SEO FAQ: Your Top SEO Questions Answered
These are the most common questions our clients Ask us
General SEO Questions
- How long does SEO take?
SEO results can vary widely based on many factors, including keyword choice, competition, extent of optimizations and historical SEO efforts. Generally, significant improvements may take several months to a year, but ongoing optimization is essential for maintaining and improving rankings sitewide.
- How do we know if SEO is working?
To gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts, track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, organic goal completions and organic revenue. Proper tracking – especially Google Analytics and Google Search Console – set-up is required to accurately track improvements. Regularly monitor these metrics to assess progress and make data-driven improvements.
- How long should I do SEO?
SEO is an ongoing process. Competitors evolve. Customer needs evolve. Search engines evolve. With all this constant change, it’s essential to have an agile but long-term SEO strategy to stay above the competition. There is no specific endpoint, as long as your website exists and aims to attract organic traffic.
- How does SEO align with other marketing channels? (paid, email, UX)
SEO complements other marketing channels by enhancing overall online visibility and organic traffic. Paid advertising can bring immediate results, while SEO provides long-term benefits. Email marketing and UX (user experience) work hand-in-hand with SEO to retain visitors, increase conversions, and boost search engine rankings. All marketing efforts should work together to benefit the greater good of the business.
- What are reliable sources for SEO information?
Reputable SEO sources include industry-leading blogs such as Moz, Search Engine Land, and Ahrefs. Google’s official webmaster guidelines and documentation are also reliable sources for understanding SEO best practices and updates. Stay informed through trustworthy forums and follow experts in the field to keep up with the latest trends and insights.
New Client Questions
- How much does SEO cost?
The cost of SEO services can vary widely depending on factors like the scope of the project, the competitiveness of the industry and the needs of the business. Prices typically start at a couple thousand dollars a month.
- What deliverables can be expected monthly?
Monthly SEO deliverables usually include keyword research and analysis, on-page optimization, content creation and review, link building, technical SEO fixes, and reporting. Deliverables will vary based on the client’s needs and budget.
- What changes are made to improve organic visibility through SEO?
SEO is used to improve a site’s visibility in organic search. SEO includes various changes made to a website as a whole as well to individual web pages. Individual page changes would include meta data and content changes as well as technical SEO changes like the addition of schema markup. An SEO strategy may also include sitewide improvements to help SEO such as navigation expansion and internal link development.
- Is SEO a one-time project or monthly expense?
SEO is not a one-time project but an ongoing process. Search engine algorithms frequently change, and competition evolves, requiring continuous efforts to maintain and improve rankings. As a result, SEO is considered a monthly expense to ensure long-term visibility and success in organic search. We do offer short-term projects; however, projects are typically to address a one-time event like a site launch.
Reporting Questions
- How do you measure SEO success?
SEO success can be measured through various key performance indicators (KPIs) like organic traffic, keyword rankings, user engagement metrics, organic leads and organic revenue. Analyzing these data points over time helps assess the effectiveness of SEO efforts.
- How to measure SEO ROI?
To measure SEO return on investment (ROI), calculate the revenue generated from organic traffic and compare it with the total cost of SEO services. Tracking conversions, leads, and sales specifically attributed to organic search can provide a clearer picture of SEO’s impact on the bottom line. Strong tracking and KPIs are critical to determine the true ROI of organic search optimization.
- Why am I or why is leadership seeing results different from reporting?
Discrepancies between individual observations and reporting may occur due to several reasons. One possibility is data interpretation; different people may focus on diverse metrics or have varying understanding of SEO success. Second, reporting tools or settings could differ, leading to variations in the data presented. Third, Google’s results are tailored to every searcher based on location, previous history and more. All these aspects will lead to different results for different people, so it’s critical to not use one’s person’s experience to explain what everyone sees.
- Why is data source 1 saying X and data source 2 saying Y?
Data disparities between different sources may arise from variations in data collection methods, sampling, or data processing algorithms. Additionally, data sources might be specific to certain regions, devices, or user behaviors, leading to differences in reported results.
- Where is reporting data pulled from?
Reporting data is typically pulled from various sources, including website analytics platforms like Google Analytics, SEO tools (e.g., Ahrefs, SEMrush), search engine webmaster consoles (e.g., Google Search Console), social media analytics, and other custom tracking solutions.
- What is the most reliable source for SEO performance?
Google Analytics and Google Search Console are widely considered reliable sources for SEO performance data. As products from Google itself, they provide valuable insights into organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and user behavior on your website.
Content Questions
- How many blog posts should I publish a month?
The ideal number of blog posts to publish per month varies based on your content strategy, resources, and audience engagement. It’s generally recommended to maintain consistency and quality rather than focusing solely on quantity. Posting one to four high-quality blog posts per month is a good starting point, but adjust based on your specific goals and capacity.
- How many words should a blog post contain?
Blog post length can vary depending on the topic and the depth of information you want to convey. In general, longer posts (around 1,500 to 2,500 words) tend to perform well in search engine rankings, as they often cover topics more comprehensively. However, prioritize providing value and addressing the needs of your audience over strictly adhering to word count.
- Should I include external/outbound links in content on my site?
Yes, including external/outbound links in your content can be beneficial for SEO and user experience. External links to reputable sources can enhance the credibility of your content and provide additional resources for your readers. Moreover, search engines often view outbound links as a signal that your content is relevant and valuable, potentially boosting your rankings. Just ensure that the external links are relevant and add value to your content.
WHAT WE DO
Go deeper than keywords and watch your organic traffic flourish. With a tailored approach, we delve into the data and learn your business to keep you ahead of the competition.
More traffic is nice, but turning those clicks into customers? Even better. As your PPC agency, we’ll maximize ad spend and increase conversions.
Need SEO and SEM expertise behind you to pitch a new client or grow an existing one? Partner with the Transistor team and reap all the benefits of an SEO agency without the HR hassle.
Want to learn how Transistor can help?
Talk to Lindsie.
Lindsie Nelson | Co-Founder
Vice-President – Head of SEO