The search industry never stands still.

Each year, Google makes thousands of updates to search. While most are minor, several can cause significant shifts in rankings and user experiences.

Then we have to factor in new technologies, like AI-driven search and changes in user behavior, that change how people use search engines.

So in order to consistently be competitive, businesses have to be flexible and frequently adapt their SEO strategies. This can prove to be too overwhelming for many.

The good news is companies can turn to SEO agencies for help. The best agencies are experts at helping clients understand what’s happening in search, stay proactive and adjust strategies as needed.

In this article, I’ll explore how SEO agencies help clients manage change:

How SEO Agencies Guide Clients Through Change

With search in constant motion, website publishers (brands and businesses) benefit from their partnership with agencies to guide them through changes. The role of a good SEO agency is to help clients make sense of updates and trends and pivot to stay competitive.

Guiding Clients Through Algorithm Updates

Google never fails to keep us on our toes. Algorithm updates can range from no big deal to “oh boy.”

For many businesses, these updates can feel unpredictable. However, in SEO, they’re a constant reality.

The good news is that algorithm updates usually reward webpages that are most relevant, authoritative and trustworthy.

That means if you’re on the good side of SEO, as in you’re implementing solid strategies, you can more easily weather any storm.

In this sense, agencies are critical in helping clients prepare for algorithm updates by focusing on the right strategies.

Related: 5 Things to Know If Your Site Loses Rankings.

Agencies are also helpful in diagnosing fluctuations. This helps businesses avoid knee-jerk reactions when sometimes the first instinct is to make immediate changes to a site.

When an algorithm update hits, agencies can:

1. Monitor performance metrics to assess how the update is impacting their clients’ websites.
2. Analyze trends across industries to determine whether the impact is widespread or specific to certain types of content or industries.
3. Provide clear recommendations based on their analyses. The goal is to help clients make informed decisions.

This guidance helps clients stay on top of changes, even when search feels uncertain.

Guiding Clients Through Trends

Knowledge is power, especially in an industry that moves as quickly as SEO — and agencies help keep clients ahead of the curve.

Clients have to keep up with the latest in SEO and how changes impact their business.

A client who doesn’t understand trends may hesitate to allocate budget towards the needed resources. But, an informed client can stay committed to an evergreen SEO strategy over the long term.

Of course, not every trend needs an immediate response. This is where agencies can also be of use. Knowing how to distinguish between trends that need quick adjustments and long-term shifts keeps you focused.

Helping Clients Pivot

Businesses may need to pivot from time to time. And SEO agencies help clients pivot effectively to ensure long-term success.

SEO is a long-term game, and things change over the months and years. A good agency partner will know when an SEO strategy needs to change course.

There are many scenarios when you might have to pivot a strategy, including:

• Significant ranking drops that don’t recover after an algorithm update or technical fix.
• Content that drives traffic but isn’t converting into leads or sales.
• Changes in user behavior that require shifts in content focus, such as users preferring shorter content or more visual elements.

Pivots may feel risky to clients who have put a lot of time, resources and budget into developing an approach.

People are resistant to change. Usually, they prefer to stay the course, hoping that results will improve on their own. If left up to their own devices, many businesses may wait too long to pivot.

As such, a trusted advisor role of an agency becomes key.

When it’s time to pivot a strategy, agencies can help make the transition smoother by:

• Explaining what’s happening and why the current strategy needs to change.
• Providing a detailed outline of the new approach, including specific actions the agency will take.
• Sharing expected outcomes and timelines for when clients can expect to see results.

Final Thoughts

SEO is an ever-changing discipline that requires everyone to adapt. The best SEO agencies offer more than just services — they create a partnership that really gives clients the added bonus of being able to adapt to change confidently.

Our SEO agency has helped thousands of clients navigate the constantly evolving SEO landscape. If you’re struggling to keep up with the changes and drive more traffic, we can help you, too.

Schedule your consultation

26,000+ professionals, marketers and SEOs read the Bruce Clay Blog

Subscribe now for free to get:

• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
• Proven SEO strategies to optimize website performance.
• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How do SEO agencies educate clients on the importance of balancing traffic generation with conversion optimization?

SEO agencies play a big part in helping businesses compete in the complex digital environment. Their advice helps businesses strike a balance between traffic generation and conversion optimization for maximum effectiveness and sustainable returns on investment (ROI).

The first step of any digital marketing strategy is usually traffic generation, which brings people to your website through SEO, PPC advertising and social media strategies. Once they arrive on your site, conversion optimization should follow to turn their visits into results such as sales, signups, downloads or subscriptions.

Conversion optimization means building a website that turns visitors into leads or customers. It involves understanding the behavior of website users and trying out different design elements that make a better user experience.

SEO agencies help businesses address this challenge by communicating the importance of integrated approach to digital marketing. They explain how traffic generation and conversion optimization complement each other, showing clients why it makes sense to invest time and resources into both areas, prepping them for long-term success. Agencies work with them to incorporate both into their overall digital marketing plan.

SEO agencies advise businesses wishing to achieve a balance between traffic and conversion with a strategic approach. Setting goals, measuring performance and trying different strategies are all part of this approach.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Website Audit: Do an assessment of your website. Look for opportunities to improve performance.
2. Track: Track where your visitors are coming from, as well as conversion rates, by using tracking tools.
3. Establish Audience: Determine who your ideal customers are.
4. Optimize: Website content must be engaging, helpful and relevant.
5. User Experience: Make your site easy for people to navigate — navigation should be clear and logical. Ensure web pages load fast and are responsive.
6. Test Landing Pages: Conduct an A/B split analysis between different designs and messages to discover those which convert leads into sales most effectively.
7. Utilize A/B Testing: Use different versions of your website pages as A/B tests and compare which lead to more conversions.
8. Refine PPC Campaigns: Take time to examine performance data to optimize pay-per-click strategies for optimal ROI.
9. Social Media: Connect and engage with your audience on social media. Forming meaningful relationships will help drive more traffic back to your website.
10. Effective SEO: Implement SEO best practices to optimize your website for traffic and visibility growth.
11. Track Competitors: Keep tabs on competitors and adjust your approach as necessary.
12. Engage Users: Form relationships with your target audience by offering tailored communications and support services.
13. Retargeting Strategies: Reconnect with visitors who did not initially convert on your site through targeted ads.
14. Monitor Performance: Review performance metrics frequently. Look for trends and areas for improvement.
15. Adjust Strategies As Needed: Adapt to any new data insights by being flexible with your strategy and willing to modify it as necessary.
16. Educate Your Team: Make sure that all team members understand the significance of balancing traffic with conversion.
17. Keep Up with Trends: Staying abreast of current digital marketing developments can give your organization an advantage over competitors.
18. Create Conversion Funnels: Give users clear pathways from entry to conversion.
19. Create Value Propositions: Make sure customers understand how your products or services benefit them in order to increase conversion rates and sales rates.
20. Integrate Tools and Technologies: Take advantage of cutting-edge tools to maximize tracking and optimization efforts.
21. Foster an Atmosphere of Experimentation: Foster a team-wide environment conducive to experimentation so as to investigate all potential avenues.
22. Document Your Learnings: Record any successes and failures so that future strategies can take into account.
23. Evaluate Success and Iterate: Evaluate past performance to make improvements over time.

The post The Role of SEO Agencies in Managing Change appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

As a company, we have always taken our place as mentors and teachers of how SEO should be done. Often unpopular, frequently disagreeing with what “works” because it is just not right, and speaking up for SEO as a trade … that is us.

• The industry
• Company of experts
• SEO help
• FAQ: How has the SEO industry evolved and what steps can professionals take to succeed in this dynamic field?

The Industry

The industry has grown over the years as people have learned and prospered as SEOs. Many people with a lot of experience have become leaders of in-house departments as SEO became a many billion-dollar industry. I congratulate you all on your success. But with this evolution came the plague of all successful industries — demand exceeding supply.

BCI saw prospective clients complaining that they had gone through three or four other SEO agencies who knew less than the client did about SEO. The client was actually teaching their agency how to do SEO!

Clients now know even more about digital marketing, and these superficial SEO firms are struggling. Clients come to us looking for expertise they can’t find elsewhere. I guess our training courses, conference masterclasses, and websites were successful.

Company of Experts

The obvious solution for us was to build a company of experts — and so we did. Currently, our SEO and PPC staff average about 15 years of experience. We are leaders in our space and growing rapidly. Clients have learned the hard way that if you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. We are the agency companies call when SEO really matters. We are hiring remote staff and paying well above competitive wages. And we are not experiencing the knowledge gap plague.

But now, we are seeing a strange problem. Because of COVID, the demand for SEO competency has never been higher. And demand is driving up salaries for great SEOs. The SEO firms that were not hiring experts find even their novice staff wages dramatically increasing by up to 50% — and with no way to increase billings 50%. They are losing their skilled workers at a fast pace and paying more for what is left. Many smaller agencies may fold this year as margins fade.

Small agency survival depends upon reducing their time spent per project during a time when Google is changing 12 times a day, and the competition is hiring SEO-skilled people … a rock and a hard place for many smaller SEO firms. They cannot produce quality results in less time with amateur staff.

SEO Help

So how can we help our industry now?

We love teaching SEO. We built SEOtraining.com as a way to train continuously instead of once and done — we put our money into helping the entire industry. We are committed to continuing to build our industry. At our core, we are and will remain expert mentors and teachers.

I decided that what our industry needs is to properly develop senior SEOs into experts. There are many people that really are very skilled but lack 10+ years of experience. These folks are looking for challenging work solving SEO puzzles that excite them. And they are fumbling around in a pool of failing agencies.

The role of an industry leader is not just to make money. A leader accepts the role of industry teacher.

We have developed mentors and resources to bring others to their expert potential. And so we will. Being the Father of SEO is an obligation, not just a great marketing slogan.

We are looking to hire many SEOs who think they are great at SEO and have reasonable experience to prove it, even if it is far less than 10 years. We will bring them into our agency as remote workers and develop them as experts. We will compensate them well and provide opportunities to work on a lot of broad as well as complex, deep-dive projects along with our existing industry experts. And we will keep doing it. And, yes, we are also still looking for experts to add to our staff.

It is time to build the next generation of experts. If that person is you, then contact us.

FAQ: How has the SEO industry evolved and what steps can professionals take to succeed in this dynamic field?

The SEO landscape has evolved dramatically since its inception, becoming a cornerstone of modern digital marketing strategies. As an industry expert, I’ve witnessed its progression firsthand and can offer valuable insights to help professionals excel in this dynamic field.

Profound shifts have marked the journey of the SEO industry. From its humble beginnings, where keyword stuffing reigned supreme, to today’s complex algorithms prioritizing user experience, the industry’s evolution has been relentless. Search engines like Google have refined their ranking mechanisms to emphasize quality content, relevance, and user intent. Professionals must recognize this shift and align their strategies accordingly.

Evolving Approach

One crucial evolution is the transition from keyword-centric tactics to a user-centric approach. Beyond keywords, it’s about crafting content that fulfills user intent and provides genuine value. Today’s successful SEO professionals understand the importance of comprehensive, authoritative, and engaging content that resonates with the target audience. This shift not only improves rankings but also enhances user satisfaction.

Technical Prowess

Technical prowess is another key aspect of the industry’s evolution. Mobile-friendliness, page speed, and secure browsing have become critical ranking factors. Professionals must ensure websites are optimized for various devices and offer seamless experiences. Regular audits and optimizations are essential to maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Staying Informed

In this dynamic field, staying updated is paramount. SEO professionals must dedicate time to continuous learning and staying informed about algorithm updates, industry trends, and emerging technologies. Networking with peers, attending conferences, and following reputable industry blogs can provide valuable insights to adapt strategies effectively.

Holistic Success

To succeed in today’s SEO landscape, professionals must embrace change, foster creativity, and adopt a holistic approach. Understanding the audience, conducting thorough keyword research, and leveraging data-driven insights are fundamental. Balancing on-page optimization, technical excellence, and strategic link-building can lead to sustainable success.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Succeed in the Evolving SEO Industry

1. Stay Informed: Regularly follow reputable SEO blogs, forums, and news sources to keep up with industry updates.
2. Understand User Intent: Focus on creating content that addresses user needs and intent, rather than just keywords.
3. Prioritize User Experience: Optimize website speed, mobile-friendliness, and security to enhance user satisfaction.
4. Diversify Content: Experiment with various content formats like videos, infographics, and podcasts to engage audiences.
5. Leverage Data: Utilize analytics tools to gather insights and make informed decisions for optimization.
6. Master On-Page SEO: Craft compelling meta tags, headers, and optimize content for targeted keywords.
7. Invest in Technical SEO: Regularly audit the website for technical issues and ensure optimal performance.
8. Embrace Local SEO: If relevant, optimize for local searches by claiming Google My Business listing and garnering reviews.
9. Build Quality Backlinks: Focus on acquiring authoritative and relevant backlinks to boost your site’s credibility.
10. Utilize Social Media: Share and promote content on social platforms to increase visibility and engagement.
11. Adapt to Algorithm Changes: Be prepared for algorithm updates by maintaining a flexible approach.
12. Explore Voice Search: Optimize content for voice search queries as voice assistants gain popularity.
13. Think Mobile-First: Ensure your website provides an exceptional experience on mobile devices.
14. Network and Collaborate: Engage with other professionals in the industry to exchange insights and strategies.
15. Monitor Competitors: Analyze competitors’ strategies and identify opportunities for differentiation.
16. Offer Value: Prioritize providing value to your audience through informative and useful content.
17. Track and Measure: Continuously monitor key performance indicators to evaluate the success of your strategies.
18. Adopt Ethical Practices: Stay within search engine guidelines to avoid penalties and maintain credibility.
19. Adapt and Innovate: Embrace new technologies and trends to stay ahead of the curve.
20. Seek Continuous Learning: Invest in your professional development through courses, workshops, and certifications.

The post Observation on our SEO Industry and the Job Market for SEOs appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..