Whether you love it or hate it, the Internet plays a major role in how well businesses do these days. Consumers turn to searches now to find businesses, make purchases, and leave reviews. Having a solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plan in place is the best way to ensure your business is being found by the right audience. But finding the right SEO agency for your business isn’t always easy. Here are a few tips to help you find the ideal agency.
They Have Experience In Your Industry
Experience is one of the best things to look at when scouting for an SEO agency. But don’t make the mistake of look at general experience. An SEO agency might have 10 years of experience, but if they primarily focus on real estate SEO and you’re a retail store that could mean they’re not the right fit.
When looking at an SEO agencies portfolio, take a look to see if they’ve done other SEO campaigns in your industry. There are general good SEO practices, but each industry also has their own little tricks and tactics. Hiring an SEO agency that has experience doing a successful digital marketing campaign in that sector means they already know how to position your business.
They Clearly Define The Scope of Work
A good way to tell the difference between a good SEO agency and a shady one is how clearly they define a scope of work. The scope of work should lay out everything that will be included in the service. If all you’re given is a vague list of buzzwords, run away.
Look for an agency that provides you with deliverables. This should be things such as monthly reports, keyword research, blog posts and other content, social media posts, technical monitors and updates, and more! Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity about anything you’re confused about either. If the agency isn’t able or willing to explain that’s a red flag and should send you running.
They Don’t Make Lofty Promises
There are many goals for an SEO campaign, and each business has different ones. Maybe you want more traffic to your website or more social media likes. Most often, people want higher search engine rankings. This is an important metric, but one that black hat SEO agencies often exploit.
Any SEO agency that promises you the number one ranking for any keyword should not be trusted. No one can promise that truthfully. Rankings constantly fluctuate, and with Google churning out new algorithm updates they can change rapidly. Often in order to meet these false promises, shady SEO agencies will do black hat SEO tactics that might work short term but can end up causing Google to ban your business.
Takeaway
As with any business, finding the right partners to help you can be challenging. There are many awesome legitimate SEO agencies out there, but there are also a ton of sketchy ones. It’s not always easy to weed out the bad ones. Look for an SEO agency that is honest, clear, and experienced. Contact our Toronto SEO agency today to learn more!
