What is an SEO agency and what do they do?

An SEO agency is a specialized service provider that focuses on Search Engine Optimization – in simple terms, improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. Their goal is to help your site rank higher for relevant search queries so that you get more organic (non-paid) traffic. To do this, SEO agencies like SVZ employ a variety of techniques :

• Technical SEO: Optimizing the website’s technical foundation – ensuring the site is crawlable by Google (no broken links or blocking files), improving page load speed, making it mobile-friendly, fixing any structural issues, and implementing schema markup for rich snippets. It’s like tuning the engine of a car for peak performance.
• On-Page SEO: Optimizing content and HTML elements on your pages. This includes researching the keywords people use to find services/products like yours and incorporating those keywords naturally into your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body content. It also involves making sure each page has high-quality, relevant content that satisfies what users are searching for.
• Content Strategy: SVZ will plan and even create content (like blog posts, articles, infographics) that can rank for additional keywords and attract visitors. Content is a huge part of SEO because search engines reward sites that regularly publish useful, authoritative information.
• Link Building (Off-Page SEO): Google’s algorithm heavily considers links from other websites as “votes of confidence.” SEO agencies work on acquiring quality backlinks to your site – through outreach, PR, creating shareable content, etc., always focusing on white-hat (ethical) techniques. This improves your site’s authority and trust.
• Local SEO (if applicable): If you have local/regional business, SVZ optimizes for local searches – ensuring your Google My Business listing is claimed and optimized, getting you into local directories, and encouraging reviews.
• Analytics & Reporting: SVZ continuously tracks how your keyword rankings and traffic are improving . They use tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, and third-party tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, etc.) to measure progress and identify new opportunities. They typically send you regular reports. We then implement and suggest web changes based on these finding.

In short, an SEO agency acts as your guide and task force in the ever-changing world of search engine algorithms. They keep up with updates (like Google’s core updates) and adjust strategies accordingly. If you’re partnering with us, we will handle the nitty-gritty of SEO, from auditing your site’s current status to implementing optimizations and creating strategy for long-term growth. At SVZ, our approach to SEO is integrated with design and development – meaning from the ground up we build sites that are optimized, and then we layer on content and linking strategies to help our clients dominate the search results. We see SEO as part science (data and algorithms) and part art (understanding human search intent and creating content that truly helps). An SEO agency marries those to boost your online presence effectively. At SVZ we also offer ongoing SEO growth retainers where we track, analyze, and implement improvements.