How To Choose An SEO Company
SEO is the language of search engines. To connect with your people, you need to learn this language or hire a company that is already fluent. Next, you need to choose the right SEO agency that will meet the needs of your business. This article will help you navigate your most burning questions about selecting the right SEO agency for your business.
We’ll cover what makes a great SEO company, how to avoid scam SEO companies and how to choose the best SEO company to trust with your in-house SEO responsibilities.
What Makes A Great SEO Company
What makes a great SEO company largely has to do with the ability to implement SEO efforts that result in a greater conversion rate and prove that cause and effect through data. If a company tells you that their strategies are working but can’t show you any numbers, testimonials or successful client portfolios, you may want to slowly back away. Or simply run in the other direction.
A great SEO company can provide you with a look into rich client portfolios and show you evidence of a fully optimized website attracting visitors, engagements and answering their calls to action. What good is a website, after all, if the potential clients who visit aren’t turning into full-fledged customers who are buying your products or services?
Another thing to look for when you’re researching an SEO company is the range of specialties they offer. You need a company that will not only ensure on-page optimization that will produce relevant search results, but you also need SEO experts who take the users’ experience into account once they’re on your website. These two essential aspects of SEO will result in growing site traffic and lead volume and boost brand awareness.
Pro tip: getting users to your website through intelligent SEO is only part of what SEO specialists can do for you–we also make sure your users enjoy their time on your website, thus leaving them with a great impression of your company. At Timmermann Group we employ strategies such as limiting keyword cannibalization and internal crosslinking to improve user experience. A positive experience builds your brand’s credibility!
Another thing that will let you know you’re in capable hands is the level to which the company’s SEO strategies are defined. When you’re trying to optimize your website for SEO the last thing you want to do is “wing it.” On the contrary, our coffee-drinking SEO experts love data, and they know how to use it. You want an SEO company whose team excels in data collection, strategy creation, and SEO content implementation.
Avoiding Scam SEO Companies
Since optimizing websites for SEO is a topic commonly known worldwide, many people are touting themselves as SEO experts. These “experts” may (or may not) know how to perform a single aspect of SEO while remaining ignorant of the whole picture. To give them the benefit of the doubt, they may not even realize they don’t have all the information they need.
To that end, when you’re ready to entrust your SEO to an agency, you can’t afford to extend your trust or budget where your confidence is not warranted.
So, how do you know how to avoid scam SEO companies? Here are some red flags to watch out for:
- Black hat SEO
- Cheap rates equal cheap results
- Big promises with no evidence of prior success
Black hats are fun when a magician is pulling rabbits out of them. They’re not fun when an unsavory “expert” uses techniques that can get a site to rank higher in the short term but almost always get that same site blocked in the end–techniques such as keyword stuffing, cloaking and using private link networks.
Red flag number two is cheap rates. While it feels good to grab a deal when you’re online shopping or strolling through the mall and coming upon a sweet clearance sale, shopping for an SEO specialist is no time to look for sale-priced services. We aren’t suggesting you should have to take out a loan to sign with an SEO company or agency, but a good rule of thumb is that the value and reputation of the company should match the remuneration they’ve set forth on their website or in your price quote. Value = price.
The third red flag is a lack of evidence. If a company promises you the moon but doesn’t even have a track record of getting their clients past their ceilings, you might want to continue your search. Customer testimonials and previous or current customer websites can educate you on a great SEO company’s track record.
How To Choose The Best SEO Company
We’ve discussed what makes a great SEO company and a few red flags to watch out for, but how do you choose the best SEO company for your business? We’ve got a few suggestions for you.
- Check their past experience
- Review their testimonials
- Request past work samples
- Request an SEO proposal
- Compare their services and value to competitors
- Ask what makes them different from their competitors
- Check that their competency meets your business model and requirements
- Inquire what you can expect from reporting
The above list can work as a roadmap when scouting SEO companies. What you see here can be summed up in one word: accountability.
Okay, maybe two words: accountability and transparency.
When an SEO agency is good at what they do, they’re happy to not only tell you how they plan to get results for your business but also show you how they’ve done it for other companies in the past.
Another indication that you’re interacting with a great SEO company is when they respond to your requests for data such as customer testimonials and past work samples and proceed to answer all your questions concerning both process and product.
For example, if you ask a representative what makes their company different from their competitors in the SEO market, they should be willing and able to tell you. In addition, the conversation should be fluid and real instead of scripted and repetitive.
Questions To Ask Before Hiring An SEO Company
When you’re ready to begin your search for the SEO agency that’s best for you and your business, several pointed questions can help make the vetting process as smooth as possible:
- What experience do you have with SEO?
- What strategies would you use to improve my website’s ranking?
- Can you provide me with case studies or examples of your work?
- How long will it take for my website to see results?
- Do you offer any guarantees?
- What kind of monthly retainer do you require?
- Are there any additional costs I should expect?
- Can you explain your billing process?
Asking these questions highlights the accountability and transparency of the company with whom you’re speaking while also helping you acquire the information you need to make an educated decision.
Furthermore, if you consider these questions before you ask them, you can decide which answers your company needs to hear before moving forward as you choose which SEO company with which to work.
Hire The Best SEO Agency
To hire the best SEO agency for your company, weigh all the attributes that make an SEO great with the specific objectives you have regarding your SEO needs. By performing research on your options, including investigating testimonials, requesting work samples and asking the right questions, you’ll be well on the path toward finding and developing the perfect SEO partnership.