SEO Services Offered by the Top Agencies

Professional SEO Service Providers by Industry

The following are curated lists of search engine optimization companies that specialize in certain verticals. We evaluate numerous data points including their ability to optimize their own website as well as their reputation in the industries they are servicing.

SEO Service Providers by City

While most businesses select a vendor outside of their area, for others it is important to have face to face interaction with a local SEO expert. We have researched the top firms in some of the largest cities in America and have constructed a listing of the very best.

What is a SEO service?

A service that is performed by an SEO company for their client, utilizing search engine optimization techniques to achieve higher search rankings for a client’s website. The goal is once the higher rankings have been achieved, the website will receive an increased number of visitors.

Is SEO needed?

Google makes hundreds of tiny algorithm updates per year, and a handful of major updates. It is difficult for smaller businesses and understaffed marketing departments of larger organizations, to keep up with current best practices and then take the time to perform the tasks that are needed. SEO is not a one-time task and you are set for a while. SEO is a continuous process that needs attention or at some point you will find your competitors passing you by and you will find yourself off the first page. Search engine optimization services usually have a much higher ROI than other online marketing tactics such as social media marketing or pay-per-click advertising.

Do SEO companies really work?

Yes, but you must find the right one that is also the right fit for you. Many businesses have tried search engine optimization in the past, just to feel like they wasted their money. In most instances, the reason for that was the wrong company was hired. The fact is, most business owners don’t know how to properly evaluate SEO providers, but there are many excellent agencies out there that produce real results.

What should you look for in an SEO service provider?

In many respects it is similar to how you would evaluate any other vendor for your business. The key is knowing the right questions to ask, and then selecting the agency that gives you the most confidence in getting the job done.

The following are some questions you should ask and things that you should consider:

1. “What is your typical process for optimizing a website?” The response should probably be some blend of a technical SEO audit, keyword research, content creation and/or optimization, and link building. All of these items are very important, but you probably should shy away from a company that doesn’t have a significant emphasis on link building as this is a major piece of Google’s algorithm. Often, the agencies that we hear negatively about, are agencies that would much rather talk about content.
2. “Where are you located, and do you have any off-shore teams?” In the most ideal situation, the work performed would be in the United States. We do acknowledge that there are some trivial tasks that may make more sense from a cost perspective for a company to outsource, but the major components such as content writing and link building is often better done in the United States. A sad fact is that many agencies outsource a good portion of their work overseas, thus not having true control over the quality of the work being performed.
3. “If I hire you as my agency, what are you going to try to accomplish?” This is a tricky response that might help you weed out a fair amount of potential service providers. Ultimately you want more leads or sales for your business. A proper response can talk about increasing rankings and website traffic, but it must always be accompanied with a discussion about sales and leads. You want a company that is focused on the same thing that you are. It will not do your business any good if they get your website ranking for keywords that generate a bunch of traffic and little to no sales or leads.
4. “How should I determine that my SEO campaign is a success?” This is another question that might trip some companies up. This too should have some sort of discussion around leads or sales. If all they want to talk about is rankings and traffic, it is probably best to move on.
5. “Looking at my website, do you see any quick wins for improvement?” This question will at least give you a sense if the person that is consulting you has a clue about what they are trying to sell you. It would be nice to get the sense that the company that you are talking with, properly trains their staff.
6. “Do you work with any businesses similar to mine?” While you may be surprised, this is not a disqualifying question. The truth is, the general principles of SEO are the same no matter the industry that you work in. The reason that you ask this question is that it can give you a sense of comfort that the agency has developed SEO strategies in the past for your type of business.
7.  “What role does social media play with SEO marketing strategy?” This is another trick question. Social media doesn’t play a direct role in Google or Yahoo / Bing’s algorithms. It can play an indirect role such as assisting with content marketing to attract more links, which in turn will increase the authority of the webpage/website.
8. “Can you show me some keywords that your agency ranks for?” This comes down to, if they can’t rank their business, can they really improve your business? You may be surprised at some of the responses here. You will need to determine how difficult you think it would be to rank for the keywords that the send you.
9. “Do you have any case studies that you can send me?” Most legit agencies have success stories that they like to show off and take the time to create professional case studies. This will give you a glimpse to see if they have their professional act together.
10. Price. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. It is usually a pretty good indicator as to if they are outsourcing their work overseas or not. High-quality work comes at a cost. SEO service providers are in a business to make money as well, and if they hire quality search engine optimization experts, they don’t work for free. That being said, you don’t need to break the bank.
11. Consultation process. Did the sales consultant walk you through the proposal? Did they listen to your business objectives and present a solution address those needs? Did they highlight their company’s achievements and qualifications? This can help build a comfort level with the organization and might provide them with an edge in the selection process.

It can be hard to know where to start looking, which is why ranked the top SEO companies in the country, not only nationally, but by city and industry.

Knowing the Different Types of SEO Solutions

As with most internet marketing services, there are slight variations, but we usually recommend choosing a holistic service that covers aspects of each of these SEO techniques.

1. Technical SEO. This is where the SEO team takes a look at your web design and code structure to see if there is anything negatively impacting your online presence in Google search engine results. Some website platforms such as WordPress are easier to work with than others, but a competent marketing team should be able to work with most any site. Most teams will also look at your Google analytics code to make sure it is tracking your pages and goals properly.
2. On-page SEO. This is the aspect of search optimization that deals with keyword research, meta tags, meta descriptions, content improvements. This part is critical, because if your pages aren’t properly optimized or you don’t have quality content, you won’t see higher rankings for keywords that your potential customers are searching under, and in-turn, you won’t reach your true organic traffic potential.
3. Link Building (Off-Page SEO). This is where SEO specialists contact websites with related content to try to get them to link back to your website. If you are already showing up on page 2 or 3, this is the service can usually take your organic search campaign to the next level. If link building is not part of your proposed SEO plan, you need to ask why.

How much is SEO per month?

For local businesses a quality campaign would be no less than $400 per month, but really that is for a non-competitive industry in a smaller city. You could approach $1,500 per month for like a plumber in New York City.

For small businesses looking for a national presence, quality SEO work will run no less than $1,000 per month and could reach $10,000 per month depending on the competitive landscape.

For large corporations with a huge national profile in extremely competitive industries, anything less than $5,000 per month would be suspect, but this number could approach the tens of thousands depending on what is trying to be accomplished.