Introduction
SEO is currently at the heart of internet marketing. Therefore, SEO can generally make or break your firm. Whereas a good SEO expert will lead your firm down a successful path, a bad strategist may cripple your existing website traffic.
With that said, it is of immense importance that you carefully choose an SEO agency to handle part of your digital marketing campaigns. This will ensure that your website shows up in the first pages of search results, which translates into a direct increase in brand awareness and higher sales numbers.
Listed below are seven crucial questions you should ask self-proclaimed SEO experts when looking to hire an internet marketing agency.
- How do you intend to improve my search rankings?
Avoid SEO consultants who don’t freely discuss their methods. Potential experts should be willing to explain the strategies they plan to use to drive up your site ranking. They should also provide a rough estimate of the realistic time it will take to see the results. Furthermore, the candidate’s initial proposal should include a technical review of your website and identify problems, such as broken links or error pages.
- Do you adhere to search engine webmaster guidelines?
There are specific guidelines that govern SEO strategies. You definitely want a strategist who will strictly abide by Google’s webmaster practices. The practices prohibit twelve common SEO tricks, such as creating spammy content and adding hidden links. Including these tricks in your website will cause Google to flag your site, which will translate into low search engine rankings.
- Do you have experience with improving local search results?
Any expert should be experienced in local SEO techniques. Appearing in local sites is of immense importance to businesses that are looking to attract a local customer base. Achieving this requires that the agency includes the business’s city, meta descriptions, and title tags specific to the business’s location within their online content.
- How do you measure the success of your SEO campaign?
Gauging the success of SEO efforts is best done by tracking exactly how much traffic is being driven to your website. Consultants should know and understand how to use Google Analytics to track various improvements, such as traffic sent, keywords used to find your site, and much more. Inquire as to how frequently the agency plans to share such important analytics with you and how the data will help improve your search engine rankings.
- What are their fees and payment terms?
Paying for this service is an absolute must. However, you need to know how much you will be charged, as well as the payment terms. SEO experts like Epic SEO may present different payment options, whereas others might insist on being paid hourly or on a project-to-project basis. Always discuss such details before negotiating a contract.
- What happens when you part ways?
When hiring an SEO agency, most contracts will not be life-long obligations. At some point, the contract will expire or be terminated. Therefore, it is important that you ensure that your contract states that the agency will not remove any content added, optimized, or modified after the contract has been fulfilled. You should also consider inquiring as to whether or not the firm charges a fee for early contract termination.
- Can you provide information on your past clients?
Finding a suitable expert resembles any other hiring process. Insist that the professional provide reviews, case studies, or testimonials from their previous clients. This information will make it easy to gauge and evaluate the expert.
Conclusion
The process of finding the best SEO expert can be quite daunting. However, beginning your search process by posing the questions mentioned above can help you find the right person or firm for the job.
