Selecting the best SEO consultant can be a difficult task. Finding a reliable SEO consultant is more challenging. Knowing the advantages an excellent SEO consultant could bring to an efficient SEO strategy is the initial step to success.
Being a great SEO consultant isn’t simple to be a good one. It requires commitment, dedication, resources and constant evaluations to ensure that your efforts are rewarded with top-quality outcomes.
These responsibilities could hinder you from doing the things you love most managing your business. The decision to entrust your SEO efforts with a professional will aid your company in reaching higher levels.
Additionally, a reputable SEO professional is an experienced expert on the field of digital marketing, and up to with the latest techniques that can save you time reading endless blog posts and videos .
How can an SEO consultant help companies?
Before we move on now, let’s take a short review of the advantages of an SEO agency can bring to your business. If you do it right and properly, you can count on SEO management to yield the following outcomes:
- Increase traffic to your site
- Improve your ranking
- It can become the primary source of leads
- Outrun the competition
- Increase the chances that local users will visit a physical store after searching online
- Promotes higher conversion rates and sales
- Builds the credibility of your brand
If you attempt to manage the SEO campaign on your own or employ an agency to handle it, you must evaluate the effectiveness that the SEO campaign is achieving.
Thus, it is recommended to employ SEO monitoring tools to track the results to help improve your ranking and organic traffic. If you’re still not seeing the desired results from your SEO techniques, it’s the right time to review your strategy.
But the fundamental question is: which SEO consultant (or agency) should I work with?
If you are considering which company to select, you are not alone. With the internet flooded with so-called SEO Gurus, how do you know which one is best for you?
Choice is serious business. Signing a contract with an SEO agency is the start of a long-term relationship. And just like all successful relationships, you need to be able to trust and depend on each other.
How to choose the right SEO agency for your business?
So you can’t just select a name that just looks good. You need to do your research and proceed with your eyes open. Here are eight tips to get you headed in the right direction.
1. Define your SEO goals
See what services each agency offers. Which of them is in line with your goals? This will help you narrow your search and locate the best SEO agencies for your needs.
For example, if a business decides it needs a new website, it needs to know how it’s going to be done. Currently, one popular option is Shopify. But before deciding on a Shopify theme, consider the following factors:
-
Upload speed
-
Theme compatibility with devices
-
Availability of plugins
-
Systems for configuring SEO parameters on the site
-
Ease of customization
-
Availability of updates
But simply designing a website isn’t enough to make your brand profitable. You will need more help from the SEO agency. Therefore, select a theme that makes their efforts easier.
2. Identify the techniques they use
For proof of an agency’s effectiveness, ask to see the SEO KPI numbers. While they may not be able to provide all the details due to client confidentiality clauses, they can show some proof of how good they are at their job.
After all, professional SEO firms typically track and measure the results of campaigns. This allows them to fine-tune strategies until optimal results are achieved.
The main SEO metrics that should be monitored are:
-
Organic traffic
-
Leads and sales
-
Keyword placement
-
Organic click through rate (CTR)
-
Backlinks
-
Bounce rate
-
Pages per session
3. Gather all relevant information
Can the company back up its claims with facts?
For that, you need unbiased opinions about SEO agency. There is a lot of data that you need to look into, like online reviews, case studies, and customer testimonials. And you should read them all, starting with the most recent ones. This is a relevant indicator of how well the company is on top of current SEO trends.
Start by googling them. A reputable agency will be more than willing to provide you with any information you need.
4. Meet the SEO Consultant
As mentioned before, this is a relationship. So get to know the people involved. It’s one thing to talk to them on the phone, but it’s quite another to meet the team face-to-face. This way you will get an idea of the people involved.
This is your opportunity to connect with the SEO Consultant. You both need to be able to relate and understand each other right from the start. Also, this is the part where the agency will walk you through some of their tactics. Not only does it bring their passion and creativity to the table but it also shows their attitude towards you.
5. Be clear about your budget
Before investing in an SEO agency, consider your budget. How much can you afford to spend.
You need to inquire about SEO packages that are within your budget. But remember, there are risks associated with low cost SEO agencies. If they don’t properly follow the proper Google guidelines, they can damage your brand reputation. Or worse, incurring fines from Google on your site.
6. Beware of SEO guarantees
While SEO agencies have a good idea of how to produce optimal results, Google’s algorithms are constantly changing. Thus, an agency’s experience and number of years of operation are key determinants of the effectiveness of an agency’s strategies.
Very few work for results. This is a very positive sign as the SEO consultant is sure of the quality of his work.
7. Check the SEO consultant’s values for clarity and transparency
An SEO agency may have the unique experience you are looking for and all of the characteristics listed above. However, their corporate culture may not fit yours.
The truth is, outstanding SEO agencies do not accept toxic or unethical valued clients.
To avoid this, the best SEO companies have the feature of showcasing their company culture, so potential clients can decide if working with them is in line with their culture.
8. Start thinking beyond your SEO strategy
It’s great that you’re taking the world of SEO seriously. But think about the bigger picture. What else does your website need to outperform the competition?
Many SEO agencies offer advanced SEO campaigns. You need to select one who has the knowledge and experience to take your brand to the next level. For that, you’ll need to ask about conversion rate optimization and AB testing.
Final considerations
Remember that an SEO campaign is a complex process. It involves a lot of details and nuances. However, they all have the same goal: to make your website more understandable by search engines, increase your online visibility, and make your site more user-friendly.
Some types of SEO are:
-
On page SEO
-
Technical SEO
-
Content SEO
-
Off page SEO
-
Local SEO
These subsets of SEO are not different processes. It’s simply a way to break SEO into smaller chunks so it’s easier to manage.
There are other types of SEO, depending on the size of your business. For example, a B2B SEO agency can help you tailor strategies for your business so you can reap the benefits of your SEO campaign. It can help you outperform your competitors, capture more leads, increase sales, gain more market share in your industry, and take your ROI to the next level.
And with the increase in online activity, an ecommerce SEO agency can help optimize various aspects of an ecommerce website, such as the homepage, product pages, visuals, blog content, social media marketing and much more.
Conclusion
Hiring an SEO consultant is a valuable investment that you should decide to make sooner or later. With the right campaign, your website can get both quantitative and qualitative visits.
If your marketing budget allows, hiring an SEO consultant is a great way to grow your business. But finding the perfect one is probably the hardest part. You want to work alongside a team of experts you trust to build the right image of your brand.