Are you in a verge to hire an SEO company?
Sounds exciting, but unfortunately it only get complicated from there. SEO companies not only comes in all types and sizes, but there are also many companies out there that claim to be something they’re not. Between false ranking promises and outdated practices, saying that you ought to be careful while choosing SEO company is an understatement.
More than 90% of the users go through the search engines to find what they are looking for on the web. This figures more than explains the importance of Search Engine Optimization. If you are a website owner, then you know the magic that search engine traffic can do to your bottom line. To make your website search engine friendly, you may need a professional effort. But how do you choose the SEO company?
Choosing an SEO company is just like choosing any other service provider, is not a tough task if you are looking in the right places and asking the right questions.
Do your research
As soon as you let the world out, you may receive recommendation from your peers based from their previous experience with these companies in the past. Yes, you can add their referrals on your checklist, but you also have to do your own homework. Go online and search for best SEO services then add where you’re at and see the results.
However, you can check if you can contact some of those people and ask additional feedback. You can never go wrong with picking the best company to work with after you hear honest feedback from their previous clients.
Ability of Website Ranking on Search Engine
The success of SEO depends on the ability to bring the website on top of the page when you Google a particular term or keyword. A good SEO firm helps to bring your website at the top of the page for most of the relevant keywords. If the SEO firms have the ability to do the same, the purpose of hiring them is justified. However, don’t just go by their face value.
One way could be to look where they come on the web search. If their own website ranks higher in Google search, chances are that you are at right place! But this is not the confirmed test since many companies rely on the offline marketing efforts and less on the inbound marketing.
See How Their SEO Performs
Once you’ve identified a potential SEO firm, check out how their own SEO efforts are performing. Search to see if they rank for obvious target keywords, such as “SEO firm ‘your city’”.
However, this isn’t the most important factor and you shouldn’t necessarily base your decision on their rankings. Many excellent SEO companies don’t have top rankings due to certain factors. While you may be thinking ‘this is their business; they should be in the top position’, that’s not always the case. It could simply be due to internal resources, perhaps SEO isn’t their primary service (which isn’t a bad thing), or maybe they’re currently working on improving their rankings.
Don’t rely on creative stories
A good SEO firm tells a lot of stories. They are quite creative. Also ask about their failures and how did they handle it. Ask them how they have improved over the years. Even if you have already decided to hire a company based on the above tips, you can still change your opinion. Ask about their failures and just observe their facial expression.
If they say they have never failed, it’s time to stop the meeting. If they respond that they failed, but it has nothing to do with their process, but client was bit impatient to get stellar result. It might be the company of your choice.
Know the SEO strategy
After the Google mobile update, implementing the mobile SEO strategy has become very important. Talk to them how will the score on this front? What is their content strategy for the mobile users? Such questions will help you reach to a definite conclusion. Do they possess capability to guide you on the issues related to information architecture and UI. It should be an important parameter in your decision making.
Take a look at their Portfolio and their Reputation
Who have they worked with?
Check out their clients, and read any relevant case studies they may have on their website. If they’ve generated success for a company similar to yours, they likely have the resources to do it again!
Any Awards?
Most countries have some sort of SEO award programme, and winning is particularly difficult. But this shouldn’t be the golden deciding factor. Many award-winning companies have joined certain associations to submit their results for consideration. This means hundreds of other SEO agencies who aren’t part of the association, won’t even get considered even though they also produce fantastic results!
Point Of Difference?
Can they make you an offer you’re unlikely to refuse? Can they throw in some extras you may never have considered? Are they able to manage your entire online marketing strategy under one house? A point of difference can give your SEO that extra boost to outrank your competitors and also make the deal so much more worth it.
