Every year, businesses in the United States spend billions of dollars on SEO (search engine optimization).
Are you prioritizing SEO as part of your business’s marketing plan? If not, you’re missing out on a lot of potential conversions.
If you’re new to the world of SEO, it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to learn all the different tools and techniques you can use to improve your rankings.
If you’re not sure where to start and don’t have the time to learn, you might want to consider hiring an SEO company to help you.
Here are some guidelines that will help you to find a trustworthy SEO company.
Why Hire an SEO Company?
There are lots of benefits that come with hiring an SEO company, such as this useful company, to help you improve your business’s online presence. Some of the greatest benefits include:
- Free up time to focus on your area of expertise (leave the SEO to someone who truly understands it)
- Address website issues that are negatively affecting your ranking
- Gain access to tools that will help you track your progress and measure results more effectively
- Achieve your business goals more quickly
- Build your network and expand your business’s online reach
- Increase your revenue
Clearly, there’s a lot to be gained from hiring an SEO company. But, in order to experience all of these benefits, you need to make sure you’re working with the right company.
Finding a Trustworthy SEO Company
If you’re interested in hiring an SEO company, be sure to keep these tips in mind. They’ll help you sort through all the different businesses out there and find the right one to work with your business:
Set Clear Goals
Before you go ahead and hire an SEO company, you need to make sure you have a clear idea of what you want the company to help you accomplish.
Different companies specialize in different things, so you need to make sure you find one that will cater best to your business’s specific needs.
Ask About Data Tracking
One of the main benefits of hiring an SEO company is that they often have access to special data tracking tools that will help you measure your progress and figure out where you can improve.
Before you choose a company, be sure to ask about the process they have to track your data.
Read Reviews
Pay attention to what people are saying about a particular SEO company before you decide to hire them.
Read reviews on third-party websites and check to make sure there aren’t any complaints against them with the Better Business Bureau or other professional entities.
Check References
In addition to reading reviews, be sure to also ask for references. Make sure you check those references, too. Call or email past clients and find out what their experience was working with the company you’re considering hiring.
Schedule a Consultation
It’s always a good idea to sit down for a phone call or in-person meeting with a representative from an SEO company (or any company, really) before you hire them.
Pay attention to the way they communicate and whether or not you get along well with them during the meeting — this is a sign of how well you’ll be able to work with them on a long-term basis.
Set a Budget
It’s important to have an idea of how much money you want to spend before you start looking into SEO companies to hire. SEO services can range in price pretty dramatically, from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand.
Request an Audit
To get an idea of how the company works and whether or not you like their style, you might also want to request an SEO audit.
An audit involves them taking a good look at your online presence and providing suggestions about what you can do to improve.
Audits usually aren’t free, but they can still be a very valuable tool, especially if you’re torn between a couple of different SEO companies.
Mistakes to Avoid
At the same time that you’re following these guidelines, make sure you’re also avoiding these common mistakes that people make when choosing an SEO company:
Rely Only on Google Results
Contrary to popular belief, an SEO company’s search engine rankings aren’t necessarily an indicator of how good that company is.
Some of the best companies don’t have great search engine rankings. This is because they’re less focused on rankings and more focused on making sure their customers rank.
Fall for “Secret Sauce” Claims
No SEO company has a “secret sauce” that will guarantee you a top spot on the search engine results list.
If a company is making claims that seem too good to be true, there’s a good chance that those claims are, in fact, too good to be true. No matter how flash a presentation is, don’t fall for these extravagant claims.
Going Cheap
You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on SEO services. But, if you choose the cheapest company you can find, you’re probably not going to get great results. In SEO, as with anything else, you get what you pay for.
Limiting Yourself to Local Companies
Finally, don’t limit yourself to local SEO companies. There’s nothing wrong with going local, but you shouldn’t go local for the sake of it.
When it comes to outsourcing SEO, you can work with anyone, anywhere. You might be able to find a much better SEO company if you reach beyond those available in your city.
Get SEO Help Today
As you can see, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind when you’re trying to find a trustworthy SEO company.
This is a big decision, and you should definitely take your time to make sure you’re choosing the best company possible.
While you’re searching for the perfect SEO company for your business, we have lots of resources to help you expand your reach and improve your search engine rankings.
Not sure which article to check out first? Start by checking out this article on the best practices for SEO video marketing.
