Selecting a great SEO agency for your marketing campaign can be a tough task. There are many of agencies around who specialize in Search Engine Optimization, but how can you trust that each will really push your Google rankings to the very best?
It always pays when searching for an SEO agency to not only look into their past and current clientele, but in addition to ask about their achievements. What Google rankings have they attained for past clients? How long did it take? And how much did the web site traffic increase? Occasionally, it may take around 3 months or maybe more for rankings to improve on Google and traffic should increase from about 50% upwards. At this stage, you might also want to inquire if the agency offers any subscriptions for post-optimization upkeep. A good company should, since maintaining high SEO rankings requires ongoing care.
Additionally, it helps to look for an SEO agency that offers a full variety of services. ‘On-page services’ like website analysis, content optimization, page optimization, internal link building and ranking and traffic management should be offered. ‘Off-site’ SEO services should include keyword research, competitor analysis, external link building, and off-page promotion. It might also help to ask your prospective company in case you are required to approve anything before they go ahead with it. Should they say ‘yes’, it is a good sign they’re honest and ready to work closely with you. To increase your rankings, an SEO agency needs to employ various tasks, not only 1 or 2, so be wary of companies that only offer limited or dodgy services.
The right SEO company is essential to provide the correct SEO services and features to the business. Not every SEO can handle all the different kinds of businesses in the market. Hence, some SEO agencies often specialize in certain niche markets to hone their skills and creativity. There may be special requirements from certain niche markets which only skilled and creative SEO agencies can handle. These may cost a bit more than the other general SEO company operators. It relies upon the SEO industry vision and modus operandi.
Every SEO company will operate differently based on their modus operandi and business objectives. Although most have similar offerings and services, some may stand out more than others when it comes to service standard and creativity.
Another thing to watch out for is any agency that offers to improve your rankings through suspect methodologies like spamming, keyword stuffing, hidden text, high-ranking doorway pages and link-farming. They are often referred to as “black hat SEO” and can get you banished from major search engines, which is often hugely detrimental to your business. Also keep an eye out for automatic, bulk submissions to internet search engines. Automatic submissions are not considered best SEO services practice and it’s must more good for you if a company conducts manual submissions. Always make certain that an SEO agency is open about their methodologies used – any secrecy could mean they may be using “black hat” techniques.
It is important to remember that high prices within an SEO agency do not necessarily mean the most effective quality. Instead, choose a business according to their clientele, reputation and their very own site optimization and Google rankings. Similarly, if a company is offering you “guaranteed” #1 rankings for a ridiculously low price, it is probably too good to be true. Collecting several quotes is the best way to start and always make sure quotes are backed by a contract, so you know exactly what you’re getting for your money. It’s going to also help to ask what their payment terms are and should they have any fees for early termination.
Finally, a trustworthy SEO agency should offer and conduct thorough and specific keyword research as a part of their SEO services. Most businesses shall include keyword research as a given, but be wary of any company that asks you to provide the keywords for their work. While they might ask for your opinion, the keywords used should be determined by their research, analytics and competitor scope, not about what you tell them. Remember, they are meant to be the SEO experts – not you! “Guessing” your keywords isn’t efficient and a great SEO agency will research your keywords completely before recommending them.