A total of 85,000 searches every second. That’s how many questions get asked on Google every day. It makes sense if you want to rank on Google to take advantage of some of those searchers.
Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done to rank on the front page. That’s why most companies rely on SEO agencies to handle the job.
There are many companies that offer SEO services, so you’ll need to do your due diligence to find a great provider. Consider the seven factors below to find an SEO agency that will help you rank higher on Google.
1. SEO Process
There’s a lot of noise in the SEO world, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a set of guidelines that most SEO experts follow. The problem is that some SEO companies try to cut corners and try methods that produce short-term results. They may get results faster, but you can lose your rankings just as quickly.
Research the best practices for SEO before you look for an SEO agency. It shouldn’t take too long to get a general idea of how SEO works.
Once you have this information, ask your SEO company options what process they use to improve rankings. They don’t have to follow the best practices exactly, but there should be a lot of similarities to how experts know SEO works.
2. Budget
You’ll find SEO pricing at many levels. Some larger agencies offer a one-size-fits-all package. They do this with a monthly retainer with ongoing work.
If you want to be more specific about the work you want to be done, you can hire a company on a per-service basis. You can buy individual articles, website work, and backlinks.
You’ll also find various pricing levels based on the size of the agency you work with. Get as many quotes as possible for pricing. You can use these quotes to determine which company offers the most value for the results they promise.
3. Outsourcing
Not every SEO company hires people to work in-house. They outsource much of the work overseas to people who charge less money.
While there’s nothing wrong with this, it means you don’t get to speak with the people actually doing the job. On top of that, the people getting hired may not offer the best quality.
If this is a concern for you, check to see if an SEO company outsources its work. If you want your provider to do things themself, make sure they don’t send the work overseas.
4. Reporting Options
Taking a long time is no excuse for an SEO company not to talk with you. If all you do is send someone money and never hear any updates, how can you ensure your SEO provider is getting anything done?
An SEO company should provide regular updates showing what work they’re doing. This work will include writing, backlink generation, website optimization, and other SEO work.
You’ll also start seeing ranking reports in your regular reports. Your SEO company will track the rankings when they start and keep track of everything as the rankings rise.
5. Writing Samples
SEO work isn’t all technical. While you can get results by making website optimization and building backlinks, that will only get you so far. You’ll need great content if you want to rank for keywords.
Unfortunately, some SEO companies don’t hire great writers. If you rely on your SEO company for content, you’ll end up with articles with broken English that won’t satisfy search intent.
Get writing samples from your SEO options before you commit to working with them. The samples should have excellent English and be structured well to provide a great reading experience.
6. References
Even if an SEO company can prove they can handle the job, that still doesn’t make them the right choice to be managing your SEO. You have to find a company that offers excellent customer support and stays professional.
Unfortunately, not every SEO agency will act this way. They just take your money and do haphazard work until you get fed up and look for another SEO agency.
Luckily, you can avoid this by checking for a company’s references. Ask every company you speak with to provide a few clients to talk with. You can learn more about how easy a company is to work with.
You can also use online reviews to narrow your choices. Search on Google to check for review sites for local and global SEO companies.
7. Case Studies
One of the great things about SEO is the ability to collect data. You check where your website currently ranks for your current keywords and monitor ranking increases to see your SEO results. All of this is easy to track and produce in a report.
Since there’s no better way to demonstrate your skill than showing results, SEO companies create case studies covering their past SEO campaigns. Sometimes they do testing with their own websites. In other cases, they’ll work with past clients and show results from previous customers.
Look through the case studies offered by your SEO options. You should be able to find a list of case studies by heading to an SEO agency’s website. If possible, look for a case study with similar requirements to your needs.
Don’t Ignore These Factors When Choosing SEO Services
It takes time to see SEO results, so you don’t want to waste time and energy working with an SEO company that doesn’t know how search engine optimization works. You need to learn a little about it yourself to determine if a company can handle the work. Use the factors above to track down SEO services that know how to improve online traffic with SEO.
Read the latest articles on the blog to learn other ways to drive traffic to your website with digital marketing.
