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Hiring a search engine optimization (SEO) agency can be a gamble because you only start seeing results after six months to a year of active work.
But waiting months, even a year, only to realize your SEO plan isn’t working can be a major business setback. It costs time and money that you could have spent growing your business in another way.
This is why choosing the right SEO agency that delivers results is vital.
After years in the SEO industry, I have identified the five most important factors that determine whether an agency is good:
Related: Questions to ask when choosing an SEO agency
1. Seek transparency
When choosing an SEO agency, the first thing you should consider is transparency. Don’t get swayed by fancy industry terms and jargon. Instead, look for clear and specific strategies.
For example, it’s not a good sign for an SEO agency to say they “work on your on-page and off-page SEO” without giving you any details. Instead, you want an agency that offers a clear month-to-month plan that outlines each step of the SEO journey and explains its importance.
By knowing each month’s results, you can assess whether the agency is delivering on its promises. It acts as a road map, making the SEO process more tangible and measurable. This way, you can understand the purpose of specific actions and track the agency’s progress.
A clear SEO strategy also allows for better communication. When you know all the steps below, you can provide your input and resolve any questions, creating a more effective partnership.
Finally, an SEO agency should be transparent about the expectations it sets. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Trustworthy agencies set honest and achievable goals and deadlines, ensuring you know exactly what results to expect.
2. Ask for previous results
The above results are a better indication of whether an SEO agency can actually do its job. That’s why you should always check past results, specifically in your industry.
For example, if you own a local restaurant and need an SEO agency to improve your online presence, you should go with an agency that has previous experience with local businesses, especially in the food industry.
You should also closely investigate any claims made by SEO agencies. For example, let’s say an agency claims to have increased website traffic by 200% in six months. These results are impressive if the website already has 20,000 monthly visitors, but not so much if they only have 100 monthly visitors.
Remember that concrete results matter, not just percentage increases. So ask for specific numbers and make sure they are relevant.
Related: 3 Powerful SEO Techniques That Will Improve Your Website’s Search Engine Ranking
3. Request an airtight viewer
Before you start working with an SEO agency, request an airtight scope of your partnership. A well-defined plan is a pact between you and the SEO agency, aligning expectations and promoting transparency. It allows you to see the inner workings of their approach and answer vital questions such as:
How many articles will they publish each month?
What are the quality metrics of the backlinks they will build?
What other SEO actions will they take and when?
An SEO agency should create an active plan that explains each step. For example, in the first month, they can do a content audit, keyword research, and a backlink audit.
In the second month, they can implement critical on-page SEO solutions and start publishing content. The third month marks the start of an active link building campaign, promising at least 10 backlinks. Then the following months bring a steady stream of 15 articles and 10 backlinks.
A detailed SEO scope clearly explains the journey up front, keeping you informed and holding the agency accountable.
It’s a two-way street of expectations and results, which significantly improves your collaboration.
4. Review the content and quality of backlinks
The quality of your content and backlinks directly affect your website’s search engine ranking. This is why you need to make sure that the content and backlinks you get are quality.
Quality content should answer questions, offer solutions, and entertain your readers. If an agency offers short 500-word articles, that’s a big red flag. In 2023, long and full articles perform much better.
Meanwhile, a good backlink comes from a legitimate and authoritative website with real traffic. If your agency wants to offer “forum backlinks” or “blog comment backlinks”, they’re just wasting your time.
Related: How to Know If You’re Producing Quality Content
5. Ask to inform
When you invest in an SEO agency, you want to be aware of their performance at all times. That’s why you should ask about the agency’s reporting practices.
Start by asking about their reporting schedule. Monthly updates are standard and give you a regular overview of your SEO progress. You also need to know what is in these reports. Look for a breakdown of the most important metrics, such as impressions, key page traffic and overall website performance.
Finally, you need to understand how they measure and track progress. They should have metrics that track monthly changes. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about revealing the story they tell and how it affects your business. A good agency ties its efforts to lead generation and revenue impact. After all, your SEO journey should translate into real-world success.
Choosing the right SEO agency can help your business thrive. However, in an industry where results take months to emerge, the wrong choice means wasted time and money.
Don’t leave your business success to chance: choose the right SEO agency by prioritizing transparency, past results, detailed plans, quality content and backlinks, and effective reporting.
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