Having a strong presence online is a must if you want your business to succeed in the modern world. More and more people depend on available resources online when they want to acquire services or products.
While the online world is now offering people a lot of relevant options compared to before, businesses these days are having a hard time standing out from the crowd and this is where SEO will come into play.
SEO or search engine optimization will help your site to be on top of the search engine. Through content development, website design and development, backlinks, or keywords, a good SEO agency can help you boost your ranking in search engine page results (SERPs). This will make your business more visible and accessible to potential clients.
Whatever business you’re running, a reliable and skilled SEO agency can tailor its experiences and skills to meet your business’s goals and needs. Some businesses need a comprehensive web development project, while others only require backlinks.
The real challenge is that finding a reputable agency is quite difficult as there are plenty of options to choose from. But this shouldn’t become a hindrance and settle for the less instead. To help you find a partner that can help you reach the ladder of success, here’s a list of traits that a good SEO agency should possess. You can use this reference to narrow down your lists of agencies.
1. Transparent
Many people, most especially business owners, have been burned by alleged supposed “SEO professionals.” Fortunately, good and reliable SEO agencies are aware of this scenario. Having said that, reliable SEO agencies are trying to become as transparent as possible in order to build and sustain trust with their clients and prospective customers.
A transparent SEO agency will inform you about the things that need to be done, why they should be implemented, and how they’ll be put into action. Such an agency will even set a meeting with you in person or over the phone or video call.
If the company gives you access to their SEO experts without delay or hassle, it’s a sign that you’re in good hands. But if not, then it’s surely a red flag. Meaning to say, their so-called experts don’t even exist.
A good SEO agency will also offer your results regularly. While some agencies don’t usually do this, it’s vital to find out the history of the work they’ve accomplished. Or else, you’ll never know how well your SEO campaigns are doing. Whether it’s monthly or weekly reporting, it should be consistent, thorough, and easy to understand.
When it comes to pricing, being transparent is also important. If the company offers a certain amount, don’t close the deal right away. Instead, do research first. For instance, you can use a web design pricing guide if you plan to avail such a service. Then compare if the fee they’re asking is practical or not.
A good agency is the one giving its clients a glance behind the curtains. It’s a straightforward process that will allow people to know exactly where their hard-earned money is going.
2. Offering A Short-Term Contract
When looking for an SEO agency, make sure to avoid a long-term contract. The very last thing you’ll want to happen is to lock yourself in an agency that can’t even give you results. It’s a waste of money too.
While it usually takes about three to four months to notice monetary outcomes from your SEO campaigns, low-level key performance indicators can be seen after the first month. Usually, these include keyword ranking positions, impressions, and clicks.
If possible, don’t commit to a contract that’s longer than four months to save yourself from headaches and losing money. Make sure to only opt for a long-term contract after taking the company for a four-six-month test drive and when you’re totally satisfied with the results.
3. Ethical Practice
For well-established and reputable agencies, unwanted link building, extensive spamming, and black hat techniques shouldn’t be tolerated. A good agency uses ethical and white hat SEO methodologies and practices to drive more traffic to your website.
In addition to that, they won’t let your website get penalized because their main goal is to help you boost your online presence and not hinder your presence in SERP. A reputable agency will get good links for your site, make perfectly optimized website content, use smart keywords, and utilize several off-page SEO tactics so that you’ll acquire your desired traffic.
4. Using Latest Techniques And Trends
SEO is constantly changing and it’s getting new updates almost every day. With that in mind, you need to work with an SEO company to cope with the latest SEO trends, happenings, and techniques. If the agency is still using old techniques, know that they won’t provide you with better results.
5. Have A Great Portfolio
If a certain SEO agency caters to you strongly, it means they want to achieve something. It could be that the agency wants to expand its service and learn with your business. Or it’s totally confident to work with you as it has handled lots of the cases like yours. This question, however, can be successfully handled by requesting the agency’s portfolio for the case studies.
While some agencies publish such case studies on their website, some can digitally send them for reference. For better results, make sure you focus on service renditions or studies, if not similar, find something relevant to your line of business.
If the agency’s portfolio is packed with data and informative, it can be of great help for your assessment. Keep an eye on the milestones as well as the outcomes and check if the agency meets such goals.
On the other hand, you’ll need to evaluate the space of time between every practice applied and the accomplished goal. Believe it or not, such small details can help you make informed decisions as to whether to consider the services of the SEO agency or not.
6. Professional Team
If it doesn’t have skilled human resources, any company is as good as nobody. A reliable SEO agency makes the effort to train their team regularly and conduct regular meetings to update working strategies.
As a general rule of thumb, a reputable SEO agency won’t compromise on the work quality and will employ the best professionals who are knowledgeable in every aspect of SEO. They make sure that you’re investing your hard-earned money in the right resources as well as for improving your systems. An SEO agency like this is willing to accept suggestions or recommendations from their professionals to accomplish their goals.
7. Good Communication
Tools are only presenting data. They don’t simplify or explain them. Meaning to say, a good SEO agency is that one that communicates with its clients every time insight is collected.
While various tools can be used for measuring KPIs, you’ll need to work with an agency that can explain the terms in the simplest language possible. So, opt for an agency that’s working well when it comes to fostering trust and communication.
Throughout your SEO campaigns, smooth and effective communication is crucial. A smooth conversation may help in easing out the process. Thus, choose a company with whom you can communicate smoothly, the same thing goes when you’re hiring a web designer.
You should be able to easily reach out to your SEO agency whenever you have concerns. Also, consider speaking with a person who will handle your business directly and make sure they respond quickly and accurately.
8. Experience
Working with an SEO agency that has the best experience is very important, most especially if you want to acquire unmatched success. Make sure to opt for an agency that has enough experience to work for your niche explicitly. This company will understand your woes and expectations very rapidly and work to drive good results. One more thing, a good agency has a thorough understanding of the workings of local and international markets.
9. Offers A Customized Bill Package
A reliable SEO agency will first try to tackle what exactly your expectations and goals are. Usually, it tends to come up with various plans and discuss with you how they work. The agency will also recommend SEO services that can help in solving your problems. It won’t even force you to opt for an existing pay package. Instead, a good agency will give you the best services that are budget-friendly.
Conclusion
In the end, finding a good SEO agency is about looking for a team of dedicated professionals who can help you in fulfilling your business goals. Your agency should be committed to your development, knowledgeable, experienced, and transparent.
When seeking SEO professionals, look for a company that will put your needs first and won’t stop until you’re happy and content with the SEO strategy. With a combination of data-driven techniques, communication, and monthly or weekly reporting, the agency will surely help you streamline your business and make you stand out despite how tough the competition is.
Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Media and Digital marketing sector, Passionate about innovation and bringing the future into new business solutions.