An SEO agency is one surefire way to increase your visibility and engagement for your brand for the search engines.
But how do you choose the right SEO agency for you? What are the qualities to look for? How do you measure results? When do you know if you’ve been bamboozled?
In this guide, I’ll share how to hire an SEO agency that can help you achieve your SEO goals . This way, you’ll know the steps to take and can finally increase your organic traffic.
Before anything else, let’s define the role of an SEO agency.
This is a company (or person) that works to help optimize your website for search engine rankings – and hopefully get more “free” organic search traffic.
More specifically, an SEO agency helps you show up in search engine results pages (SERPs) for keywords that are relevant to your business.
The increase in visibility should results in more engagement, leading to more conversions.
What are the specific roles of an SEO agency to help increase your search engine rankings?
Generally here are a few services you can expect to receive when you work with an SEO agency:
This is just a small bit of services that SEO agencies can offer. Specialized SEO agencies can help with eCommerce focused sites, lead generation, and more. More is covered below.
SEO agencies come in various shapes and sizes, though we can categorize them into three categories.
These agencies offer more personalized services. A boutique agency usually focuses on a single niche or type of business and charges more for their services.
A full-service digital marketing agency offers comprehensive solutions for everything marketing. Aside from SEO, the company will typically provide web design, paid advertising services, content marketing, and more. These are usually a bit less expensive than boutique agencies.
SEO consultants work closely with your in-house marketing team and are either practitioners or strategists. For those that are practicioners, they’ll usually do the work of a boutique agency. For strategists, they generally work with your own team and provide guidance.
During your initial research, you should evaluate the agencies you find based on quantifiable metrics. Some key factors to consider are:
Before anything else, you must first identify your SEO goals. Having a clear idea of your objectives allows you to choose the right SEO partner.
SEO does more than just increase visibility. This process can help in the following areas:
Identifying your priorities helps you implement SEO strategies and narrow down a the right fit.
For example, those who want to improve their revenue may focus on increasing conversions. If you want to expand your customer base, you use SEO strategies that help you appeal to a broader audience.
Once you’ve identified SEO goals, the next step is researching the SEO agencies you want to work with. I recommend following these steps.
There are online directories like Clutch or UpCity with listings of agencies. You’ll find ratings, reviews, and other metrics that help you get an initial idea of the firm. In addition, you can tap into your professional network to find recommendations. Compile a list of the agencies, ensuring that you have a mix of new and established companies. (Pro Tip: Want to skip this step? Find a marketer with HireMarketers and get vetted agencies to connect with you.)
The next step is looking at each agency’s historical performance. Ask for case studies or references to past projects. You can also review the outcomes of their SEO audits. Through this step, you can check the company’s ability to diagnose issues and improve a website’s SEO health and how they might align to your values.
I also recommend assessing the agency’s specializations. You’ll want to work with one that is familiar with SEO tactics in your niche. This firm will have more knowledge of common pitfalls and the best strategies to implement.
What can you expect from an SEO agency? Here are the typical services these companies offer for both the technical and creative aspects of your website.
The SEO agency will develop strategies and generate content that helps your website gain visibility. At the most basic level, the agency can help with the following.
Technical SEO refers to the health of your website as well as the site structure. You want a website that search engines can easily crawl and index. This feature makes Google or Bing more likely to include your pages on SERPs. In this area, an agency can help in the following.
Link building is the practice of creating high-quality backlinks to your website. Having other websites add links to their content that redirect to your pages increases your authority and site relevance. An SEO agency can help:
Geotargeting is the process of optimizing your content for certain locations. SEO agencies can help you create content that’s visible to specific locales or international locations.
Knowing the services an SEO agency can offer is just one part of the research process. You’ll also need to check how they measure their performance and results. Their systems and success metrics show their knowledge in the area and what good results should look like.
Choose an agency that can identify the KPIs your company needs. These goals can include conversion rates, organic traffic, and SERP rankings. The agency you eventually choose should also have tools to track and manage these KPIs. Finally, the team must be ready for adjustments or pivots with KPIs when new opportunities or challenges emerge.
The ideal agency must have reporting standards to ensure clear communication of success with the client. You must find a team that can provide concise reports that you can easily understand. In addition, these reports must have actionable insights that paint a clear picture of the campaign. Don’t just settle for data showing how you reached KPIs.
Reviews from past clients as well as case studies are proof of how well an agency has performed. So, make sure to check the testimonials and even critical reviews, focusing on the agency’s process, methods, and customer satisfaction.
One critical factor in choosing your SEO partner agency is understanding the financial aspect. I don’t just mean the budget you can allocate but also the return on investment (ROI) you can expect. SEO is an investment, after all. You need to figure out if the agency and its services will be able to provide long-term benefits. If so, then the immediate expense may be worth it.
When it comes to budgeting, I recommend considering both the scope of the desired outcomes and the available financial resources.
Aside from looking at the solutions offered and performance tracking capabilities, you should evaluate potential SEO partners based on these factors.
Creating good rapport between you and your partner SEO agency is important. Find one that shares similar values and work ethics as your team. This step helps you create good working relationships and fosters productivity.
I recommend choosing an agency that treats you as a partner, not just a customer or a lead. The team must show interest in helping you reach your goals and not just their short-term gains. To gauge their commitment, you can ask for a roadmap that shows how their services can help you grow. This plan should include ways the agency will adapt as you scale your business to new heights.
Reviewing contracts thoroughly and doing negotiations are critical to ensure mutual understanding and set clear expectations. I recommend going in-depth about specifics such as deliverables, timelines, and communication frequency. With the added transparency, you can foster trust and stronger working relationships.
SEO is just one aspect of your digital marketing efforts. To maximize its benefits, SEO should work seamlessly with your other strategies.
Your SEO efforts should complement your pay-per-click ad campaigns and social media content. Aligning these areas helps you deliver a consistent branding message. So when including keywords in your ads or social media posts, make sure to maintain a unified voice.
SEO and content creation go hand in hand. Your blog articles, web pages, and product descriptions are the ideal places to insert keywords. The perfect synergy of SEO and content allows you to publish value-adding posts that also boost your visibility and engagement.
Conversion rate optimization is the process of enhancing your conversions. To be more specific, it’s getting the right people to click or perform an action. You’ll want site visitors who are closer to making a decision.
SEO helps improve conversion rates by helping your pages show up in highly specific search queries. Incorporating long-tail keywords is key to this advantage. People who are most likely at the end of their buying journey are more likely to use these specific phrases. When you use long-term keywords, you’re more likely to target these individuals. This leads to higher-quality clicks and an increase in conversion rates.
The SEO needs of each niche differs. Some have particular challenges that require a more specialized approach. Hence, it’s important to choose an agency familiar with these issues and considerations.
As I mentioned before, your SEO firm should be your long-term partner. The team must be able to provide continuous support and improvements. Adapting to what the numbers and trends are saying is important to help you stay relevant.
Finding the perfect partner to boost your SEO efforts is not a walk in the park. You need to do your research to learn about the agency’s services, the ways they track performance, and many other metrics. Plus, you have to see if their culture and approaches align with your goals and objectives. Use this article as a guide to help you start the process and heighten your chances of success.
For more details about SEO strategies, please contact [company] today.
You can start by looking at online listings. Referrals from your network are also a great way to find a reputable firm.
For SMBs, you can start by researching local SEO agencies. Review their services and if these align with your needs. Finally, check out customer reviews and case studies. These testimonials can give you an idea of what it’s like working with the agency.
Ask the firm for reports detailing their performance metrics for past projects. These metrics provide quantifiable proof of how the agency impacted its previous clients.
The pricing depends on various factors. Basic services usually cost a few hundred dollars a month. However, those who need more comprehensive solutions can see expenses reaching $1,000 or more.
