Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services

Our Approach To Search Engine Optimization

Bellingham WP works closely with businesses to provide safe, sustainable search engine optimization services. We believe educating our clients on the topic of SEO and our reasoned approach is the best way to build trust, set proper expectations, and dispel any rumors or incorrect information that may exist. We are capable of fulfilling SEO projects independently, while working with a business owner or manager, or by educating an existing marketing team.

The Bellingham WP SEO Process

  1. SEO Education
    We have the SEO knowledge and experience that you’ve been searching for. Let us prove it to you in just 15 to 30 minutes over a call or during an in-person meeting. In addition to answering your questions and addressing your concerns we will: explain what SEO is, give a brief history of the topic, identify the goals of the search engines, and explain how these goals apply to our SEO efforts.
  2. Goal Identification
    The formulation of any efficient, effective strategic plan must begin with a list of goals. What is it that you are seeking to accomplish and when do you hope to have these goals realized?
  3. Competition and Keyword Opportunity Research
    In Google, each and every search term has a list of website which are returned in the top 10 positions of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). These websites have already achieved the rankings which we hope to obtain. Through their study, we can learn quite a bit. To borrow an apt phrase, “Know thy enemy.”
  4. SEO Strategy Creation
    Taking into account the list of goals, competition research, and other available pertinent information, an SEO strategy is created. While this serves as a guide to SEO success, it should never be considered complete. As new information is acquired the document is updated to reflect it accordingly.
  5. Website Optimization
    The website is modified to give the search engines what they need in order to bring it into compliance with SEO standards. Everything from the website’s files and code down to individual page texts, titles, and images are addressed.
  6. Ongoing Search Optimization
    We continue to increase your website’s search engine rankings by proving to them that you are an authority on your topic, a reputable business, and a quality provider of goods or services. We accomplish this through the addition of content in the form of new posts and pages, by seeking out backlink and citation opportunities, by improving the website’s usability, and by refining the website’s user experience (UX).

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization, abbreviated SEO, is a process which results in a website’s organic search engine rankings being improved when a specific keyword or keyword phrase is entered into a search engine. These optimization results are achieved by modifying various on-site and off-site factors which are used by the search engine’s algorithms to determine a website’s authority with regard to the given search term.

Although each search engine’s algorithm is a closely guarded secret, their end result calculations are visible each time a search is performed. This allows search optimization professionals to perform split testing, also referred to as A/B testing, in order to deduce their intricacies. In some cases these findings are quantified and published as white papers, blog posts, or shared in SEO communities as points of interest.

What is WordPress SEO?

The WordPress dashboard, plugins, and themes commonly contain options which must be configured properly to achieve an ideal SEO benefit. WordPress SEO is the process of optimizing every aspect of a particular WordPress installation so that it performs better in search engine rankings.

WordPress is an ideal option for optimization due to its flexibility, ease of use, and comprehensive set of features. There are several WordPress plugins which provide access to a wide array of SEO features and settings without having to directly modify the website’s code. Still more plugins have their own sets of SEO features which allow you to configure their unique options for optimal search benefit. Additionally, WordPress themes sometimes contain optional features which simply need to be enabled or configured themselves.

A quick example of a WordPress plugin which provides an SEO benefit is one that generates an XML sitemap file. Whereas with a static HTML (non-WordPress) website one would need to generate or otherwise code a sitemap.xml file and upload it to the server manually, a WordPress plugin can be used to generate this file with the click of a button. Furthermore, if you end up adding content to a static HTML website this file would need to be updated and re-implemented. Most WordPress sitemap generation plugins take care of this automatically, as soon as a new post or page is added or when one is moved to a new location.

With regard to SEO, when compared to other website CMS options WordPress is a clear front-runner. And if you’re looking for WordPress SEO services, you’re in the right place! In operation since 2008, Bellingham WP has years and years of experience in providing professional WordPress SEO services and consultations.

Should my business hire an SEO Company?

There are a lot of topics you can read enough about to do yourself. For good reason, though, you should not believe everything you read about SEO. For each good piece of information there are 10 other pieces which are either outdated, show distinct bias, or are based on improper or incomplete research. This is where the benefits of hiring an SEO company or an SEO expert are truly realized. While knowledge is necessary and important, there is no teacher better than experience. Experience is what helps SEOs determine the correct course of action with regard to a given decision or circumstance. The right SEO with the right experience can save you thousands of dollars in SEO mistakes and misjudgements.

How can I determine which SEO company to hire for my business?

SEO Knowledge: The search optimization specialist should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the topic in a reasoned manner which makes sense to you. While knowing the correct answer to a question yourself is helpful, it is just as important for an optimization specialist to be able to explain the importance of an aspect of SEO. It is odd for a well-informed individual to not be able to express clear, reasoned understanding on the topic.

SEO Experience: As discussed above, the search optimization specialist must have experience in the field of SEO. Their experience can be determined by how long they have been performing search optimization, their past successes in SEO, their own website rankings for their targeted terms, and how confidently they are able to answer your questions. It is impossible for someone to know everything. As such, be wary of individuals whom have all of the answers at the tip of their tongue, especially if you are not able to verify their validity. An individual with true experience will not only humbly admit that they do not have an answer to your question, they will show an interest in learning the answer for themselves and sharing their findings with you.

Trustworthiness: When giving someone access to modify such an important business asset as your website, it is important that you trust the individual’s judgement. In the field of SEO one wrong decision can be quite costly. You want a professional you can trust to make the right decision on your behalf. In addition to using your intuition, a good question to ask is what their view of black-hat or grey-hat SEO is. The techniques involved in these approaches are widely frowned upon and, while they might be a quick path to results, they are not sustainable. Having a website ranking and earning well, only to have it all taken away with one Google algorithm update, is a distinct possibility.

A few potential red flags to watch out for:

  • a guarantee of specific website rankings
  • mentions of black-hat SEO, or grey-hat SEO, in a positive manner
  • not being transparent with the services or products they intend to provide
  • mandatory monthly fees for which there is no accountability in the form of quantifiable work, or a verifiable report of work

Ready To Get Optimized?

Good business decision. Just get in contact with us so that we can answer your questions and begin our SEO process.

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