CHECKLIST: How To Cherry-Pick The Right SEO Agency

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a complete framework of processes and guidelines that optimise a website for search engines considering users’ search intent, user experience, and site usability.

The process of finding the best SEO agency can be daunting.

Do you know how to tell the real deal apart from a mediocre one?

To make your life easier, we put together 5 things you need to do before engaging the right SEO agency:

Set clear goals from the get-go

You don’t buy services, you buy results.

Ask if the agency you hire offers measurable solutions to your particular business objectives.

Know what you want before talking to an agency, because your objective impacts the choice of your agency. There are agencies that are great at integrated marketing, or eCommerce SEO like the folks at https://verseoads.com/offer/seo-services/e-commerce-seo/, and others that only specialise in certain industries.

A great digital agency will spend time talking to you to understand your business objectives and will ensure the strategy is tailored to your requirements.

Compile a list of potential agencies to approach

Once you’ve done your research, list 5-10 agencies you’d like to speak to.

Arrange a face-to-face meeting or a video call with them to get to know them and their team.

Beware of agencies who don’t want you to meet the whole team. They may be a glorified middleman engaged in a string of third parties and aren’t doing digital marketing themselves.

Talking to 5-10 agencies will help you determine the one.

NB! If you want the outsource the whole SEO agency recruitment process, you can work with reputable recruitment agencies or marketplaces. Find out more about the steps you can take to choose the most suitable SEO service for your requirements on seoforhire.co.

Ask to see examples of their case studies

You should ask the agency for detailed case studies and references of previous clients similar to yours to see how exactly they improved their business.

Ask how many years on average clients stay with the agency.

Knowing the average length of time that clients stay with an agency says a lot about their ability to deliver on promises.

Read real customer reviews online

Case studies presented by the company are all good and well but do your own due diligence as well.

Reviews on the company’s website are usually only positive because they are cherry-picked.

If you want to check the genuine reviews, you should search Google and find 3rd party reviews websites that are unbiased.

Ask about their business practices

Ask the agency how exactly are they going to help you climb the search rank, there are s0-called ‘white hat’ and ‘black hat’ SEO practises.

So ask about their execution and tactics.

What’s their winning process that has proven to work the best?

You could ask them: 

• How they identify valuable keywords to target
• What does their technical SEO consist of?
• What measures do they take in SEO audits?

Prefer to work with a company that is transparent and honest. 

Make sure that you only work with legitimate white hat SEO agencies, otherwise you may run a risk of being penalised on organic search.

Ask about the terms of their contract

How long is the contract? What are the cancellation or renewal options?

If they don’t deliver the expected results, make sure there isn’t a lock-in period in their contract.

Check their employee profiles on LinkedIn

Great agencies attract great employees.

Check the previous experience of their employees. If they come from great companies or have done impressive work, you can be sure you’re in good company.

Check their online presence

Great agencies have a strong online presence.

Spend some time exploring their website, and social media channels.

Do they have an updated website and a blog?

Do they rank high in search engine results?

The diligence and proficiency with which they market their own content will be a good indication of how they will market yours 😏

Ask to see their reporting

Find an SEO agency that focuses on metrics that work for you.

Is it conversions, phone calls, sales, increased keyword rankings? Be super clear about what you want.

Ask how they will help you to interpret the data and what software they use to do so.

Keep in mind that meeting your organic website traffic goals takes time, patience, and a constructive working relationship. Don’t expect to see massive results in the first 3 months.

Final words

You don’t just need the right SEO agency, you need an SEO agency that’s right for your needs and your budget.

SEO is a valuable investment that you shouldn’t pass off as another technical jargon.

With the right SEO help, your website can gain quantitative and qualitative visits.

Just don’t expect the results in the first 3 months. SEO is a complex process.