To identify the perfect SEO outsourcing partner for your SEO requirements, you should assess their experience, the range of services they provide, their past performance and the degree to which the external provider's offerings match your business objectives.
Clearly articulating your objectives is an essential step before you start looking for the right SEO agency. Reflect on these questions to help your decision-making process:
- What kind of traffic do you want to get?
- Which sales regions need to be improved?
- Does your business operate locally, nationally or internationally?
- Do you manage several points of sale that need separate SEO assistance?
- What geographical areas are you concentrating on?
- What are your main areas of focus - improving products, generating new concepts, acquiring customers or attracting leads?
- What are your long-term SEO goals?
- What revenue do you expect to generate from your SEO initiatives?
The answer to these questions will establish a solid basis for assessing whether a freelancer or a large agency can fulfil your needs.
- Emphasise the services you need
Once you've established your SEO objectives, the next step is to determine the services you need. These can include technical SEO assessments, content development, link acquisition, keyword analysis, etc. In addition, there are ancillary services, which may involve reputation management, local SEO efforts or algorithm recovery. Assess whether you need a complete package or just a few specific services.
At this point, it's crucial to emphasise the specialised services you may need. Ask about the agency's services and how they stand out from their rivals. Check their portfolio and reviews to validate their claims.
Don't ignore the specialised skills provided by software development companies, as they can improve your site's performance and features.
SEO requires long-term dedication, usually needing a minimum of 12 months to produce visible results. If quick results are essential, explore alternatives such as
PPC. Be wary of agencies that claim excessively fast results, as they often use dubious methods that can result in penalties from Google's algorithm.
It's crucial to take into account evolving business requirements and industry developments. Make sure your SEO strategies are adaptable to your changing needs without interfering with your current processes.
It's essential to find a middle ground between the services required and your budget. Choosing an economical option can produce minimal results and involve dangerous strategies, such as spamming backlinks or creating low-quality, keyword-saturated content. Trying to reduce your costs can negatively affect your SEO strategies over time.
On the other hand, a higher price doesn't always guarantee quality. The essential step is to carry out exhaustive research and evaluate various pricing models in order to make an informed choice. Starting off in the wrong way can be more expensive, so it's essential to set the budget correctly from the outset.
- Evaluate several SEO companies
Look for an SEO company that has a successful track record and favourable online feedback. Review their case studies and portfolios to assess their expertise in your field. Once you have selected potential agencies, book a consultation call.
In the course of these preliminary talks, keep the following in mind:
- Categories of clients they take on (small, medium or large companies);
- Method of analysing the competition;
- Tools and methods used;
- Customer references and endorsements;
- Indicators for evaluating results.
Transparency is essential, so avoid agencies that offer ambiguous guarantees without showing a track record of significant achievements.