5 Tips for Choosing an Awesome SEO Agency
If you are sat wondering which SEO company to choose, you might be unsure about how you should decide. How do you know which agency will get you the results you need online? Which agency is good, and which is bad? You have heard the rumours of ‘bad agencies’ and you want to make sure you choose an awesome one that gets your business to rank higher and generate more sales/enquiries!
Quite often, a little research will help you to figure it out. Look at reviews, case studies and the content on the company’s website. Do they look like a company you would use?
To help you on your quest, we have taken the time to list 5 amazing tips that will help you find a suitable SEO expert to manage your campaign effectively.
Let’s get started!
#1 – Understanding your SEO goals.
In order to find the right SEO company, you need to know what your SEO goals are. I.e. which areas of your online presence do you want to improve? You might need a new website, or you may benefit from some on-page SEO to optimise what you already have in place.
There are lots of FREE SEO Tools out there that will help you to figure out what is wrong with your website and what needs fixing, however SEO is so much more than just ticking a few boxes to pacify a report. The best SEO agency will be able to provide real data regarding the areas that need improving and explain what benefit it will have for your website online.
#2 – Find an SEO agency that tracks your data.
Your business is different to every other, so your data should be unique. Make sure you look for a company that tracks and measures your online data, using tools like Analytics and Search Console to measure web traffic and click through rates, as well as rank tracking software to see where you sit for your primary key terms. You might want to take it to the next level and track phone calls and contact form submissions so you can compare enquiry levels month on month.
An awesome Sunderland SEO agency will find out what your goals are from the start and track all data to show you what success looks like.
#3 – Look at Reviews, Testimonials & Case Studies
90% of all buying decisions online come from reviews, so don’t forget to read through testimonials and online reviews. Explore the company’s website or look for answers on Google to see how they have been rated previously.
This might be hard to find if they’re a relatively new company, but don’t let this put you off. If you like the look of a company and what they offer, ask them if they have any examples of success stories. You could even ask for a reference from a client of theirs and speak to them directly. This would give you the truest answer as to what they are like to work with and give you peace of mind knowing that other clients think they are awesome.
#4 – Take them up on their offer for a FREE consultation.
Most SEO agencies will offer a free consultation to try and get the ball rolling and get you talking about your goals. This is a good opportunity to speak to them and get an idea of who you’ll be dealing with during your SEO campaign. Will you be dealing with a dedicated SEO account manager or will you speak to a different person every time you pick up the phone? Have a clear idea in your mind regarding the type of agency you’d like to work with throughout the process and this will make it easier for you to choose.
Feeling comfortable with who you are working with is incredibly important. Good agencies will build trusting relationships with their clients and the opening consultation is a good opportunity for you to gauge how well you connect. You could also consider their passion, their attitude and their sales techniques. If they are overly pushy and trying to sell you the dream, it’s probably too good to be true and it might be best to look elsewhere!
#5 – Define your SEO budget.
Most reputable agencies will have a lot of sizzling reviews online. Chances are, these are the agencies that charge premium prices too. Why are their prices so high? Probably because they get results for their clients 99% of the time. But the SEO agency you choose should be affordable too. You shouldn’t have to worry about fronting the bill for your monthly retainer each month – this isn’t an efficient way of working and no one should stress about how they are going to afford their next bill.
Some agencies will charge bottom of the spectrum prices (£50 per month) and others will only take clients who can afford to spend over £2000 per month. Before you get started, it’s imperative you figure out how much you can afford.
Guest post written by Power SEO Durham.
