We are often asked by our clients if we do search engine optimization work, we don’t. So the next question is often whether we can work with SEO consultants or agencies in partnership on their site, we can.
We Do Web Development, They Do SEO
SEO is one of the most important aspects of online marketing, and it is vital for web developers to understand how it works to create successful websites.
At FatLab, we don’t offer SEO services ourselves, but we understand how important it is for businesses to invest in SEO.
By understanding the principles of SEO and how it works, we can create and support websites that remain competitive and we can act as part of our client’s marketing team.
Understanding and implementing best practices is not the same as running a true SEO strategy campaign where you are conducting keyword research, focusing on local SEO, truly optimizing your efforts, and tracking your organic search results. We know this.
We will never claim to know how to write a great meta description, do link building, do content marketing or how social media plays into ranking factors.
SEO is an ever-changing and complex field, and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends and best practices. That’s where SEO consultants and agencies come in.
As we focus on the code, they focus on search engine optimization, how search engines work, user experience, what search queries will actually bring traffic and so much more.
We Know How to Work with SEO Consultants
FatLab has a lot of experience working with SEO consultants and agencies, and we understand the importance of getting the details right. We work closely with our clients and those that work for them to ensure that their websites are optimized for maximum visibility and performance.
We Can Do as We Are Told
We do this by taking a consultant’s lead on all SEO efforts. We can take any technical recommendations and implement them. We can work with them to ensure that best practices are available on any website and that they are as easy as possible to maintain.
We Can Collaborate and Consult
We understand the importance of closely working with an SEO consultant or agency on behalf of our clients. SEO is a vital part of any online business, and by working together, you can ensure that your website is fully optimized.
Where we can lend a hand is not so much on the content optimization but on the technical implementation, hosting resources, and educating the SEO consultants on the unique website, its challenges, and benefits. Every website is different, they were built differently, they were set up differently and it is our unique support focus that gives us great insight into each website we maintain.
We Are Not Looking to Compete
We do not offer competitive SEO services at FatLab so in no way do we compete with any consultant or agency our clients choose to work with.
We understand that a lot of agencies and consultants that do SEO also provide some of the services we provide from website development to support and hosting. We just hope they will allow us to do what we do best and we’ll let them lead with their SEO expertise.
Please Don’t Throw Us Under the Bus
As I stated we have a lot of experience working with SEO firms and consultants and some of them are awesome. However, some of them are not.
Typically the first thing an SEO firm will do is run a site audit and report areas that need improvement to their client. One of the lowest pieces of fruit, so to speak, is website performance.
Too many times we have had clients come back after reading such an audit and ask why our hosting is so poor based on the provided performance metrics.
Listen, we run some of the most powerful servers available with just about every performance-enhancing attribute available… the website simply has not been optimized yet.
The Good
A good SEO consultant will explain this to their client and work with us to improve the performance levels of the site. There is a lot we can do.
The Bad
A bad SEO consultant will place blame and suggest moving hosting providers (usually to theirs or one they earn a commission from).
We even had one consultant tell our client that one of our standard performance features was “blackhat” and they could get penalized for it. This was not true and very misleading on their part.
A Comprehensive Marketing Campaign Requires Many Skills
My background is with public relations and marketing agencies, I have also spent most of my career just being one of many on the team.
I very much appreciate that each person, firm, studio, or agency brings a unique skill set to the table.
Web Hosting (1999 - 2010) Twenty-some years ago was when I got into the web development game... yes it has...
FatLab, LLC is a proud Virginia, USA Corporation serving organizations throughout the United States and beyond. We pride ourselves on providing the best client-centric website support and website maintenance services possible. We have partnered with top-tier infrastructure and service companies to provide enterprise-level website security, WordPress hosting and monitoring solutions. We are huge fans and thankful for open source technologies.
