you decide to work with an SEO agency, you get a team of experts that can handle every aspect of your website. You have experts that work on technical SEO. There are specialists that deal with content. It is likely that you have your own project manager that helps handle off-page factors. You add an entire SEO department to your company.
Why Use a Freelance SEO Expert?
The reason you are thinking about search engine optimization in the first place is for efficiency. If you wanted to fork out money every single month to be on the top of the ranks - why wouldn't you just buy Google Ads? Working with a freelance SEO expert helps you avoid paying for multiple salaries and customized water bottle labels.
You don't care if your "SEO help" is working from their home office or Wheeling Coffee and Spice. What you care about is the action plan and results. Optimizing your website can be done anywhere. Strategy meetings can be done at the local Tim Hortons or over wings at TJ's Sports Garden (although it's probably best if you pick a location where football isn't being played on a 30-foot screen).
Agency or Freelance?
I bet you can see this one coming. You did land on my website afterall.
Pick the best of both worlds - Eric Hersey!
Yes, I am freelance and an agency. I trim the fat and don't have a receptionist answering my calls. I won't give you a ton of pens with my logo on it. When you work with me, you get a streamlined SEO plan with very little overhead.
I am not alone. It is important that my business can scale - so I have services and solutions that bring in expert help. Instead of paying someone to sit in a cubicle and watch YouTube videos - I have built a list of trusted freelancers that can help produce content, create reports, and add that necessary schema to your website. They get paid when they have tasks.
How Much Does SEO Cost?
There is not a set price for effective SEO. It would be like asking how much do groceries cost? It really depends on how much you put in the cart at Kroger.
Let's head down a hypothetical SEO Store Aisle and look at some of the products on the shelf.
Items Included in SEO Services
Don't be alarmed. If what you see reads like a foreign language - you are not alone. I feel the same way when I walk through the produce aisle. What exactly is a Kohlrabi?
SEO Service Costs
Search Engine Optimization is not a quick fix and a buy once and take in all of the profits. SEO takes several weeks/months to effectively onboard and start seeing results. But once you reach the top of McColloch's Leap - you will have a statue erected because of your success.
Typical plans for SEO range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. It's usually based on scale. Your competition might be fierce and you have to produce triple-the-content. You might also be battling some knuckleheads with a 2003 website.
Eric Hersey's SEO Services
Discovery Searches
Your customers will likely go to Google or Bing and type your brand name in to find your website. Yes, it looks like you attracted them from search and could be categorized as an organic traffic lead. In all honestly, if they were searching for your name someone else deserves credit. Maybe they saw your television commercial on WTRF. It's possible they saw your name on a bench at Oglebay Park. Either way, you attracted them somewhere else.
Let's experiment again.
Most web designers would hate what I'm doing here - but I'm going to ask you to leave this page (temporarily). I'll even give you a link.
Try typing the following into your search bar and finish with your industry or business category. I will use SEO Company as default (since that's what I would want to show up for).
best (seo company)
(seo company) near me
top (seo company)
local (seo company)
How did you do? Were you in the top 3 results for each search?
I hope so - because that's where you want to be.
Local SEO Services or National SEO Companies?
Once you have a website, you know what is coming. SPAM. Comments on your blogs and contact forms. Once they find your email address, more SPAM. You will likely get legitimate SPAM from national SEO Companies.
I noticed that your website isn't optimized.
National SEO Company in Chicago, Illinois
They might have a point. Your website might not be optimized. They might be able to help you.
Benefits of Local SEO Company
Much like national web design companies, national or international SEO companies don't quite understand the Ohio Valley or Wheeling. They can certainly take your website and optimize your website structure, add schema markup, and speed up the entire site - but they will never be an Ohio Valley resident.
Why does being a Wheeling resident matter?
Off-page SEO is everything that you need to do with your digital presence that can not be done on your actual website. This includes getting list in local directories. Being mentioned in Wheeling newspapers and television websites (and getting links). Off-page SEO also includes being featured on local blogs (WeeLunk or LEDE news). When you are trying to attract a local audience, you need these local factors to help boost your online visibility.
National SEO Companies have a hard time getting through to the web manager at WTRF or Wheeling's iHeartRadio. Not to brag, but I have these direct numbers in my phone.
Often your SEO strategies involve partners from around the area. I work with some great companies and partner with successful businesses that can help grow your online visibility with on-page and off-page SEO.
Buy My Keywords and Buy My Rank
Should you buy your keywords? Yes. Should you spend all of your budget on those keywords. No.
Google and Bing make it fairly simple to get noticed at the top if you are willing to pay. Some keywords are fractions (I'm pretty sure you can buy Eric Hersey for less than a dollar per click) - others are expensive (personal injury attorney was $145 per click).
Organic results tend to get better engagement and are deemed more trustworthy. They convert into better customers and once you earn that spot, you have an easier time keeping it with some maintenance.
It's always nice to have a healthy balance, but setting some money aside for SEO is a good long term investment.
Why Should I Trust Eric Hersey with My SEO Success?
How did you find me? I doubt you typed in "eric hersey seo services".
If I can win Google's algorithm and your click in an industry based on "showing up high in the rankings" - I'm pretty sure I can help your business get noticed.
Also - I am a super big nerd that stays up-to-date on all things SEO.
Time to Build Your SEO Plan to Dominate Wheeling
If you are tired of reading (or skimming), let's get to work. People are typing in searches this very moment and your website is not where it needs to be. Reach out today and let's have you own the Wheeling market. But why stop there. Let's own Bridgeport, Steubenville, Washington, and Moundsville. I can help you own your rank in the Ohio Valley.
