What Does an SEO Agency Really Do?

July 24, 2025

So you’ve heard the term tossed around - SEO agency. Maybe someone told you your website needs ‘better SEO’, or you stumbled across it while Googling ways to get more traffic. Maybe you are even in the thick of building your business - right here in New Jersey - and wondering if SEO is worth the investment. 

 

Whatever brought you here, let’s break it down - plain and simple. No tech-jargon overload. No marketing fluff. Just straight talk (and a little heart) about what an SEO agency really does, and why hiring one might just be the best decision you make for your business. 




What is SEO?

Ever wondered how businesses show up when someone searches ‘best bakery in Jersey City’ or ‘family lawyer near Newark’? SEO determines who shows up first and who stays buried on Page 7. 

 

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of making your website more visible on Google and other search engines. Easier said than done - there are over 200 ranking criteria, and if you think that’s a lot, remember that they are constantly upgraded as trends & buying behavior change. Thanks Google!

 

The top-ranking players earn the majority of traffic. And nobody clicks on Page 7. You know that. I know that. Google knows that. 

So - that’s what SEO is. But what does an SEO agency do? 


1.  They Get to Know You 

A good SEO agency doesn’t just look at your website. They ask questions. They dig into your business goals, your target audience, your competitors, your pain points. 


  • Who are you trying to reach?
  • What do you sell?
  • What are your margins?
  • What have you tried already - and what flopped? 

 

This isn’t just small talk - it’s strategy. Because good SEO isn’t just copy-pasting keywords into blog posts. It’s understanding your business like a partner would. We call it a discovery phase, but it’s really just ‘Hey, let’s get real about what you actually need.’?

2.   They Dive Deep into Your Website 

Now comes the nerdy part. 

 

SEO agencies do a website audit. It’s kind of like a health check for your site - only instead of cholesterol and blood pressure, we’re looking at:sd

  • How fast does your site load?
  • Whether it works on mobile 
  • If your site has broken links 
  • Whether Google can actually crawl and index your pages
  • Your current keyword rankings
  • Meta tags, headers, alt texts, all the behind-the-scenes stuff that no one sees (except Google)

 

We crawl, test, analyze - sometimes manually, sometimes with tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. (Don’t worry, you don’t need to know what those are. We do.) 

3.   Keyword Research - It’s Not Just Guesswork

Ever wonder how people find stuff on Google? They type ‘keywords. ‘Hair salon Hoboken.’ ‘Affordable home renovation NJ. ’ These search terms are keywords. 

 

An SEO agency figures out exactly what your audience is searching, how often they search it, and how hard it is to rank for those keywords. 

 

But it’s not just about stuffing keywords into paragraphs until your site reads like a robot wrote it. (That’s outdated and it doesn’t work anymore - thank god.). 

 

It’s about finding smart opportunities. Long-tail keywords, question-based phrases, local SEO goldmines. ‘Wedding photographer near Alamuchy Township’ - now we’re talking. 

4.    On-Page SEO: Making Your Site Irresistible to Google

Once the research is in, your SEO team starts optimizing your web pages. That includes:

 

  • Writing better title tags and meta descriptions 
  • Structuring your content for readability (hello, headers and bullet points)
  • Optimizing images for speed and SEO
  • Internally linking your pages 
  • Updating (or rewriting) copy that doesn’t work 

 

This isn’t just about pleasing Google. It’s about writing for humans first, and search engines later. Because Google loves what users like. It’s that straightforward. 

5.   Technical SEO: The Behind-the-Scenes Plumbing 

Codes, sitemaps, canonical tags, robots.txt files - there are all kinds of technical stuff under the hood that affects your rankings. You’ll never see it (and honestly, you don’t need to), but it needs to be right. 

 

If your site has duplicate content issues, security errors, or bad redirect chains? Google takes note. 

 

An SEO agency will get in there and clean up that technical mess so your site is set up for success. Think of tuning your car engine before you hit the gas. 

6.   Content Creation - Informational, Engaging, Persuasive. 

Content is the fuel that drives SEO. SEO copywriters craft content around the target audience’s search intent. 

  • Blog posts
  • Location pages
  • FAQs
  • Service Pages
  • Product descriptions 
  • Evergreen guides 

 

This isn’t just about churning out 500-word fluff pieces anymore. That ship sailed years ago. Now it’s about quality content that actually helps people, keeps them on your site, and gently nudges them toward contacting you, buying something, or visiting your storefront in New Jersey. 

7.   Off-Page SEO: Building Authority And Reputation in the Digital Realm 

You can glorify your business all you want with your content, but unfortunately, the almighty Google also listens to what others say about your site. 

 

That’s where link building comes in. Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. The more legit, high-authority sites that link to you? The better your site looks in Google’s eyes. 

 

An SEO agency will help:

 

  • Earn backlinks through outreach
  • Get you listed on local directories and maps
  • Optimize your Google Business Profile
  • Generate reviews (yes, reviews matter - a lot)

 

This part takes time, hustle, and networking. Like strategy meets PR.

8.   Local SEO: The Bread & Butter for Local Trades 

Are you a small or medium business based in New Jersey? If so, local SEO is a potential goldmine of opportunities. Local SEO demands multi-faceted expertise, with its location-specific components like Google Maps rankings, local citations, and ‘near me searches’. 

An agency (like us) with New Jersey roots will know how to target your town, your neighborhood, and even your block - because we’ve worked with businesses right down the street. 



9.    Reporting, Tracking, & ROI (Yes, Numbers Matter)

How do you know if SEO is working? 

 

We track everything. Rankings, traffic, bounce rates, leads - all in real reports you can understand. No black-box mystery. No fluff. 

You’ll know exactly what’s improving, what’s stuck, and what’s next. That’s what we do - measure and improve, month after month. 



The Final Result

Traffic goes up. Leads increase. Conversions improve. People find you, not your competitor. 

 

And that’s the point, right? 

 

If you’re in New Jersey and wondering whether SEO is worth the hype - or maybe just want someone to walk you through it without the buzzwords - we’re here. No pressure. Just honest help, real results, and maybe a coffee if you’re a local. 

 

Let’s get your website working as hard as you do. Call Randle Media today. 


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