Why You Should Hire a Professional SEO Company

It's not easy to select an SEO company that provides full-service SEO, and choosing a good one is even more challenging. Although there are many excellent web presence companies out there, choosing one can be difficult.

Try to decide which SEO company to hire can be confusing. We researched how to pick the right SEO company.

Clutch, a company offering reviews of SEO and digital marketing services, analyzed recent review data to understand which methods companies most commonly use to find SEO partners.

Find out what to look for in an SEO company below, including how businesses like yours choose agencies. By checking out our tips on finding the best SEO company, you can make the process of research and vet even easier.

What is the selection process for SEO companies?

What is the selection process for SEO companies? The first question we ask during our review interviews and data collection process are, "What was your selection process, and why did you choose the company to work with?"

These qualitative responses could be categorized, although they weren't highly scientific. (Note: Participants gave two or more reasons.)

seo_process

1st Factor: Existing relationships and referrals

The most frequently cited reason was referrals and existing relationships, as noted by 45% of reviewers.  Due to their lack of experience with SEO, many companies rely on the recommendations of colleagues and friends they trust.

2nd Factor: Knowledge and processes of SEO companies are also important

Knowledge and methods of the company are two of the most important considerations when choosing an SEO company. In addition to customer service, thought leadership, team experience, and reporting, transparency is also essential. Four out of five reviewers said these characteristics contribute to the success of the company.

3rd Factor: Case studies, client testimonials, and online reviews

Company knowledge and processes are closely related to past performance, which includes case studies, client references, and online reviews, all of which demonstrate previous success. Nearly 14 percent cited this as a deciding factor.

What is the right way for businesses to choose SEO companies?

Looking at our reviews, we also found that 19% of companies — more than one in five — previously dealt with a wrong SEO firm before finding the right one for them.

This tells me a couple of things:

In the future, great agencies must educate clients on what successful SEO strategies and partnerships should look like.
Companies should carefully review their prospective partners based on their qualities and criteria to find the right partner.

Companies that choose their SEO firm primarily based on factors such as location, price, or culture fit rather than knowing the firm well and its performance are not adequately vetting the firm in advance.

Choosing the right SEO company

The next time you choose an SEO agency, go about it logically and smartly. You might end up with a bad experience if you rush into the process. A lousy experience means you won't drive more traffic, leads, or sales from search.

Follow these three steps to choose an SEO company (and avoid the above scenario):

Review the past performance of the SEO agency

Businesses like yours need to perform well, not just SEO agencies. When deciding whether you can deliver, people look at the work you've done. Choose an SEO company based on the same criteria. You should research past performance, including portfolio examples, case studies, industry awards, and client testimonials.

According to Manish Gupta, an experienced SEO, and Founder at CS Tech:

 When someone is looking for an SEO partner, past and proven performance is the most critical factor. When it comes to the Internet these days, it's easy to say a lot of nice things about yourself or to appear like a company that knows what it's doing on the surface, but true success will come in the form of specific, proven, and verifiable results."

The first thing I advise people to ask for is specific examples of past work, for example, a website or campaign... The most important thing to me is to prove my performance. Verify that the company is capable of driving meaningful results for its clients by asking the company for evidence that they know what they're doing."

You can be confident in partnering with or consulting an SEO agency if you have concrete proof of their performance. It's essential to choose a good SEO company to help you reach your business growth goals.

Get feedback from past or current clients.

Following that, you should contact past and current clients. Your company can gain insights into the client experience with testimonials and in-depth interviews. In addition to understanding the agency's strengths and weaknesses, you may also preview the agency's strategy and reporting.

As Manish says: 

"Containing client contact information is important. If you consider an SEO vendor, you should contact maybe three to five of their current clients to verify their reliability. It will help if you ask how the company treats them. Make sure you understand the company's SEO approach and how it is run. It's a great way to get an unbiased view of your SEO vendor before you commit to a financial partnership with them."

Also, you can find answers to several common questions, including:

What is the response time of the agency to phone calls or emails?
What is your preferred method of communicating with clients? Of course, they can choose between different approaches.
Are clients required to dedicate a certain amount of time to reviewing reports and making decisions about strategy?

Your business can use this information to select an excellent SEO agency. You can also narrow down your list of choices this way. It is better to work with a company that meets all your requirements so that you can save yourself time and energy.

Ask questions to the SEO company.

Meeting your potential SEO agencies is the final step in how to choose an SEO agency. It would be best if you met SEO agencies before signing contracts. The face-to-face meeting you have with the SEO company can reveal if they are the right company for you, regardless of whether you meet in person or virtually.

Ask as many questions as you can when you meet with potential agencies.

According to Manish:

"It's hard to explain a company's past performance without asking questions, and I think the more questions you ask, the better you're going to understand how well an SEO company can perform. An honest company has no hidden agenda, and its clients are eager and willing to share their experiences with the company."

When selecting an SEO company, make sure you ask these questions:

How much experience do you have with our business's industry?
What can we expect in terms of results?
What are the costs of your SEO services?

You and your team should brainstorm a variety of questions before the meeting. The members of your group may have questions regarding strategic planning and reporting, but the decision-makers may want to know about pricing and return on investment (ROI).

Choosing an SEO company is a mistake innovative businesses make

Businesses of all sizes make mistakes. Because of this, you need to examine the commonly made SEO mistakes before choosing a company.

Here are three mistakes to avoid:

Working with a "cheap" SEO agency

In the world of SEO agencies and services, price matters. An SEO company within your budget is what you should look for. Many businesses make the mistake of setting unrealistic budgets. For instance, they see monthly SEO prices of $100 per month and think that's reasonable.
It is, however, the truth that companies that claim to offer ultra-low rates often underperform.

Using copy-and-paste approaches and delivering nonexistent results is an example of how they underperform when it comes to your strategy. You may not get any communication from them. As a consequence, customers have a horrible experience and return to the business.

It is essential to put a realistic budget behind SEO since you receive what you pay for.

Make sure your company knows how much SEO costs. Based on the cost of SEO services, you can set a feasible budget. According to our research, average businesses spend between $700 and $2000 per month, though your strategy, company size, and more affect this number.

Using SEO companies located in your area

When choosing a good SEO company, it's a bonus to work with a local SEO firm. The location of the SEO agency should not be your primary consideration when choosing an agency. Your service quality will be impacted the most by experience, performance, and client experience, not location.

 Limiting your business to a small region may not deliver the results you desire.

It can be detrimental to your company, and your website if your competitor partners with an experienced agency several states away and choose a local but inexperienced agency.

Consequently, you will generate fewer revenues, sales, and leads than your competitors.

You can still hire a local company even if they are not local. You may have them travel on occasion to meet in person with your team. Alternatively, they can make personal contact with your team by using video conferencing or phone calls.

Hiring black-hat SEO agencies

Companies (and their leaders) want results. The results of SEO don't appear instantly, however. For the return to start, it usually takes 3 to 6 months. Many intelligent companies fall for black-hat SEO strategies due to this feature.

SEO tactics that employ unethical (and ineffective) long-term methods are called black-hat SEO. Black-hat strategies may help you rank faster, but they will cause you to fall from page one very quickly. Furthermore, Google may even ban your website from appearing in its search results in the future. It would be impossible to find your website on the world's largest search engine, which means you would not be able to advertise from it.

It is for this reason that you need to work with well-established, ethical SEO agencies. Companies that utilize these methods help your company rank in search engine results using best practices and ethical strategies. Usually, black-hat SEO companies and low-cost SEO services are inseparable.

Five tips for picking a good SEO company

Use these tips for finding the best SEO company in addition to the above guide. Based on our interviews with companies that have already used SEO agencies, we offer these tips.

A company that offers SEO services should have the following characteristics:

Past success as evidence
A robust reporting system and transparency
Attention to customer needs
Personalized, fair pricing
Your service needs to be specialized

Additionally, make sure that the agency feels comfortable with you. Ask questions, share concerns, and do what you can to feel comfortable. The failure to develop long-term partnerships can result in problems since SEO is a long-term, ongoing process.

Learn how to hire an SEO agency with our guide.

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