Choosing the right SEO agency for your website can be a difficult business. Do you go with the cheapest option in the hope that they turn out to offer great value for money, or do you go for the company who charge the most money as they should, in theory, provide the highest level of service and results?
Well, forget money for a moment, as there are other ways that you can determine whether an SEO agency is going to offer a quality service.
Here’s our top 5 signs to look out for when choosing your next optimisation agency:
Long-Term Contracts: If you are speaking to an SEO company and they mention that their service ties you down into a long-term contract then it automatically raises suspicion over how effective their campaigns may prove to be. Of course, some agencies might simply tie you into a contract to protect themselves, especially if they’ve had to hire new employees to help with your SEO campaign but, in most cases, there are a lot of agencies that offer a poor quality service that always tend to tie clients into 12, and even 24, month contracts. So, if the discussion of a long-term contract comes up then speak to them about this issue, especially if it makes you uneasy.
Referrals: Many of Jump 2 IT Media’s SEO clients have came via referrals, and this provides companies with assurance that the SEO agency that they will be using has come recommended by a friend, family member or a business acquaintance. If you’ve not received any recommendations then we suggest asking the SEO companies that you are speaking to whether they are happy for you to contact some of their existing/previous clients to discover how happy they are/were with the work that was carried out on their site. That usually helps to sort out the weeds from the flowers.
Promises: No high quality SEO company will ever make stonewall promises to their clients, especially when it comes to timescales, because there is no way of knowing exactly when a client’s positions will start to improve. Sure, we can roughly estimate, but to promise that a certain position will be achieved by a certain date is impossible to do. So, if any SEO companies provide you promise after promise then it’s safe to say that you are going to end up disappointed.
Personally speaking, I would rather provide prospective clients with clear facts rather than fake promises. It certainly works far better when it comes to creating a positive relationship with them.
Results: Any SEO agency worth their salt will be able to provide you with a number of examples of the successful campaigns that they have carried out for their clients, so ask them to provide you with case studies, figures and examples of the work that they have achieved in the past. Also, beware of companies that tell you that you they have gained top positions on Google for extremely specific terms. For example, we’ve heard of other companies that have told clients that they’ve gained first page rankings for ‘Second Hand Welding Machines in Matlock, Bath’, which isn’t exactly an overly competitive term to be found for, hence why they probably achieved a positive ranking. However, if an SEO agency can provide you with examples of top rankings that they’ve achieved for highly competitive terms then, in most cases, you could be onto a winner.
Honesty: At Jump 2 IT Media, we are always completely transparent and open with our clients. If we are asked whether a client should run a PPC campaign, and we feel that it wouldn’t benefit them, then we tell them straight, regardless of the fact that it might mean that we’re not taking any additional money for that client each month. This can, of course, work against us from time to time, especially if a potential client is also speaking to another SEO firm that is more than happy to provide false promises and simply tell them what the client wants to hear. However, we would rather that our clients spend their money wisely, as that helps to build up a stronger level of trust between us both, which leads to retaining that client for years down the line.
If you feel that your SEO company are not being entirely honest with you then it might be time to jump ship. You’d be amazed at how many clients have told us about their bad experiences with other SEO agencies in the past, which only makes us more determined to provide our clients with the highest level of service that we possibly can. This is something that we pride ourselves on, which is why the majority of our clients have been with us for five years and over.
We think that is a sign of a good SEO agency.
Discover more on Jump 2 IT Media’s SEO services by clicking here.
