In a recent interview with SafetyDetectives, our co-owner, and COO at SEO Locale, Nick Quirk, reveals many of the challenges, solutions, and variables that can make or break a great SEO strategy. To better understand these challenges and uncover realistic answers for individuals and businesses hoping to build a stronger online presence, he discusses key topics like web security, local search considerations, and how to source a reputable SEO team. 

Where His Digital Marketing & SEO Journey Began 

For the past 20 years, Nick’s career has revolved around digital marketing, web development, and SEO. Beginning with self-taught web building in Middle School, his passion for the field evolved into SEO and marketing. These topics are the future of society, and if he was to achieve success in the industry, he had to become a master of digital marketing. 

We rely on our search engines for almost everything these days. The algorithms are always changing, and a dedication to constant learning is essential. Helping people find the best answers is the goal, and Nick knows that pushing himself to remain at the forefront of the field is the recipe for SEO success. 

Nick’s Role At SEO Locale & What Sets Us Apart

As co-owner and Chief Operating Officer, Nick plays a crucial role in shaping our company’s cohesive and collaborative culture. An amazing client experience always starts with the right people, and we’re focused on hires that represent our drive, solution-oriented mindset, and commitment to learning and growth. 

This focus on company culture directly influences the quality of our marketing services. With genuinely helpful and hardworking attitudes, our team can promote our client’s businesses as if they were our own. We’re constantly bouncing ideas off of each other, encouraging each other, and doing whatever it takes to help our partners stay afloat during the tough times and flourish during the good times. 

What makes us unique? Our employees are the hardest-working digital marketers in the field. Our motivated team is growing every day and we constantly pursue the latest SEO information. Humility aside, we would gladly go head-to-head with any other SEO company out there! 

Equally as important as our awesome team, our co-owners Nick and Marc remain actively involved in every project. We believe that accessible leadership is crucial to maintaining an inclusive company culture and trustworthy client relations. 

How To Determine If Local Search Results Are Credible

Verifying the credibility of search results is relatively easy to do with a little due diligence. In most situations, you can decipher authenticity by evaluating:

  • Do they have a physical location?
  • Is there a local phone number tied to the location?
  • Are there credible reviews or a social media page?
  • Is there company history or about us information?

Unfortunately, scams have evolved and can be tricky to identify at first glance. Lead generation websites or false companies may even have a local phone number and other seemingly authentic identifiers. Any time personal information or your digital security could be at risk, it’s always better to practice caution and research more carefully. 

Web Security And How It Relates To SEO Ranking

Quality web security is non-negotiable. Many of the websites we come across that aren’t hosted by us have been hacked. Even worse, many of these companies are unaware of the hack until months or even years later. Upon further analysis, a common finding is that SEO rankings dip and website credibility is compromised. Many of these vampire-like hacks are stealing the traffic generation from SEO and link building of that domain. 

In other words, these malicious intrusions can ruin an SEO strategy by leeching visitors or generating inbound and outbound links that are completely unrelated to your information. 

How to identify a legitimate SEO agency

Any reputable SEO agency should be easy to find and evaluate. Similar to the “local search results” questions above, here are a few tips to evaluate the SEO company in question: 

  • When searching for “SEO in X location”, does their company rank organically?
  • Do they provide details about their team and relevant services?
  • What do their previous clients have to say about their services? 

Prioritizes Local & National SEO Strategies

The world of SEO is like a puzzle and the picture isn’t complete until every piece is in place. Locally, hyper-focused strategies that are fine-tuned to that specific market area with unique content and relatable information can organically improve search rankings. On the national scale, website performance and broader information that relates to a larger audience take precedence.

Regardless of the audience, finding a team that prioritizes technical SEO and understands how the entire puzzle fits together will stack the odds of SEO success in your favor. 

To read more from Nick’s interview with SafetyDetectives, or to learn more about our digital marketing agency near Philadelphia, contact us today!