How to Choose a Good SEO Company?

How to Choose a Good SEO Company for your Business?

Online presence of your business is an effective method to gain new customers. For any search, there are thousands of search engines results. So, a strategic SEO (search engine optimization) strategy will help your business website to be visible in the top of the search engine results.

To begin with, it is always recommended to have a basic understanding of SEO. This will help you in following ways;

• Make a list of accomplishments for a successful SEO strategy.
• Ask the right questions from selected SEO companies.
• Understand their reporting procedures.

Your SEO goals:

A basic understanding of SEO will help you plan SEO campaign. It will help you create realistic SEO goals. Realistic goals are benchmarks which match your short and long term online marketing expectations.You can decide short and long term goals for your SEO campaign as per your business needs.

One of the most common myth is more web traffic, means more customers and more revenue. An effective SEO goal is a tangible and achievable target. Some of the examples of constructive SEO goals are:

• Increase our sales
• Increase awareness about our business
• Increase our overall email signups and trial/free downloads in a certain amount of time.

These above-mentioned SEO achievements can be measured in numbers and performance. A good SEO company will design a campaign to achieve your online marketing goals.

Selecting a Good SEO Company:

Now, comes the tricky part of deciding which company to hire for your online marketing campaign. One of the best place to start is among your own network. Ask around in your non-competitive B2B network if anyone have used any good SEO company and if they recommend it.

Other approach is to search online for an SEO company. Just a plain search for good SEO companies will return with millions of search engine results. You can further refine your search by your preference- a local or a remote SEO company. Many business owners want a local company so they can have all the discussions in person. Others are comfortable doing everything via online communications.Now you should have a list of a few shortlisted SEO companies. Following are some of the key suggestions which will help you select a good SEO company.

Look up their own SEO performance:

SEO doesn’t only mean rank standings in the search results. A professional SEO company will have their various social accounts, images and logos streamlined. It means their Meta description, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter should promote similar messages and themes.

SEO is a very competitive field, and a new(er) SEO company might not show up in the top ten results- as they are still working to build their clients. But they should have an online presence on various platforms. Also, you should check their local listings and overall visibility on search results.  A little homework on your part will help you differentiate between a good and a scam SEO company.

How do they ask and answer questions:

SEO is a field which requires constant communication from both parties (during early stages). A good SEO company will ask you many questions based on your SEO goals for your website. Some of the questions they should always ask concerning:

• Your goals
• Client base
• Your current SEO performance(if applicable in your case)
• Your business culture- this is especially important when SEO Company will be writing content for your website.

There is no one fixed and successful SEO solution. Every SEO strategy is tailored to meet the demands of a specific business and its goals. If any SEO company do not answer your questions regarding their SEO practices, then they might not have your best interests at heart. The science of SEO has become very open in the recent years. There is no such thing as secret techniques or maneuvers. Any SEO company should be able to answer how they will help you achieve your marketing goals.

Open communication shows a SEO company is eager to earn business for you and, they care about your business. They should be able to satisfactorily answer your questions observing:

• Short and long term website ranking strategies
• Most important and relevant keywords of your industry
• Their previous SEO work
• SEO strategies
• Reporting methods

When asked about Google search engine result policies and how they would use it to enhance your rankings, they should be able to answer you in a professional and easy to understand manner. This will help you to identify if this specific SEO Company is a right match for you. If they are not able to report their findings in a format which is easy for you to understand then you should take your business elsewhere.

Experts at Moz recommend to ask your SEO company one very important question, “what will you do if your current techniques are not working?”This is an open-end query and you can ask for specific and practical examples from their previous experience. It also provides SEO companies a chance to really highlight their achievements. They have the chance to show you benefits of working with them.

Their previous clients and proven record:

Many SEO companies promote big company names and logos as their clients on their websites. Several times, these claims are false and irrelevant to SEO solutions. Whenever you are considering any SEO company ask them clearly and directly about their previous SEO clients, strategies employed and results achieved. Those clients generally do not mind being mentioned in their SEO portfolio as this also generate free indirect publicity for them. So, if any SEO company mentions that their clients wish to remain anonymous, take it as a warning sign that the SEO Company might not be legit.

Their Pricing Plans:

Many SEO companies have different types of pricing plans. These prices depend upon the type of marketing plans designed for your business. They offer both flexible and fixed pricing plan options with some upfront payment.

On the other hand, if any SEO company is charging by the keyword, it should be considered as a warning sign of deceit. Keywords, be it 1 or 10 does not make a difference. It is the expertise, planning, and execution of the marketing which is the foundation of their cost.

Their Reporting Methods:

A good SEO company will always tailor their reports as per the needs and requirement of their clients. Before you finalize your contract with any SEO company ask them to show you a real-life example i.e. not a sample of their reporting methods and metrics. This will help you understand and decide between various SEO companies and if they are a good match for you.

Conclusion:

SEO strategy is one of the most effective online marketing tools. Basic understanding of SEO will help you identify the right goals for your business. These goals will help your business get more visibility and higher revenue.

In short, a good SEO company will have a uniform online presence. They will answer your questions regarding their SEO practices. They will ask you technical questions around your business and website. They will happily show you their previous performances. A good SEO company will not just use tags of client companies, they will show you their achievements in terms of performance and rankings of their websites.

Reporting methods and prices also varies by every SEO company. A professional SEO company will design their reports which are easy to for their clients to understand. It is important for a successful marketing campaign for both parties to be on the same page for marketing campaign. With preparation, you can employ a worthy, proficient SEO provider and enjoy better visibility and higher rankings on search engine results.