Just type ‘SEO’ into Google and you’ll be swamped with thousands upon thousands of listings for SEO agencies, home and abroad. SEO is more than just a competitive market – it’s nearing total saturation – making finding the right SEO agency a nightmare task for even the most internet savvy online business owner.
This is a guide to picking a SEO agency out of the fray that can best serve your business and take your Search Marketing strategy forward in leaps and bounds.
Finding the right SEO Agency - don’t believe the hype
Some SEO agencies plaster their websites with ridiculous claims, many of which are completely unrealistic and seriously lacking in credibility. It’s worth setting out from the start in no uncertain terms that SEO is a medium to long term plan for success - overnight natural rankings are simply not possible, no matter how experienced the SEO specialist is. Ranking is out of the control of all but the search engine itself, so the focus needs to be long-sighted. Short-termism is futile in SEO, so look to a SEO agency that proposes a long-term plan of action - long-term relationships are the key to successful SEO.
Found a SEO Agency making big claims? Get proof
As you zero-in on a shortlist of serious SEO agencies, get them to send you proof that they do actually deliver what they say they do. Case studies, testimonials and even raw web analytics data from recent campaigns can illustrate the assertions made in their marketing rhetoric. These are all great and it can give you at least some basic evidence that a SEO agency can indeed walk the walk, but you can’t beat also picking up the phone and posing some questions directly. Do your research before calling to make sure you learn everything you need to know before taking your negotiations to the next step. A good tip is to pose questions that relate directly to the claims the SEO agency makes on its own website. If there’s an inconsistency between their published claims and what they tell you over the phone, then you’ve got an inkling that all may not be as it seems.
Essential information to find out before you make a decision
- Are they based in the UK?
- Are their company details showing on their website? (a legal requirement since 2007)
- Do they outsource any of their work to contractors based elsewhere in the world?
- Is the content they provide truly unique and unduplicated?
- Are the links genuine? (this one’s critical – PageRank-spoofing links can cost your site dearly)
- Do they manually compile links, or do they use automated submissions software?
- Are the links permanent, or will they pull them if they stop working for you? (this can have catastrophic effects for your website)
- How does their own website fare in terms of SEO? Do they practice what they preach?
- Do they provide a detailed, bespoke written proposal analysing your site in detail?
- Do they publish clear Terms & Conditions?
- Do they have account managers with direct telephone numbers?
- Do they send you a monthly report, rather than simply an extract from Google Analytics?
- Do they analyse and target critical long tail phrases? (If not, you’re missing most of your audience)
SEO Agency proposals – what’s included?
This is really important. The terms of any agreement you make with a SEO agency need to be thrashed out at the outset. There’s little worse than getting tied into a contract that doesn’t include what you thought it did, so make sure you get the full terms of any proposals made to you in writing, being careful to raise points that might seem unclear or ambiguous in nature. Be wary of words like ‘guarantee’ in respect to SEO. Yes, a SEO agency can guarantee to action your strategy within a certain timeframe, but they most definitely cannot make any guarantees about the effects of the strategy. Also be sure to scrutinise the terms of any ‘paid for’ activities you may be engaging in, because the costs can easily run out of control if they’re not carefully managed. Hidden costs can soon mount up in SEO. If in doubt – ask.
Meet your SEO agency – face to face contact is vital
Once you’ve spoken over the phone and discussed their proposal in detail – arrange to get together with your preferred SEO agency from your shortlist. A local SEO agency should be eager to meet you in person, and a larger national SEO agency will have a representative who will travel to see you. The personal touch counts for a lot in any line of business, and there’s no substitute for sitting down and talking through a proposal face to face.
The Web Marketing Group – the leading UK SEO agency
At the web marketing group, we know the importance of long term relationships. Many of our clients today have used us as their SEO partner from the first day they embarked on a Search Marketing strategy – in fact, for many of our clients, we’re the reason they got a Search Marketing strategy in the first place.
Best of all – our whole team work in-house at our offices in Sheffield, Harrogate and Peterborough, meaning you can talk directly to us without having to go around the houses.
Like what you hear? Start the ball rolling with your no obligation FREE SEO website analysis here.
Tagged with :