​Search engine optimization is continually changing and is a complex process. A search for “SEO Company in Houston” will bring up around 13,400,000 search results, so it’s hard to know where to start.

In this post, we’ll look at SEO, what it is and what skills and tactics are needed for success. You’ll also get some tips on picking the right SEO company in Houston; particularly what questions to ask to find the best candidates to fit your online needs.

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ongoing process that leverages best practices, techniques, and tools to position your online web pages, blog posts, business listing, and/or advertisements as close as possible to the top of the search results when customers and prospects are trying to find you. This is why finding the right SEO company is so important.

What Does it Take to get to the top of the Search Engine Results Page?

Successful SEO marketing depends on hiring an SEO company in Houston knowledgeable about the following:

•  a well-designed website;

•  engaging, helpful and credible content;

•  indicators telling the search engines that your website is authoritative and popular.

•  maintaining your influence and position within the search engines.

How SEO Works

SEO is a process with defined ways of doing specific tasks on a regular basis. When done over time you can see consistent results; as in your website climbing the search engines.  Thus, you need an SEO company in Houston proficient at developing and following through with a well-defined and executed SEO marketing plan. So make sure you ask how they implement theirs.

How Search Engines Work: What Your SEO Company in Houston Should Know

When performing a Google search, you type words describing what you’re searching for and then you wait. Search engines earn money by returning the best possible search results on the search engine results page; so, they act as the middleman between you and the web pages that have what you’re looking for.

The SEO Company in Houston you hire will work to strategically position your website to get you to a higher position (meaning your company’ web page pops up in consumer’s search results way ahead of anyone else’s company). Don’t be afraid to ask them what their process is.

The Role of an SEO Company in Houston

SEO experts know what’s important to both the people doing searches and search engines. Along with the technical side, they also figure out the keywords and phrases that people type into the search engines when looking for specific information such as products and services.

An SEO company in Houston then integrates these keywords into your web pages to rank you high so people can find your website. Since they know how Google indexes content, they also tweak your website, so it’s easy to find for Googlebot.

Now that you know what you’re looking for in a reliable SEO company in Houston, why don’t you check out our firm? We’re as reliable as you can get and affordable too. Get in touch with us today.

www.brazosvalleymarketing.com/sugar-land-seo.html​If you are looking for an SEO firm in Houston to improve your business’s search result ranking, you’ll need to know some of the traits of a legitimate SEO firm that is not going to take your money and leave you wanting.

#1.  Analyze Your Needs

Every SEO campaign is going to be unique, as every business has different needs when it comes to improving their search result ranks. You’ll want to work with an SEO firm in Houston that asks questions about your business; learning about what your company provides in terms of service and products. Keywords are a huge component of effective SEO, so the more they know about your business, the better their chances of getting the right keywords for your campaign.

#2.  Easy to Find Track Record

When you are researching legitimate SEO firms in Houston, the best way to research is through search engines. You should be able to find reviews from previous clients of theirs. Before you trust them to manage your business’s SEO campaign, learn about them.

#3.  Transparent Tactics

A good SEO firm in Houston is going to be transparent in terms of the strategies and tactics they employ for their campaigns. If they are hiding what they are doing, they may be using blackhat tactics that could harm your business more than help. An above-board SEO campaign can take months to get results, if they promise results in only a couple weeks, pass on them.

#4.  Responsive Communication

Many SEO firms in Houston that are legitimate are going to be busy working with clients, but that does not mean they should be slow in responding to you. You want to know how your SEO campaign is going, so ask them how often they will communicate with you, and who you can contact with questions; a single point of contact is best for quick and knowledgeable responses.

#5.  Reduce Your Need for Paid Advertising

One of the side benefits of using a quality SEO firm in Houston is that when they are successful at improving your search engine position, you are also going to be able to reduce your overall need for paid advertising. With quality keywords, and sound tactics, you should be near the top in the results, so there is no need to pay for the extra ads.

#6.  Targeted SEO

When learning the strategies and tactics an SEO firm in Houston plans to use for your business’s SEO campaign; they should be focusing on localized SEO over obscure and broad SEO, particularly if you’re business only operates in certain areas. Local SEO is going to get you much better results, as you’ll be targeting customers in your area.

#7.  Gets Results

Finally, a legitimate SEO firm in Houston is going to deliver you results. They are going to have the right strategies and tactics, and use the proper keywords. In the end, your business’s rank will improve in the search engine results and provide tangible proof that the campaign was a success. If you’re paying good money for SEO, you should expect real results.

BVM SEO Services

If you are looking for a legitimate SEO firm in Fort Worth, Frisco, Plano, El Paso, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Houston, and Lubbock to give you that competitive edge on search engine results pages, contact BVM today to schedules a free strategy session to get your SEO campaign off the ground.

​Search Engine Optimization is a long-term investment, and it can make your website grow as well as break or bury your website’s presence. It all depends on the strategy your SEO team utilizes. An SEO team or expert works diligently in the background to make sure your website lands on the first page of results for Google, Yahoo, or Bing, so any potential customers know you exist. This requires a good deal of time and effort, which many business owners are too busy to handle. This guide will share four tips to help you pick the best SEO expert in Houston.

1.  Your SEO Goals

It’s hard to know what to look for if you don’t know what you want. Before you can go out and interview SEO experts in Houston, you need to define your goals clearly. What areas of your online presence do you want to improve? Do you have a one year plan? Numbers or markers you would like to achieve by a specific date? All of these questions can be a little overwhelming, and if you aren’t entirely sure, then have a digital marketing analysis done first. You might require a whole new website before you can embark on finding the best SEO expert in Houston.

2.  Your Options

Know what your options are by starting with your network before outsourcing for SEO. Search your social media accounts — LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter — to see if any of your contacts have SEO experience listed in their profiles. If you have friends, family, or colleagues that run a business, ask if they have any recommendations. Forums, such as Reddit, and blogs can also help direct you to the best SEO experts in Houston. Be sure to read as many examples and references as possible, as these are testimonies of whether or not the job was done well. Make a list of your top picks.

3.  Your Budget

It can be a little difficult to determine the average cost of hiring an SEO expert in Houston. It depends on several factors: is this a one-time project? Do you need an individual or a team? How large is your audience? The best thing you can do to set a budget is to decide what you can afford, and which action items you want to prioritize. Then, you can begin calling your list of top picks and asking for quotes or scheduling consultations. Just be aware that you may have to pay for consultations, but some firms or individuals may offer free consultations.

4.  Ask Questions

There are a few ways to prepare for your consultation with an SEO expert. First, make a list of questions that you want to ask them. You will want to ask for a list of past and current clients so that you have some context. These references will help you gauge how effective the candidate’s skills are, especially for what you want. Be sure to leave with a solid understanding of how the candidate works — what is their process? What do they charge? What are their ideas? And finally, you want to ensure they are ethical and adhere to webmaster guidelines.

​If you have a new website, or you just need to get more traffic to your current website, hiring the right SEO firm can help. But, how do you know you are hiring the right SEO firm in Houston for what you need? And how do you know they’ll get the job done?

Services Offered and Techniques Employed

When searching for an SEO firm in Houston, your first step is going to be asking what kind of services they offer. The first thing they should do is a comprehensive audit of your website so that they can provide you with an initial assessment. This is going to include a proposal for the amount and type of work they will do to ensure that you reach a set level of ranking online for your website. This type of work needs to be viable in the long run. Some SEO firms will use techniques that work for short periods of time but will harm your sites exposure on search engines in the long term. Ensure they are thinking about the long game. Spamming is bad for your site’s image.

An SEO firm in Houston will need to know the proper keyword to focus on for their SEO campaign for your website, and this will be done through tools at their disposal. You should ask what kind of tools they use and get them to provide you with an analysis so that you know what their plans are with those keywords, and to get them to back up their results for the keywords they have determined.

Also, find out what kind of backlinks they can get for your website. Backlinks are important for ranking, and getting high-quality backlinks from websites relevant to your business’s industry or sites of authority gives the best results.

Cost and Timeline

You have a budget, and you need to ensure that when you hire an SEO firm in Houston that your money is going to be used well. A quality SEO firm isn’t going to give you a lump sum quote with their initial assessment but will provide you with a rundown of what they offer and build a contract with the pricing of those services based on performance expectations. As well, they should be able to give you a timeline of how long their services should take to get you results. SEO doesn’t happen overnight, so you should expect a timeline of about six months, otherwise they may be using underhanded techniques that will only hurt your site.

Reviews

If you are scouring the internet for the right SEO firm in Houston for you, then you should be looking through reviews on their services. If you can’t find any reviews, ask them directly for referrals. How many clients do they have and how long have they have kept their clients? You want a company that has good retention, as that means they are doing their job well and are keeping their clientele happy.

Progress Reports

Nothing is worse than being in the dark about your website analytics. The best SEO firms in Houston should be willing to provide you progress reports on deliverables. These reports can be monthly, or quarterly, but should include analysis of your website's traffic, and include what kind of content they have been creating to improve your website's ranking.

Looking for an SEO Firm in Houston?

If you are looking for one of the best SEO firms in Houston, then give us a call to set up a meeting.

​The internet is no longer an option for small businesses. It is a necessity. Without it, you could stand to lose out on a significant number of people and clients who are interested in your company but simply do not know that it exists. This is where contacting a local SEO company in Houston could help your business not only connect with new people but grow in unique and affordable ways. Here are some things to look for in an SEO marketing company and why picking the right one can help your company succeed.

Reasonable Goals

One of the major differences between a reputable local SEO company in Houston and a disreputable one is what they promise. SEO, like all kinds of marketing and advertising, is a mix of solid research, achievable goals and the ability to communicate those goals to you, the client. More simply put: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Real SEO marketing goals can help you achieve new heights of success, but it won’t happen overnight, and it won’t happen without a solid plan in place.

The Right Practices

SEO marketing can benefit from a number of different tactics, from strategic website writing to blogging and ads in front of YouTube videos. In the short-term, they can sometimes even benefit from what is often referred to as “black hat tactics.” These tactics, while seemingly a good idea to help raise the portfolio of your online business, can lead to dreadful consequences, long-term, and even short term. A local SEO company in Houston that wants your business to succeed now and in the future will offer you strategies that are above board and effective, not black hat marketing tips that try and fool people and search engines into finding you.

BVM is a local SEO company in Houston that has effective, above board strategies and client communication to make sure that your next SEO marketing campaign is the best that it can be.

SEO marketing is fast becoming one of the most powerful and underused marketing tactics for small business. Rather than spending thousands on marketing plans that target large swaths of people with the hopes of engagement, SEO marketing heads to people who are already looking for what you offer. With the right local SEO company in Houston, you can connect with people in the area and around the world who are already interested in what you do, often at a price that is much more affordable than traditional advertising.

​Ch-ch-ch-changes

If you’ve been savvy enough to follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies for any duration of time, you know one thing for sure: SEO services techniques change all the time. When it comes to local SEO, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you are optimizing your on-site and off-site SEO strategies to beat your competitors. If you’re not on top of the rankings, chances are your competitors are. If you want to grow your business, you need the best local SEO services in Houston.

Here are three Local SEO techniques that are guaranteed to work:

Page Titles

If you’re wondering what the “bleep” title and meta description tags are, don’t worry: it’s quite simple. Title and meta description tags are HTML elements that you can customize to reflect the content of your web page. In other words, it’s kind of a “mini-ad” for your business. When people search for services and products on the internet, the text of your title and description tags will be displayed in the search results. That way, not only will the name of your business come up, but potential clients can learn a bit about your business in the process.

If you’re not sure how to create or utilize title and meta descriptions, research the best local SEO services in Houston so that you can stay ahead of the competition and on top of the rankings. In the world of SEO writing, titles and descriptions is considered somewhat of an art form because, in a world of cutthroat competition, catching the customer’s eye—and ear—is tantamount to success. If your text isn’t compelling, creative, and descriptive, then you’ll miss out on valuable click rates. One key rule when it comes to creating title and meta-description tags is NEVER to waste any page space that doesn’t offer vital information.

Online Directories and Citations

Approximately four out of five people use search engines to conduct searches for local businesses and services. If your business isn’t coming out on top during these local searches, you can guarantee that your competitors are. One way to get your business listing online is to ensure that your business is listed with all its correct information on the top online business directories like Yelp, Citysearch, etc. There are many local business directories that you can get your business listed in. Take every opportunity you can to get your company listed and increase your customer base.

Always, always, always make sure that the information provided on these directories is correct and up-to-date. A wrong phone number or address can cost you a lot of business in the long run. If you’re not sure how to manage all your listings, contact local SEO services to find out.

Get it on Google

Google is the biggest search engine in the world. It’s so common that Google is used as a verb! If you want to maximize your SEO possibilities, it’s imperative that you get your business on Google right away. If people can’t find your business on Google, chances are they won’t find your business at all.

There are a lot of SEO companies out there right now promising you the world and the best ranks possible, but there are some secrets to hiring the best SEO companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands.

Website Assessment Guide

When looking to hire one of the best SEO companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands, you are going to want a company that can provide you with an initial website assessment guide. This guide will be the result of a comprehensive audit of your site by the company, and should include their proposal for the quantity and type of work that they would perform to reach a certain level of ranking for your sites online presence.

Keyword Determination Tools

To find the Best SEO Companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands, you should be asking what kind of tools they will be using to determine the proper keywords to use for your website to improve the listing. As well as if they provide an analysis to back up their plans, or explain the methodology that their company uses to determine said keywords.

Pricing Structure

The Best SEO Companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands aren’t going to give you a lump sum price quote right along with the assessment guide. High initial fees don’t mean quality or speedy results, nor does it provide consistency.  Instead they should provide a rundown of their services and create a pricing and performance contract based on those services.

SEO Techniques

When choosing the Best SEO Companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands discover what kind of SEO techniques they will be using to help improve your site traffic. Most importantly, ensure that the technique they use are viable for the long run, and that they aren’t going to resort to spamming to boost your rank quickly and at the same time hurt your site and brand in the long run.

Targeted Traffic

An understanding of the difference between basic traffic and targeted traffic is key for the Best SEO Companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands. What you need to understand is to get the best customers that are likely to purchase your product or services, you need to be targeting them and not just broad unrelated keywords. An SEO company can help create targeted traffic by creating useful quality content for your website and properly distribute it.

Timeline

You will probably be interested in how long an SEO company in Houston will take to provide you with the ranking boost you need. Be wary of any SEO company that promises that the target rank will happen within a few weeks to two months, because they may be using underhanded techniques that will be harmful for the long term.

Comprehensive Reports

Along the veins of reporting on deliverables the Best SEO Companies in Houston, SEO in Sugar Land and SEO in The Woodlands will provide monthly or quarterly comprehensive reports. These reports will been easy to understand and show clearly how their techniques are improving your websites ranking.

There are many techniques companies use when providing SEO Services in Houston and SEO in The Woodlands, but one of the most effective methods to help with your digital marketing can be local SEO. Local SEO holds a dominant position when marketing digitally, but what exactly is local SEO and how can it help improve your customer base?

Local SEO and Why It’s Important

Local SEO can be best described as being location-based advertising for your website. Local SEO is very similar to standard SEO practices, but you have to take into account the location that you want to be targeting. Local SEO can help your website get the traffic that is most important and relevant to you, particularly if you have brick-and-mortar businesses, by targeting the geo-location of the person doing the searches. This means that if someone is searching for a specific product or service that you can provide, and they are local to you, your results should be appearing with a higher rank than a company far away. This is particularly important with the amount of mobile device usage that occurs in the modern world as, according to a study by Forbes a few years ago out of smartphone users, 95% of people used them to perform local specific searches, which resulted in 61% calling the business and 59% visiting the brick-and-mortar location. Contacting a company that provides SEO Services in Houston and SEO in the Woodlands can help you unlock the potential that local SEO can provide for your business.

Local SEO Services

Once you contact a company to do local SEO Services in Houston and SEO in The Woodlands, you should inquire about the local SEO services they can provide for your website.

Localization - by including your city, county or region name throughout your website in a natural manner, you can greatly improve the likelihood that your website will rank higher for people local to your business. If your business has multiple service areas, then you can create multiple pages specific to each area featuring a connection to the specific communities in that area.

Business Directories - getting your website (including company name, address and phone number) listed on online business directories local to your service area will help improve your search rankings.

Google My Business listing - by claiming your google my business page you can help get your business displayed on local search, maps and google+ pages. Microsoft Bing also has a similar service that you should also claim.

Review and Rating Management - Getting involved on reviews and ratings websites can help build your company's image and also show you aspects of your business you may need to improve.

Backlinks - quality backlinks are one of the cornerstones of SEO, and getting good quality backlinks from reputable sources within your business’s service area will help greatly with getting a search engine rank.

Attracting New Customers through Local SEO

With the use of local SEO services in Houston and SEO in The Woodlands you can take advantages of the increased use of the internet to find local businesses or services and improve your business’s chances of being seen in search results. Local SEO is also more cost effective than traditional advertising (local papers, leaflets, mail) because you are only being exposed to local customers when they are looking for a service or product you can provide. One of the top goals of local SEO is to get your business on Google’s local 3-pack, the top 3 results when someone searches locally for a product or service.

Search engine algorithms and search engine AI have grown pretty much in proportion to the online traffic that they receive. This makes sense, since a given search engine wants to provide the best results for their users, or customers, just as any other business or service wants to do. That means that search engine optimization (SEO) today isn’t just about getting that sought after spot on the first page of results (or even the first full window of results, where the user doesn’t have to scroll). Instead, any business with an online presence has to think of a search engine as a partial medium between you, the business or service provider, and the customer. And that means that the search engine algorithms are going to prioritize what it sees as being non-promotional, educational, and impartial query results. Responding to this ‘natural’ search engine regime (versus an ‘artificial’ one, where ads could be prioritized) means being as willing as possible to give consumers what they want—relevant content. Considering that Texas is a nation-wide frontrunner in internet tech, it only makes sense that an SEO firm in Houston & SEO firm in Sugar Land would know how to make current SEO trends work for your business.

Because that’s the thing

Pursuing an effective SEO campaign shouldn’t mean compromising the message and values of your own business for the sake of customers—since that way no one is satisfied by the job in the end. If you’re looking for an SEO firm in Houston & SEO firm in Sugar Land, here’s what you ought to know about how they do their work.

First off, the way that natural SEO works with AI means that of every, say, 100 search results that the AI deems to be relevant to a potential customer’s search it will be those that are clicked on that the AI will continue to support. And the more supported they are—read, the higher up in the results list—the more they’ll be clicked on. And so on. That’s why, to an extent, good SEO is something of a positive feedback loop. It’s all about getting that first click, though. And for an SEO firm in Houston & SEO firm in Sugar Land, that starts with the basics. Those basics are hearing and responding to a customer’s goals and hopes, and translating those into accessible, often-searched keywords. The other basic—a shocker to some— is quality, educated employees. That is, when hiring a firm, research their portfolio, ask about their employees qualifications—and easiest of all, check their website landing page for careless errors, such as spelling mistakes and awkward or incorrect English. Consumers are smart—so vendors have to be smart too.

Finally, and probably one of the most important items to understand, is that top SEO firms are shaping natural SEO rankings by working in tune with what’s happening today. Some companies will only work with a client who’s focused on getting hits—others, the best, will work with clients to make sure that their client is ready to receive that traffic. Look for an SEO firm in Houston & SEO firm in Sugar Land that is ready to help you optimize your site for mobile. And make your mobility, upward mobility.

As with any other service that you, a client and business operator yourself, would seek out, the first thing to look for when searching for an SEO expert is a firm that will hear you out. This doesn’t simply mean that you consult with a firm over an SEO campaign and then back off as they insist you let them handle it. Being truly heard by a business offering you a service means that they will continue to work with you on your given project as it proceeds from start to finish. If you are searching for an SEO expert in Houston, SEO firm in Sugar Land, and SEO in The Woodlands, or beyond, then there are several things you should bear in mind.

By Design

Aside from the all-important notion of communication just mentioned, it’ll make what’s normally a bummer of a process a whole lot easier if your chosen firm has an in-house design department. After all, it’s only one part of an SEO marketing firm’s job to make sure that your online presence gets the views that it deserves; those who go a step further make sure that presence attracts and maintains interest. Having an in-house design team is a huge part of that, since it ensures that all parties working on a given job remain on the same page. It will also increase efficiency and ultimately save you, the end consumer, more, since the SEO Expert in Houston, SEO firm in Sugar Land, and SEO in The Woodlands don’t have to mark their rates for collaboration costs.

More Maintenance, Please!

Now, every business owner or operator will understand the value not only formulating an idea, or concept, but of putting it into practice. That’s why the SEO Expert in Houston, SEO firm in Sugar Land, and SEO in The Woodlands you hire should have what it takes to set up and maintain your web presence on your behalf. None of this rig it and quit it website design. A no-nonsense client deserves a no-nonsense service provider who provides around the clock support and troubleshooting. Beware of those who offer ‘full’ web design and implementation. Just imagine buying a car and finding out that there’s no mechanic around on this side fo the State line. When reviewing your potential firm’s portfolio, make sure that HTML and CSS (cascading style sheet) development are on their checklists.

In-touch but Out-of-Date?

Alright, lastly, while it may be one thing to have a website—and an attractive, relevant one that responds to real user queries at that—you’ll have to make sure that that website is widely available to a whole variety of user interfaces. That means having your site available not only on your typical computer, but also on tablets, smartphones, and even wearable tech, such as smart watches. These sorts of availability require some above-standard tech expertise. For this reason, the top SEO Expert in Houston, SEO firm in Sugar Land, and SEO in The Woodlands won’t just be great advertisers, and customer engagers, but great tech implementers too. Stick to this list above, and search engines will be working for you—not the other way around.