SEO can be a tricky subject, and this makes it difficult when your looking for a decent SEO company to do work for yourself or your company.
Getting your head around the jargon like link building, on-site SEO, Pay Per Click (PPC), Analytics, Social Media, Flux capacitors….. (Well maybe not Flux capacitors) Can be difficult.
So rather than being mind boggled by the SEO guys, just look for good indicators of what makes a decent SEO company.
Here a 10 things that we try to adhere to as a SEO and Website Design company, we hope this helps you make the right decision:
1. Experience
Experience is a key factor in determining which SEO company to hire. The Internet is constantly changing, so the longer someone has been providing SEO services, the better the chances are that he or she is staying ahead of the latest advances in search engine algorithms and social media trends.
2. Ranking
If the company’s good at what they do, you should see their clients pages high in results for searches. Ask for examples of previous work they’ve done to prove their ability to achieve high rankings for you.
3. Testimonials
An SEO firm should be able to provide you with a list of satisfied customers, as well as testimonials from those customers. Ask for some references that you can contact personally to ask questions about previous customer service experiences.
4. Marketing savvy
Once you get beyond the technical issues of a website, SEO is a lot like traditional marketing, Content needs to be written in a way that outlines the benefit to the user while leading them to a sale. And it all has to be done in a way that also appeals to the people at the other end of a search engine who are looking for what your company has to offer.
5. The capability to fit in with your company’s culture
SEO experts must interact with many different areas of a business including IT, marketing, customer service, analytics, and sales. The ability for the SEO to work well with members of these teams is essential.
6. Budget
Be upfront about how much you are willing to spend, and demand a clear budget, broken down into itemized expenses. While you should expect to pay for good SEO, the company you hire, should have no problem revealing exactly how much of your money is being on marketing your business, and how much is paying for professional services.
7. Promises
Run away if you are promised top results in a search engine. While the goal is to give you the very best ranking you can get in your market, no one can realistically promise you a #1 ranking or fast results. It could happen, but it’s more likely that it will take at least six months to start seeing the long-lasting results of an SEO campaign.
8. Reporting
Your chosen SEO professional should report back to you on a regular basis concerning the tactics being used to market your business. If there is something you don’t understand, you should be able to ask questions without being told to let the professionals handle it.
9. Interest
Any company you work with should treat you with the same respect and priority that it treats bigger companies and more expensive clients. You should never be shoved aside for someone else with bigger pockets, so make sure that the company you choose shows genuine interest in helping you before you sign on the dotted line.
10. Structure
An SEO professional should be structured and professional. No one wants to hire someone to do SEO work who does it “on the side.” Instead, the person or company you hire, should be structured and abide by deadlines.
Furthermore, you should have no problem contacting him or her when you need to, and phone calls should not take several days to return.
We hope this list helps you, these are guide lines that we stick to with our clients and you should expect the same from any other SEO company out there. If your not happy with your current provider, drop us a SEO enquiry and we’ll see what we can do to help.
