Fortune 500 companies and small businesses may have little in common when it comes to their operations and scale, but thanks to the increasing importance of the Internet, they do share one key priority: having a highly visible website that draws traffic. Many of the biggest multinational companies have come to embrace the web as a primary method for reaching new customers, leveraging their website as a promotional vehicle and of course, selling products. When it comes to small businesses, they share this attitude but in many cases have taken it even further. There are a growing number of small businesses that are web-only, taking advantage of the lower operating costs and wider customer base offered by doing business exclusively online.

Companies big and small depend on the services of digital marketing agencies to increase their visibility in a highly competitive online environment. More visibility equals higher traffic, and higher traffic translates into more customers. Search engine optimization (SEO) can thus directly lead to higher profits. Given the stakes, businesses should expect a lot from their digital marketing agency.

Seeking a full service digital marketing agency is important. SEO is a lot more than filling a site with keywords; choosing the wrong ones or placing them in the wrong parts of a website can actually have a damaging effect. A digital marketing agency should not only offer the expertise and experience to ensure the best, most effective keywords and phrases are selected, they should ensure that they’re placed correctly (in content, meta tags, header tags, anchor text or hyperlinks, for example) to maximize the SEO effect. The agency should also offer a full range of services, including off page SEO, social media marketing, guest posting, web design and development, PPC management and more.

Any business, whether it’s a Fortune 500 or a single person operation, should expect personal service from its digital marketing company, including a customized Internet marketing campaign. Cookie cutter plans often yield poor results, but agencies that work closely with their clients to develop a personalized strategy deliver a higher return on a search marketing investment. This strategy should begin with a detailed analysis of the website, a client consultation to determine the objectives for the campaign and research that analyzes critical details like keywords, customer behavior and competitors. An operational plan should be provided that incorporates all of the necessary elements of SEO and outlines the campaign goals and strategy. Finally, the digital marketing agency should execute the plan, using analytics to determine if any elements need adjustment based on ongoing results. By choosing to work with digital marketing agencies that offer these comprehensive services, companies big and small benefit from the most effective Internet marketing campaigns.