SEO FAQs 2020

What is SEO & Organic Search?

Organic search results refer to the websites ranking on a search engine that is listed freely. The “terms” used when conducting a search are called “keywords”. Unlike the Google search results that are listed with “Ad” that appear at the top and bottom of search results and queries, organic results are determined by Google’s ranking algorithms.

By focusing on core ranking factors that determine the rankings of a website in the Google search results, we can in turn influence the ranking of your website in the search results.

We work closely with you to determine your key focus services/products as well as the location(s) of your target audience. Once determined, we establish a set of campaign keywords and terms to actively target to improve your organic rankings in Google.

What is Local Search & Google My Business?

Google My Business is a tool provided by Google to allow business owners to list their business online for free. Unfortunately, getting listed is only the start of the process, having your business appear for search terms is where search engine optimization begins.

Google Maps provides tailored results for users examining the location of the search user to then provide business listings, location, reviews, and directions. On mobile devices, it provides click to call functionality straight from the search results.

Currently, it is estimated that over 75% of all voice search results that are initiated on voice devices such as Google Home are based on the top 3 search Google search results (desktop/mobile).

Whether on foot or using in-car voice-activated searches, ensuring your Google My Business listing and website is optimized for local, mobile, and voice search is essential.

How are SEO results achieved?

Search engine optimization is an on-going process that focuses on two key areas. These are referred to as, “on-site” and “off-site” factors. On-site factors refer to on-going technical optimization of your website. Off-site factors refer to factors that influence your organic search results and domain authority.

This may include your Google My Business listing, business listings & citations as well as links from other websites to yours, often referred to as “backlinks”.

Our specialist team will examine and optimize the technical elements of your website and known search ranking factors. This includes page speed, and performance, content quality & relevancy, site architecture, and structure as well as dozens of other elements that influence organic search results.

Who will be managing my SEO campaign?

Your campaign will be managed by one of our dedicated digital marketing specialists. Our campaign managers are here every step of the way to ensure we understand you and your business, goals, and target audience. From your initial call and through the growth of your business, our team is committed to providing expectational customer service and management.

Your campaign manager will coordinate and project manage resources, key deliverables, and timelines to ensure campaign goals and milestones are achieved.

Our team will provide you with a monthly performance update (phone) by taking you through key performance metrics and achievements. We also provide dashboard reporting that enables you to review your campaign performance online 24/7. Your dedicated campaign manager will always be only a phone call or email away.

How long does it take to rank keywords?

There are many factors that influence and determine your digital performance, campaign success, and timeframes to achieve your goals. For organic search (SEO) these can include; technical elements of your website, domain authority, competition level & geo-targeting, user behavior & engagement factors, links, and social signals.

SEO results with Clearwater can occur within as little as 4-6 weeks.

Average timeframes SEO campaigns to see significant improvement in organic rankings & traffic is 3 to 6 months.

How much does SEO cost?

The cost of a campaign can vary due to several key factors. This includes the competition within your industry, the scope of your locale targeting such as local, metro, or national, your current domain authority, and the time and investment of previous campaigns. We work with you and your budget requirements to provide effective SEO campaigns that deliver the metrics that matter, that is, the growth of your business. In a nutshell, the core factors that will determine the cost of an SEO campaign are competition love, targeting scope & your domain authority.

What are your performance metrics, do you offer SEO guarantees?

We understand that your campaign goals & objectives are unique to you are your business. We work with you to determine what your digital goals and ensure that our performance is measured on the metrics that matter for your business.

We do not apply and do not believe in blanket performance guarantees and milestones for our campaigns, each marketing campaign is tailored to your business goals & objectives. We will work with you to determine what your goals, expectations, and performance timelines are.

Our approach allows our team to be agile and provides the ability to pivot quickly if required. We will work with you should your requirement changes to incorporate newly identified opportunities, pivot tactically, and adjust strategically.

Can you reverse Google penalties?

Yes, we have extensive experience and success rates in reversing penalties. There are essentially two forms of Google penalties as they are often referred to as algorithmic and manual penalties.

Algorithmic penalties are recognized and put in place by the Google algorithm which in turn can result in anywhere from minor drops to major drops in organic keyword rankings and traffic. Typically these penalties can be quick to reverse as once the issue(s) causing the algorithm to penalize the website are correct, organic rankings and traffic should return.

Manual penalties can be more difficult to reserve as these penalties are the result of someone at Google manually reviewing your website and activities. These are referred to as Manual actions and can range from simple fixes to larger and extensive measures to reverse any penalties that are in place. Once factors that have resulted in Manual action(s) have been resolved, a reconsideration request is submitted to Google for review and assessment for manual actions to be lifted.

How do you report?

Our reporting tools and dashboards are integrated with all major analytics and data applications and tools. This allows us to create reports that provide both top-level and key performance metrics that can be customized to your business needs. We do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, our reporting is tailored to your business goals and objectives, providing clear and easy to understand campaign performance reports.

We also provide live reporting via an online dashboard as well as emailed monthly reports from our specialist team that deep dive into your campaign to provide key insights and performance updates.

SEO FAQs 2020