Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to the success of a business, especially since most potential customers look for products and services online.
However, not every entrepreneur has the skills and experience to effectively implement SEO on their website. This is where professional assistance from an SEO company comes in.
Choosing the right SEO company can be tricky given the abundance of options in the market. To make an informed decision, it’s important to carefully consider certain factors, such as their approach, understanding of your business, and more.
Tips for Choosing an SEO Company
I’ve compiled some tips below to help kickstart your search for the best SEO company.
1. Schedule a phone call or video call with them
While communicating with an SEO company through email is convenient, a phone call is better since you can articulate your challenges and goals in real-time.
A video call can also be a viable alternative to a phone call when an SEO company is located overseas. Besides real-time communication, which allows for a detailed discussion about your website needs, speaking directly with the members of the SEO company — and even seeing them — may help you in the following ways:
- Evaluate their professionalism
- Gauge their expertise
- Build trust and confidence in the company
When scheduling a call, be sure to pick a time when you can dedicate your full attention to the conversation and when decision-makers from your business are also available to participate.
2. Determine whether they “Do” or “Sell” SEO
Keep in mind that doing SEO and selling SEO are two different things. As a business owner, you need to choose a company that actually implements SEO strategies rather than solely selling the service to gain profit.
A company that actively performs SEO is likely to have a deeper understanding of SEO principles and best practices. These are important for making sure that the strategies implemented on your website are correct and ethical.
Moreover, since search engine algorithms are constantly evolving, a deep understanding of SEO allows the company to adapt its strategies accordingly.
One sign to look out for when searching for an SEO company that actively performs SEO is its commitment to transparency. Meaning that the company has no problem communicating its methodologies and is honest enough about what can realistically be achieved through SEO.
3. Assess their level of understanding of your business
Another important consideration is whether the SEO company has taken time to familiarize themselves with your industry, target audience, challenges, and goals.
Without knowledge of the nuances of your business, the SEO company might:
- Choose keywords and create content that doesn’t resonate with your target audience
- Overlook valuable opportunities to attract and convert potential customers
- Not be able to fully grasp your expectations, which can then lead to discrepancies in their deliverables
During the initial consultation, the right SEO company will ask detailed questions about your business and actively listen to your responses. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, they will create a customized strategy that reflects their understanding of your business.
4. Understand their SEO methodology
Some SEO companies may resort to risky approaches that quickly boost website rankings. However, they end up violating search engine guidelines.
These tactics might include keyword stuffing, purchasing links, and creating low-quality content. Unfortunately, they pose long-term risks that harm your website’s reputation.
Instead, look for an SEO company that sticks to techniques recommended by search engines — these are called white-hat techniques. Such approaches focus on optimizing your website in ways that are compliant, sustainable, and ethical.
5. Inquire about their reporting and analytics
Various metrics — such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, conversion rates, and bounce rates — give insight into how your website is performing in search engines.
SEO reports typically summarize these metrics over a specific period. Through these reports, business owners can make informed decisions on how to best move forward and identify other opportunities for further optimization.
As a business owner, you should definitely inquire about the SEO company’s reporting and analytics methods before hiring them. Learn how they measure their performance and what metrics they prioritize.
6. Consider your budget
When it comes to budget, take note that the budget you set will influence the scope and scale of services the SEO company provides. Realistic expectations based on your budget will help avoid any disappointment.
Unfortunately, some business owners expect results beyond what their budget can reasonably achieve. Trying to achieve unrealistic results within a limited budget may compromise the quality of SEO services.
You can prevent these potential challenges by first having a clear budget in mind. On top of having a definitive budget, spend some time comparing pricing structures and packages from different SEO companies.
With careful assessment, you’ll be able to make a decision that balances cost with quality.
Red Flags to Watch Out When Choosing an SEO Company
Not all SEO companies are reputable and trustworthy, and unfortunately, their unethical practices can end up harming your online presence. Below are some red flags to be wary of:
1. Guaranteed rankings
When an SEO company guarantees rankings, it means that they are promising to achieve specific positions for your website in search results for certain keywords.
However, keep in mind that guaranteeing rankings goes against the nature of SEO. This is because search engine algorithms are always changing to make sure that search results are always relevant to users. What works today may not work tomorrow.
Instead of focusing on rankings, a reputable SEO company pays attention to metrics that matter more, such as organic traffic and conversions.
2. Lack of communication
Clear communication promotes transparency between you as the business owner and the SEO company. A lack of clear communication can manifest in different ways:
- They rarely provide updates
- When you reach out, it takes them a long time to respond
- You often find it difficult to get in touch with the company when needed
- They fail to provide regular reports on your campaign’s performance
These things can create distrust, and it eventually leads to a breakdown in a client-SEO company working relationship.
3. Focusing too much on vanity metrics
Vanity metrics in SEO refer to superficial or non-impactful metrics that may look impressive at first glance. However, these metrics do not necessarily impact the long-term success of your business.
Examples of these vanity metrics include
- Domain rating or Domain authority
- Number of backlinks acquired, and
- Page views.
By fixating on them, an SEO company may make clients believe that their efforts are successful when in reality, they may not be contributing to the client’s bottom line.
4. Unwillingness to adapt strategies
Search engines like Google regularly update their algorithms to improve the relevance and quality of search results.
Therefore, an SEO company needs to be proactive enough to track changes in algorithms and user behaviors — and be flexible to continually refine their approach.
Remember that when companies are reluctant to change, they can generate subpar results for your website. This is why it’s important to choose SEO companies that strive to stay ahead of the curve.
5. Pressuring you to sign long-term contracts
Another red flag to watch out for is an SEO company being overly aggressive in pushing for a long-term contract.
A downside with long-term contracts is that they lock clients into commitments that might not work out if the SEO company fails to deliver the expected results. Some long-term contracts also come with hefty termination fees or penalties if the client decides to cancel early.
It’s generally a good idea to work with SEO companies that offer flexible contract options and are focused on delivering tangible results.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it helps to keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time project. For this reason, businesses need to take time when evaluating and choosing an SEO company to handle their campaign.
In addition to the tips we discussed above, remember that you should feel confident expressing your business needs and voicing your concerns to the SEO company.