You’ve got choices when it comes to selecting an SEO service provider. From freelancers and consultants to agencies and in-house teams, there are lots of SEO services offered.
Here are our tips (based on 25+ years of experience) on how to choose an SEO company:
1. Outline your organization’s SEO goals
Before investing in an SEO team for your website, set aside time to determine:
- What your business wants to accomplish
- How much your business will invest
- How involved your business will be in managing your SEO
When you understand your goals, budget, and responsibilities, you build an SEO agency shopping list. With that list, you can find and filter SEO companies faster, which will save you (and your department) time in finding an SEO team.
2. Focus your search on providers with transparent pricing, deliverables, and reporting
From pricing to deliverables to reporting, professional service providers should maintain transparency.
Providers that push back against transparency should raise a red flag — and make your search for SEO help faster and easier. During discussions, freelancers, consultants, and agencies should all share a list of what they’ll do for your business, when they’ll do it, and how much they’ll charge.
If they don’t, don’t sign.
3. Narrow your options with case studies, reviews, and certifications
Got trust signals? Save yourself the headache of working with an unvetted SEO provider, and focus your search on established providers.
These agencies (or consultants) will have case studies that demonstrate their expertise — including in specific industries — and results. You’ll also want to look for a provider’s certifications. Are they a Google Premier Partner, for example, which Google awards to top-performing agencies?
Focusing on vetted SEO providers will streamline your search for the right SEO company, saving you time and money.
4. Future-proof your strategy with full-funnel marketing solutions
If you’re like most businesses, you’ve invested in several digital marketing strategies, like SEO, PPC, social media, and more, to create a full-funnel digital marketing strategy. With so many strategies, it’s critical to have SEO solutions that can work within (or even manage) your omnichannel strategy.
WebFX, for example, helps businesses use their organic search visits to support remarketing campaigns for PPC. Since we’re a full-service digital marketing agency, we’re also equipped to manage an omnichannel strategy with our full-funnel marketing solutions.
5. Meet your potential SEO companies
Whether it’s a video call, phone call, or in-person meeting, meet with your potential SEO providers. Through that meeting, you can learn more about the agency’s communication style, SEO methodology, and client experience and determine if you need to look at other SEO companies.
If an SEO service provider doesn’t want to meet with your team, reconsider working with them.