It isn't easy to choose an agency to handle the SEO work for your business; not everyone is fortunate enough to afford having an in-house marketing team. Smaller companies often delegate their work to SEO agencies or pay for one off adverts to help get their business noticed on the search engines. Search Engine Optimisation otherwise known as SEO, is the method of establishing long term visibility for online businesses using a wide range of marketing methods as well as specific search terms referred to as keywords.
Ever wondered why some websites seem to rank better than others when you search for products and services on the internet? The reason for this is quite simple, search engines are directories and their main goal is to find the most relevant information and content to its users by matching the search term or phrase entered in to the search bar and delivering results to them otherwise known as “the search results”. Ideally this would then provide the user with the answers they were looking for. However, we all know that sometimes the content that we are shown in the search results can at times be inaccurate, misleading or both, one of the reasons for this is simply down to the vast amount of false information that exists on the internet. We all know that opinions and facts are two totally different things and yet they can appear to be both credible and true at times. SEO agencies are employed to ensure that the correct content and information for their customers cannot only be found but that they show up higher in the search results than both its competitors or indeed any inaccurate information referred to above.
However, just like any other industry there are both good and bad SEO agencies out there, so here are a few pointers that you may want to take into consideration when looking to hire a professional SEO company
Background
One of the most obvious ways to establish if you are speaking to a credible SEO agency is to determine how easy they can be contacted. Agencies who just post a ‘contact form’ on their website are less likely going to be trustworthy and transparent. Make sure to check their website for information, find out about their work and see if you recognise any of their current customers. Take the time to read what they have had to say about their services on other trustworthy review sites. Most award-winning SEO agencies will have an online portfolio showcasing who they have worked with and they are likely to have positive reviews.
Communication
Once you have a shortlist for potential agencies that you may wish to work with, it is then a good time to investigate the list in more depth, place a call with them and let them know about the basic details of your current requirements to see how they respond. Any established SEO agency should be able to offer you a place to visit them, this is where you can ask them about their work, their work process, and establish where the work is carried out on your behalf. More importantly, scheduling a meeting with any potential SEO company should clue you in as to how they operate and whether they would be a good fit for your organisation or not. The inital back and forth should give you a good idea of the response times, this can be very important if anything goes wrong as if an agency takes a long time to respond when something major goes wrong it could cost a lot of sales!
Vicinity
You may want to consider the use of a local SEO company in Belfast (Like us!), then they may be in a better position to help provide a more tailored service due to their location or experience. For example, if you want to connect with local customers, then it makes sense to target them using local information, local knowledge and a local SEO agency should be able to do just that.
Pricing
It is a not always a good idea to compare SEO agencies just based on their pricing, instead you should look at comparing their services. As in many walks of life you may find that although the pricing varies you may not be comparing like with like and most award winning SEO agencies will likely provide a truly bespoke service tailored to suit your business requirements. It is always worth asking any SEO what services they actually intend on delivering to you and then comparing these services with those quoted elsewhere in order to establish if there is a clear and transparent pricing model available that both suits your needs whilst providing the relevant proofs each month for works completed. It is however up to you to determine the value of the services, everyone knows that cheap does not equal good. You will need to determine your current budget and also choose the appropriate agency to handle your SEO work, however if you do your homework correctly you are already halfway there and when it comes to pricing, we all know that we get what we pay for in most cases.
We hope you found this article useful, the above information is meant for guidance only, however to help your business to reach out to more customers effectively, it is important that you select the right agency to suit your needs.
SEOwned is a digital marketing agency providing SEO in Belfast that aims to provide you and your business the best results possible through digital strategies tailored for you.