Your Durham SEO Company for Quality Search Engine Optimization in Durham, NC

Boundless Local SEO

SEO SEMPER is a search engine optimization company in Durham, NC that offers a full suite of SEO services, including on-site optimization, link building, and content marketing. But we're more than just an SEO agency, we're a complete digital marketing service built to handle your entire digital journey from website design and SEO, to social media marketing and video optimization. Under our umbrella of affordable internet marking services, we offer both local and national clients the tools and resources they need to improve their overall search engine rankings, increase traffic, and attract new business for less, no matter their physical location or service area reach.

Do I really need local SEO Services?

If you've been neglecting your online marketing, including your social media presence, then chances are your competitors in the area have been cashing in on that fact. Studies have shown that close to 90% of all customers begin their buying process by way of some type of search engine, and roughly 75% of the clicks are going to occur in the top 3 positions. In fact, only 6% of searchers will click beyond the 1st search engine results page! What does this mean for you? If you're not on the first page of a typical local search, such as "Durham __", then your business might as well be invisible to everyone in that area! Given how fast the Research Triangle area is growing, it's not hard to imagine why local SEO is becoming so competitive. Luckily for you, we can help your Durham business reach the top of search results with ease.

As more people start to use apps such as Google Maps to find services near them, your local SEO visibility and online review quality is going to become paramount. Google Maps alone represents around 37% of review volume. If you want to capture social proof, and I think you do, then you'll need to be able to compete on these local platforms as these apps are indeed the future. Don't worry, you don't need an SEO consultant to get started, you can start for free by creating a Google My Business profile!

How to find an SEO expert in your local area

I'd recommend you first start by checking if your prospective agency is ranking in your target market.

How to check their search rankings

Start by Googling "YourCity SEO" and "SEO YourCity."

What you'll notice, and this will change from time to time, is that the best options are consistently at the top of the search results. This is important to note because anyone can simply buy a slew of illegal backlinks for a temporary rankings boost, as this top-ranking Durham SEO company below did, but it's only a matter of time before their rankings tank, so don't let that be you!

Take online reviews with a grain of salt

While reviews can be a good indication of quality in areas where there are more tenured agencies, in newer or smaller markets like here in Durham they'll be less of a factor as the sample size will be smaller. Actually, there are quite a few reasons why online reviews should be less of a factor when ranking SEO companies. First, many SEO clients will leave positive reviews right away within the first months of service, then often will not take the time out of their day to update these reviews if/when things go south. This happens a lot with link sellers as their clients get amazing results at first glance, but later their rankings tank due to Google penalties. Second, oftentimes the only customers who are motivated enough to leave reviews in the first place are angry ones, so this can sometimes skew results. Lastly, the major SEO agencies make HUGE profits, which means they have unlimited resources to manufacture fake positive reviews and fight Google and Yelp over the bad ones.

Do they offer a satisfaction guarantee?

Beware of anyone promising position one rankings as these will be temporary, most link sellers will not be able to refund you, so look for money-back satisfaction guarantees instead of ranking guarantees.

Does your agency offer real value?

Beware of budget SEO services that outsource to countries like India, and big businesses who inflate your digital marketing costs by selling another agency's services via white label SEO. Need a number? A recent study showed that businesses who spent over $500/m for SEO services were 53.3% more likely to describe themselves as “extremely satisfied."

Source: Backlinko 2019

How to avoid SEO Scams and link penalties

When it comes to analyzing the quality and value of a typical SEO agency, some things are simply not as they seem.

No SEO experience necessary?

SEO changes so rapidly that what used to work then is not likely to work now. Before Google's massive crackdown on link schemes in 2012, older more "experienced" SEO agencies likely picked up a slew of bad habits that could put a business's rankings at risk of penalty.

Red flags to confront your "SEO Expert" with

The worst options are those who are not playing by Google's rules as seen in this excerpt taking from a ranking Durham SEO website:

"Niche Edits - Guaranteed Placement - Keyword Anchor." "Optimized backlinks."
Link Schemes Galore!
Also, look out for excessive internal links in footers, and other obsolete old-school SEO techniques such as meta keywords.

"1 Webpage / Blog Copywriting." What you'll discover is that more often than not these are short and unengaging 500-word articles written by freelancers. In the link selling world, many services have started offering 750-word articles to try to slow Google's ability to detect them as a paid backlink farm. So instead, look for 2000-word articles written by professional writers.

"We'll provide social media links monthly." Nothing will ruin your online reputation quicker than social media spam! Passionate communities, like Reddit for example, can spot a marketer from a mile away, and boy oh boy will they make you pay for it! 
You can read more about link building red flags here.

Our SEO agency is different

We took a more holistic approach to search engine optimization by ensuring everything is working in harmony from the start to send positive signals to search engines. Our quality digital marketing solutions will establish and grow your online business both legally and efficiently no matter your location! You can trust our family-run team to treat your online presence as if it was our own. Furthermore, we and promise to never outsource or utilize another company's SEO services through white-label. This policy allows us to remain in complete control of your rankings, while at the same time ensuring the safety of your data.

We're here for YOU!

Founded in a small neighborhood right here in Durham, SEO SEMPER was built to help the little guy, the typical small business struggling to compete with the big box brands. Don't let your business fall into the desperation trap of expensive rank now suffer later schemes. There's absolutely no better time than now, during a worldwide pandemic, to let SEO SEMPER reduce your marketing expenditures and increase your online exposure, it's going to be a win-win!