When hiring an SEO agency expert, we must look at the do’s and don’ts, benefits of SEO, and the beginner tools available in 2022. What questions to ask, what to look for in a company, should you hire an SEO professional, what do search technique consultants do, and is it worth it for the growth of your business
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How do I find a great SEO agency near me? How do I know if an SEO company is a good fit for my businesses? These are some questions we often get, and they are absolutely valid.
Get this: 90.63 percent of all web content doesn’t get any traffic from Google, according to Ahrefs. That’s billions and billions of web pages, posts, articles, videos, and other pieces of content that lie idle. Not making money!
It costs money to create, manage, and deploy websites, so you must go above and beyond to get some returns on your investment. One of the best ways of getting ROI for your marketing dollars is to work with an SEO company that’s perfect for you.
Lucky for you, I’ve put together handy dos and don’ts that I usually keep in mind when choosing and hiring an SEO agency near me.
Do set goals and know your desired outcomes
To get more bang for your money, you need to know what your business and SEO goals are. More importantly, you must have a clear idea of what exactly you need from an SEO company.
Your goals (what you want from the agency) could be to generate more traffic, boost ranking for certain keywords, drive lead generation/cells, or all of them. The trick is to dig deeper into your business objectives and think beyond improving your organic ranking.
Having well-defined and clear goals handy is the best way to check if an SEO agency has the expertise, tools, and know-how required to help you achieve them. As a general rule of thumb, you must jot down 3-5 key outcomes you desire to attain from working with the agency.
Don’t choose on price alone
When it comes to hiring an SEO agency near me, it’s mostly true that “you’ll get what you pay for”. You can be enticed to go for the cheapest agency on your radar but may come to bite you back.
This is especially true if you’re a small business looking to save the most bucks. Yes, price is a determinant when looking for SEO agencies, but it shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all factor. In fact, if a company’s agency fees are too good to be true, you’d be better off trusting your instincts.
As well as the cost, also factor the expertise, size of portfolio, reputation, industry experience, and much more into your decision.
Do read reviews
When all’s said and done, you’ll want to hire an SEO company that will get the job done right the first time around. As such, you must look into the agency’s past track record, which will help give you a clear sense of what you can expect from it.
The first port of call is the agency’s website. Here, you’ll most likely find customer testimonials, past client reviews, and other comments. You don’t have to believe everything you read on the website, though, so keep an eye for any complaints, negative reviews, and unbiased opinions.
It’s crucial that you check reviews off the company’s website, as well. You will probably see the most genuine reviews on Google, Facebook, Clutch, Yelp, and other centralized rating platforms.
Don’t hesitate to ask your references the right questions
Another paramount step is to collect references from the agencies you’re interested in. Ask as many questions as possible:
- How many times have you worked with the agency?
- What made you stop or continue your relationship?
- What do you love most about the agency?
- What do you think the SEO agency could improve?
Do check the SEO agency’s case studies and service portfolio
No two business needs and cases are exactly the same. What worked for business A may not work for yours. This makes it indispensable to check the agency’s list of services and portfolio.
The big idea here is to look for satisfied clients that are most closely related to your business. Case studies will tell you if the agency has already offered solutions that are somewhat specific to your own business.
Don’t choose an inexperienced SEO agency
Some SEO agencies will wow with a dazzling sales pitch. But when it comes to delivering results, it’s a whole different story. Don’t fall for agencies that promise to build “a castle in the air.”
Instead, let the SEO agency’s experience speak for itself. Reputation and service delivery records can make a huge difference in your decision.
Do avoid black hat SEO agencies
In my search for the perfect SEO agency near me, it became clear that there are two kinds of agencies: black hat and white hat SEO agencies.
You must avoid black-hat SEO companies like the plague. Not only do they use scam-like, illegal strategies, but they can also get your website penalized or red-flagged by Google and other search engines.
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