SparkToro reported that 92.96% of global traffic is from Google Search, Google Images, and Google Maps. However, the search engine market has become a competitive battleground since all businesses want to be at the top of search results.
When a good SEO campaign is running, your visitors convert into customers. That's why you should have a team of experienced professionals who know how to drive traffic. But over the years, figuring out which SEO agency is the best has become challenging.
This post will guide you on how to choose a reliable SEO agency for your business:
A great SEO agency will ask about your goals or objectives early on. It can be related to return of investment (ROI), converting leads, or anything that would mean "success" to your business. They can help you with the research, but it's important that you have a clear vision of what your company wants to achieve with the help of SEO.
Take a look at how long the company has been in the industry. Often, the longer they've been around, the greater their experience and the more diverse the clientele is. Ask how they carry out their customer service, how they promote thought leadership, how they treat their staff, and how much transparency they can provide once they collaborate with you.
Being in the business for a long time also means they know what works and what doesn't in SEO campaigns. Check their portfolio to see if the agency has successfully optimized sites for search engines. See if their clients have good rankings on Google.
It's your responsibility as a business owner to familiarize yourself with the basics of SEO and the ethical ways it can be realistically achieved. Before deciding on an SEO agency, make sure they adhere to the guidelines of search engines. Negative SEO approaches are considered unethical (and sometimes illegal), which only produce quick traffic, but eventually get penalized or banned from making any websites.
A good SEO agency should have good customer/client reviews. Besides their online testimonials, it is important that they have reviews on their websites as well. Check testimonials and reviews and see if the positive outnumber the negative.
Another thing you can do is to check how the SEO agency responds to reviews on their site and social media sites. Are they active? Do they react professionally to constructive and non-constructive criticisms? This will give you an overview of their reputation and how they treat clients.
It's important to set budget parameters within your business so you can easily filter out agencies regarding size, scope, and fit. Be upfront with the SEO agency on that information and ask how they can help you with the initial strategy or audit every step in the SEO process.
On the other hand, a great agency will let you know the risks that your budget level can bring. Although internet marketing is generally affordable compared to other strategies, SEO doesn't guarantee overnight success. Anything cheap, fast, and easy will likely bring subpar results to your business. Setting a monthly or annual contract to ensure that the agency maintains results and promotes your site is better.
If your business is actively looking for a great SEO agency, don't forget to discuss these five factors with them and see if they fit well with your company. Without resorting to shady practices, a great SEO agency can help grow your business and deliver realistic results. SEODefend customizes every strategy for every client and provides updates and satisfying results. Click here to learn more and get a free trial today.