How To Choose an SEO Agency

How To Choose An SEO Agency in 4 Key Steps:

1. Define what you want from the partnership
2. Check experience, reviews, and past achievements
3. Make sure the agency is collaborative and communicative
4. Prepare questions ahead of the proposal

In this article, we’ll be covering:

• How to choose the right SEO agency for your company
• Signs of a successful agency
• Things to consider when selecting a long-term SEO agency partner
• How to know that you’re choosing an SEO agency you can trust
• Things to ask potential partners before deciding on an SEO agency

Signs of a successful SEO agency

We’re not talking about choosing a company with a hidden agenda to take over the world; for us, the best SEO agencies are dedicated, trustworthy, and highly skilled. A top SEO agency will have a track record of successful campaigns, impressive accolades, awards, and testimonials. They’ll also show hallmarks of success, including:

• Highly-experienced lead strategists with demonstrable experience in your niche
• A team of technical SEO whizzes – and the ability to conduct a thorough technical audit (making any necessary tweaks)
• A team of highly skilled, creative SEO content writers
• The ability to provide ongoing support and suggest further optimisations to best suit your needs

When choosing your SEO company, you need to make sure that their services are of genuine quality. Think of it like buying a first edition of your favourite book. You don’t want to end up paying for something that, later down the line, gives you no return. SEO is like any investment. Get it right from day one, and you’re onto a winner.

To do this, we recommend doing as much initial research as possible. This might involve checking each agency’s reviews and case studies, finding out how long they’ve been in the business, or doing some digging on LinkedIn to discover a little more about the people you’ll eventually be working with. You might even want to do a little SEO research yourself to make sure the agency knows the basics, at the very least.

Selecting a long-term SEO agency partner

So, you know what you can expect from a trustworthy SEO agency, but how, with so many agencies around, can you spot one?

Let’s say you’re at the cinema, about to watch The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (we can dream), and you’re at the pick ’n’ mix station – because let’s face it, where else would you be? But, it suddenly dawns on you that for some reason outside your control, you can only choose one sweet to fill your bag. Take as much of it as you like, but you can’t ‘mix’ at all. Only ‘pick’. You aren’t going to make a snap decision when it comes to something like this. It’s serious business. That film is going to be quite the marathon, and you’ve got one type of sweet to accompany you and keep you satisfied for the duration. Let’s not mess around.

You analyse your selection, and break it down as follows:

Will this choice satisfy my needs in the long term?

Is this sweet (or this agency) going to remain a good choice over time? Is the exceptional delivery in month one going to match the delivery in month twelve? You need to make sure you’re making a choice that fits your needs now, and in the future. More on this later!

Can I trust that this choice will do what I need it to do?

You want your chosen SEO agency to deliver what you ask of them, but you also want them to take some initiative and guide you, like a consultancy service. This is especially true if you’re new to the world of SEO and all its intricacies. You’ll also need to trust the experience of your agency and get to know their level of authority within the industry, as mentioned earlier.

Will this choice be a good fit for my budget?

You need to make sure you have a budget in mind before you make any decisions, and you should also consider ROI as standard. A good agency will spell out exactly the kind of return you can expect from your proposed partnership, and they should have the data to back it up.

Will I get tired of this choice eventually?

Marketing agency partnerships should never go stale, and you need to make sure you’re choosing a company with a genuine interest in your business’ success. Campaigns should always feel fresh, relevant, and, of course, you should be seeing results that exceed your expectations. While you can’t exactly tell that from the offset, what you can do is get to know the team you’ll be working alongside. Whether you ‘click’ or not is a key factor to consider.

Choosing the right SEO agency for your company

Now, it’s finally time to get into some of the nitty-gritty. How do you choose an SEO agency that’s right for your company? So far, we’ve understood generally what can be expected of a good agency, as well as some key questions you might ask yourself when choosing between competitors, but now we’ll discuss the key, actionable points in choosing an SEO company, as picked out by our SEO Brains.

1. Define what you want from the partnership

Having clear goals and expectations is essential when choosing an agency partner. Especially when it comes to SEO. As any agency will tell you: SEO is no one-size-fits-all solution – and it’s no quick game either. In fact, it’s more like a very long, strategic game of DND.

Understanding your goals also means you’re more likely to find a partner who can genuinely help you reach them. A good agency will be able to recommend a thorough strategy that keeps all your goals in mind, and has very clear, timelined output projections. But remember, they can only do this if you tell them what you want in the first place. In the majority of cases, it’s you who must take the first step.

2. Check experience, reviews, and past achievements

This goes without saying, and we touched on it earlier when we discussed finding an agency you can trust. A good agency will probably display everything they want you to see on their homepage – and why wouldn’t they? You shouldn’t have to look too hard to find glowing client testimonials, industry awards, case studies and all the rest. If you do, maybe that partnership just isn’t meant to be.

With SEO, experience levels within companies can be extremely varied. SEO is constantly moving forwards; algorithms are changing, Google is becoming stricter by the day and sometimes, it can be tricky to keep up. A quality agency will be able to inform you of timely updates, support you with technical fixes and have no trouble providing personalised training whenever you need it. Knowledge first, delivery later!

3. Ensure the agency is collaborative and communicative

Have you ever worked on a project at school and been stuck with a study partner who puts in zero effort? Now, imagine if that was your agency: not cool.

It’s important to remember that agencies aren’t just robots. SEO teams are made up of people, who should care about your company’s goals and want to help you achieve them. When it comes to a great, well-maintained working relationship, collaboration and communication are the two most important foundations. Look out for this in any email communications you have with your potential agencies:

• Have they introduced themselves and other key contacts within the team?
• Are they making an effort to set up meetings with you?
• Are they asking you about your goals and expectations?
• Are they sticking to meeting times and information delivery deadlines?

There are a number of green flags (and probably a few red ones) you could highlight here. The main thing is that you can envision your company working well, and working closely, with your chosen agency.

4. Prepare questions ahead of the proposal

If you’ve made it to the proposal stage of choosing an SEO agency, chances are you have a fairly good idea of how the company works. But, to get the most out of your meeting, it’s question time!

A proposal from an agency is your opportunity to check whether they’ve understood your goals, know their stuff, and can deliver something as revolutionary as Tony Stark’s Anti-Gravity Device. It’ll also give you useful insights into how they run calls, and what the agency will be expecting of you throughout the partnership.

Dig into how they run things (and how much they really know about SEO) by coming prepared with a few hard-hitting questions. Ask about results timeframes, discuss the keyword strategy in detail and never be afraid to ask for more clarity, or even training, if you need it. Partnering with an agency is a two-way street, after all.

Making The Final Decision On An SEO Agency

Choosing an SEO agency is far from easy, and it’s always wise to seek other opinions if you’re unsure. To make a proactive start in your search, try looking at agency reviews, or check out some SEO Guides so that you have a base knowledge of the topic. This can help you get a better understanding of what you’re looking for – and might also help you develop an eagle eye for what distinguishes a quality agency from an amateur (you can always use a Lens of Truth if you have one). Whatever it takes to see through the illusions of less experienced agencies, you should make sure not to fall at the first hurdle.

Ready to take the plunge and start an exciting SEO journey with The Brains? Whether you need help defining your goals, would like to learn more about the fundamentals of SEO or want to jump straight into a project, we’re always happy to help.