The overall success of a great SEO campaign starts by asking the right questions. This article will talk about 9 questions that you need to ask to determine if your current or potential SEO firm is worth it. This will help you decide which one can boost your SEO rankings, create brand awareness and provide an increase in your profits and sales.
How does it work?
At the beginning of the SEO stage, search engine creators thought of a way to categorize internet pages while still giving quality websites when you search for them. In order to do this, back links are considered; these are links in which a site was linked. The number of times a back link was made determines how trustworthy the site was and the chances of ranking to get higher.This can be automated and calculated using algorithms. Basically, this is the fundamental method of how SEO works.
SEO is one of the most effective marketing strategies that you can do for a long time. It mostly expands your online exposure to other people. It would not come as a surprise that you’re considering to have one especially in today’s digital age. But what are the factors to consider? Even if you’re not that knowledgeable with SEO or if you have no time to do a thorough background check, you can ask these 9 essential questions to a prospective SEO provider from DigitalCurrent.com or Search EngineJournal.com.
1st question: Can you guarantee the top page ranking using search engines?
No company can give you the top spot in rankings unless they are using techniques and practices that can violate webmaster guidelines. What they can guarantee is an improved return of investment (ROI) or client satisfaction only. Make sure that they have ethical work practices and adhere to the standards in the industry.
2nd question: What is your experience with an industry like ours?
No business is the same, but you can use successful strategies from competitors. To determine if they can handle your SEO campaigns, find out if they are experts in the industry or partake on a comprehensive research to find out more on how will they focus on your campaigns. A great way to measure their work is their past portfolios from successful campaigns of previous clients. The best SEO firms have the ability to predict outcomes based on your strategy, competition and budget.
3rd question: How long does it take to see improvement in the results?
SEO is a long process that typically takes a couple of months. They should be able to provide a timeline for the campaign, plan a great strategy and recommend on what to do once the campaign is underway. They should be able to provide you update from time to time and give you progress of their deliverables.
4th question:What kind of strategy do you have with regard to link building?
Link building is a method where you can use websites to use as a hyperlink to your own website. This helps people discover fresh webpage content and determine what rank a webpage should be.
An SEO firm should be able to explain what strategy they do for link building and its transparency. Key points to find out in link building strategy are the following:
- Links should be accrued over time and not forced.
- Links should be relevant to your content and marketing strategy.
- Anchor texts should be natural and strategically placed.
- Refrain from doing invalid strategies, such as forum spamming and bulk commenting.
- Use manual approach when building links.
5th question: What metrics do you use to measure success?
SEO is very diverse and produces many metrics. No matter what the metrics they follow, the main thing is that they provide leads and increase sales. The best way to measure if a campaign is successful is when they provide an increase in profit and a steady growth rate in website traffic.
6th question: Do you have knowledge in content marketing and technical experience?
Content is king, as they say. The best SEO firms should have content marketing skills to attract other online visitors and reach an extensive target audience. It’s best to practice what you preach and produce actions in real time. Be consistent in what you say. Originality is also a key in having great content. Use social media as a way to expand your audience.
Aside from having great content, they should have a technical background in SEO. Even though SEO is not purely technical, it’s best if the firm knows and can act when technical situations come up. This includes:
- Knowing how to create an interactive web design
- Creating optimized coding with fast loading time
- Creating dynamic rules in web content such as meta-descriptions and relevant titles
- Knowing what to do in 404 error codes and other server codes
- Providing a reliable web URL-naming convention
7th question: How can we communicate?
Each SEO has its own way of communicating. They normally provide you a contact person that you can reach out directly if you have any questions or to provide you with updates of your campaigns. They also should be able to adapt to whatever communication method you prefer.
8th question: Will you provide us reports of your progress?
They should be able to report their progress and what they’ve done to increase your rankings. They should be able to provide information, such as the number of links built and costs earned overall. It must contain the following:
1. Strategies and methods made and why they were used
2. What hinders the campaign?
3. What can be done to face the current challenges?
4. How much returns are generated?
5. What has been the impact of previous campaigns?
6. What’s going to happen next?
An SEO agency should always be transparent in their reports, and even include the negative ones, so that you can modify and learn from the mistakes. Ideally, you should be able to import or export data, if needed.
9th question: How much are your costs?
Find out how much they are charging for fees and other payment terms. SEO does not come cheap and you have to include it in your financial budget. In order to get quality results, you need to invest. You’ll reap the benefits after all the hard work you’ve done though because you have generated a lot of traffic and profits after the SEO campaign. Find out if you need to pay them on a regular or project basis. Is there a penalty if the payment is late? To find out more about the costs each company charge, read reviews of SEO firms at CrowdReviews.com.
What happens now?
If you’ve already talked to all your potential companies, the next thing to do is to select the best one. Here are some useful tips that can help you with your decision.
- Before signing the contract, make sure how much they charge and look for any hidden fees or penalties included.
- If you are considering a contract with them, it is recommended to do it short time. You may not need it, afterwards, you might be forced to stay with them for a long time.
- Make sure your business objectives coincide with theirs. They should be able to cooperate with you and work together to achieve success.
- Just remember that SEO takes time and patience. Ensure that constant communication and follow-ups are made to determine the progress of the campaign.
Is it worth it?
Many businesses wonder, “Are SEO companies worth it?” The answer is, yes they are. However, it needs careful planning, strategizing and the right people and tools to make it work. Look for those who have marketing skills, technical background and the ability to write relevant content. They should be able to provide successful results, communicate with you constantly and give you reports efficiently. SEO takes time, so don’t lose hope if you feel that you’re not getting positive results.
Overall, it’s a marketing effort that an SEO company should be working on. Seek companies that offer marketing, relationship building, writing and even outreach skills. They give progress reports and quality results.
Although SEO campaigns take longer time and expensive, you’ll reap many benefits. It’s still worth the time, money and effort you’ve invested in it. So why not get started today and have your own SEO for your company. You can read reviews of SEO firms posted at CrowdReviews.com to help you get the SEO that can provide your company a bigger web presence.
Keith Moore
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