Most business owners today understand the importance of SEO. However, they don’t know how to carry out the tasks needed to move their site up in the search engine rankings. They turn to a third-party provider for help with this task. How should they go about choosing a provider to work with? What should they look for when doing so?
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The SEO Provider’s Website
The first thing to consider when choosing an SEO company is their website. Is it visually appealing? Does it encourage viewers to look around? The site should be easy to navigate and answer any questions a client may have. If it doesn’t, it is best to move on to a different provider. They need to have an optimized site that is SEO friendly for their own business before they can create a website that is SEO friendly for clients.
Request Case Studies
A reputable SEO provider will love to show off their work. They will happily share websites they have worked on and show how they have helped these sites move up in the keyword rankings. Look for sites that are currently rising, not ones from a year or two ago. Current sites on the rise show the company is aware of SEO trends.
However, be prepared for the company to refuse to share sensitive data. They cannot disclose certain information, as they need to maintain client confidentiality. As these sites should be from companies with similar strategic goals, this confidentiality is of great importance.
Pay attention to the metrics offered. If the focus is solely on rankings, but ignores actual sales or the conversion rate, there is cause for concern. The provider’s focus may be too narrow. Increased conversions should be the main goal. While the provider can’t share sensitive information, they can provide date regarding percentage growth.
Content Marketing
The SEO company should assist with content marketing, as this content is what draws visitors in and keeps them engaged and on the site. These two-go hand in hand, yet many business owners focus on one or the other. The key to success in this area is to find those keywords the target audience is looking for and use them in the content. The search engines will see this and move the content up in the rankings.
All content posted on the site should be unique and relevant. Nobody wants to visit a car site to see information on home appliances, regardless of how outstanding the piece is. They also don’t want to visit a site to see the same material that found on countless other sites.
However, SEO goes beyond the actual content. This material must be optimized using metadata, tags, and more. The URL should be optimized, and the slug needs to ensure the search engine is able to categorize the various parts of the site.
Guaranteed Results
Every business owner would like to know the money they are spending will provide a good return on investment. However, no SEO agency can guarantee a certain ranking on the search engines. Ultimately, they don’t decide where each site lands in these rankings. That is up to the search engine. They also cannot guarantee a certain number of visitors to the site.
Google does not offer priority submissions. The search engine also doesn’t allow sites to pay for higher rankings. When choosing an SEO provider, look for one that follows the search engine guidelines for SEO and work quality. In addition, ensure the provider remains on top of algorithm updates and changes, as these updates and changes can quickly affect the ranking of a site.
A Diverse Team
When choosing an SEO provider, don’t look for the lone individual promising to move the site up to the top of the search engine rankings. Doing so is challenging for a single person. A team of people is needed to make this happen.
Ask to meet the members of the team to ensure they really work for the SEO provider. A company might be starting out and not have a full staff yet. On the other hand, they could outsource much of the work.
When this happens, the business owner cannot know who they are working with. Messages may not be delivered in a timely manner or they may get mixed up as they move between people. When the team isn’t in one location, the odds of something going wrong increase significantly.
Choose an agency with an established staff. This gives even the small business owner a team of specialists they can turn to when help is needed with any SEO task.
Don’t Expect Results Overnight
Implementing an effective SEO plan takes time. Don’t give up because results aren’t seen overnight. Work with the provider to find stop-gap measures that will draw people in until the SEO techniques begin working. With time, time, effort, and the right provider, excellent results will be seen.
Require Transparency
Choose an SEO provider who is forthcoming with answers to all questions. If the provider refuses to answer one or more questions, this should be a cause for concern. What are they hiding?
The company should share information about its practices and process. If it won’t, this may mean black hat SEO techniques are being used. The use of these techniques increases the likelihood of the site dropping in the search engine rankings. It may even be removed from the search engine completely.
A reputable company is happy to share the process it uses. The team will explain which practices they use and why they feel these practices are the best. In addition, they will educate clients on the importance of SEO, what it is, what it entails, and how it will benefit the company.
Choosing the right SEO agency is of great importance. A business owner is spending money and wants to see good results. With the above tips, finding this provider becomes an easier task.
However, if anything does not feel right when speaking with a provider, continue looking. This is a relationship that should last for an extended time, so any discomfort between the two parties is of concern. It could interfere with a good working relationship. Keep this in mind when making this critical choice.
