How to Choose an SEO Agency

Hire a reputable SEO agency to help you rank high, drive traffic and convert passive visitors to loyal customers. There are hundreds of digital marketing agencies. Choosing one should be cakes and ale if you follow these procedures.

Just getting started with SEO? Check out our guide, What is SEO? A primer in Search Engine Optmization!

Talk to Several SEO Agencies

Essentially, you need an agency that has demonstrable experience, skills and resourceful human capital. They should know how to push Google to organically serve users with your website at the top of their search engine result pages (SERPs).

Many digital marketing agencies promise objectives that they cannot deliver. The last thing you want is getting stuck in a contract that delivers no tangible results. Seek SEO services from several companies before settling on any.

Let Potential SEO Partners Make Their Case

Allow each of the agencies identified to make a presentation. Spare enough time for this and invite top decision-makers in your company. It does not matter if your boss understands complicated Google algorithms; he needs to attend the presentations.

Make your needs clear to each agency. Do you want to drive traffic to your website or have it rank high on Google? Learn what they can do to achieve your digital marketing objective. Let them demonstrate actual cases that they successfully achieved in the past.

Check into the SEO Company’s Background

Companies often talk about their experience with SEO agencies. So, look for independent reviews online written by clients and marketing executives. Visit their individual websites and read blog post comments by organic users.

Your colleagues at work can recommend a digital marketing agency worth its salt. Ask your family members and friends for leads. Simply put, familiarize yourself with all prospective agencies and vet the ones that best appeal to your interests.

If you want to learn more about making informed SEO decisions, get started with our guide: The Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Visit the SEO Agency’s Office

Spend a few hours at the offices of the SEO agencies that you have contacted. Learn how many people work from the office and if they engage external freelancers. Know the ecosystem within which they work.

Talk to the web developers, graphic designers, photographers, SEO experts and content creators. Being familiar with these agencies is important. Once you sign the agreement, you will be stuck with the agency for months or even years. Just like in dating, you do not want to partner with an unfamiliar companion.

Ask the Tough Questions before Signing a Contract

You need a professional agency that understands the mechanisms of digital marketing. As SEO strategies evolve quickly, the company should know how to stay ahead of the game. It is time to ask all the hard questions and press for answers. When does the company hope to you start your SEO project? Let the agency inform you how they will provide real value to you and your clients.

How much time will they spend on your project in a typical week? Press them on the question of how long you will wait until you see results. Depending on how fast you provide resources, expect a jump in rankings in three to four months.

Let the Agency Outline Exact SEO Strategies

Optimizing your website for the search engines is both an art and a science. The art comes in the visual presentation and elements of placing content to attract the passive eye. The science is feeding into the psychology of a prospective customer to take action. How well will your website nudge traffic to call your number, visit your physical shop or click the ‘buy’ button?

How does the company plan to resolve issues when and if they occur? Suppose there are disagreements or unmet expectations, what will happen? Ask these questions not because you anticipate ugly scenarios, but because they are relevant in establishing trust.

Know what to look for when hiring an SEO agency – learn more by reading our post, 4 Technical SEO Tactics You Should Know

Check with the Agency’s Past Clients

Ask the prospective SEO company for access to some recent customers. Talk to these references to better understand the timeliness of delivery. Did they enjoy real value from the SEO agency? Ask how the vendor provided support and extension of after-sale services.

Seek to understand the general experience from a company that actually used these services. Talk to the agency that worked for your biggest competitor, and you will make the most informed choice.

Obtain a Search Audit Report

You already have one or two most prospective SEO agencies by now. When you finally settle on the one to engage, ask them to conduct an optimization audit of your website. Let them identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for higher ranking.

Do you want to audit your own website? It’s not hard with one of these 15 Website Audit Tools for Better SEO.

You can use this audit report in future to benchmark objectives. As you prepare to sign the dotted line, read the contract carefully. When there are no gray areas between you and the agency, you are poised for success in ranking your website highest.