How to choose an SEO agency

 

Hiring an SEO agency is a major business decision and it’s normal to feel anxious about making the wrong choice. Luckily, you can remove much of this anxiety and feel more confident about your decision by following these simple steps.

 

Choose the right SEO agency in 9 steps

To choose the right SEO agency for your needs, you need a clear idea of what you’re looking for. Every company has different needs from an SEO agency so you have to run internal analysis before you can start comparing agencies.

Once you know what you need from an SEO agency, you can find the right fit by looking at these nine characteristics:

 

Google partners: Agencies that partner with Google are trusted by the biggest name in search and receive exclusive access to insights and guidance.

Industry expertise SEO Agency London: Check potential agencies have experience working with companies in your industry and take a look at their list of existing/previous clients.

SEO strategy: Discuss what each agency plans to do for you, including on-site, off-site and technical SEO.

Content marketing: Discuss the role of content marketing and production in your SEO strategy.

PPC services: SEO works best when integrated with an effective PPC strategy and it’s worth getting both from the same agency.

Data sources: Ask where potential agencies are getting their data from - and what they can do with it.

Technology: The top SEO agencies use a variety of technology to automate insights, find opportunities and optimise faster.

Project management: Find out how potential agencies will manage your project, including correspondence, requests, reporting, etc.

Deliverables: Check what each agency commits to delivering, make sure you’re happy with their proposal and raise any concerns before signing.

 

To get all of this information, you’ll have to speak to SEO agencies directly and have a few honest conversations about what you’re looking for. You want to ask the right questions and get real answers from potential agencies - not sales pitches.

Before you start calling agencies directly, you can learn a lot from their websites.

 

What to look for on SEO agency websites

To draw up a shortlist of potential SEO agencies to work with, start by analysing their websites to see if they’re a good fit. Pay particular attention to the following:

 

●     Partnerships with Google, Bing, etc.

●     Services

●     Client list

●     Case studies

●     Customer reviews

●     Testimonials

●     Specialist industries

●     FAQs

●     Privacy policy and T&Cs

●     Contact details - phone number, address, email, etc.

 

Also, assess the overall quality of their site: is the design professional, do their pages load quickly, is the content high-quality and does their site make you excited about working with them?

While you can’t learn everything you need to know by looking at their websites, this first impression is exactly the kind of thing an SEO agency should create for your brand - so how good a job are they doing for themselves?