Welcome to the wild, wild, west.
Well, at least that’s what if feels like if you are looking for a reputable, proven and effective SEO partner to drive your business forward. The problem is that while great SEO skills are in very big demand, the market is not yet riddled with an Internet marketing agency that can deliver the quality search engine optimization you deserve.
Don’t trust every Internet Marketing Agency you meet
There is obviously a lot of money at risk when you invest in an Internet marketing agency to meet your online traffic and Internet ranking needs. Not only is good SEO vital to your long-term success in today’s business world, but the right agency might add extra costs to your budget too, right?
In the end, the cost is worth it. Good SEO can equal millions if done right. So while many scammers abound, it pays to invest in finding a reputable SEO Internet marketing agency that can deliver exceptional results for your business.
A few tips on finding your SEO agency.
It may not be easy, but there are steps you can take to find the right SEO partners.
Let’s look at a few:
-
Define your needs. SEO is like every other specialty need you may have. There are good and bad options everywhere. First consider what you really need. Want more traffic? Conversions? Are you trying to boost your CPM, or sell more of you products? Every business is different, and your SEO needs are unique too. Be sure you know what you really need before you select a partners.
-
Get referrals. Just ask around at happy hour or at the next business gathering. It will become glaringly obvious just how many opinions abound about any given Internet marketing agency specializing in SEO. Use your contacts to make a list of any potential agencies and then start narrowing down the list. You can use social media to ask for referrals too. It’s a great venue of gauging opinions in the marketplace. Sometimes word of mouth is worth a million.
-
Go to the pubs. Not the beer pubs—the trade pubs. The right Internet marketing agency for your SEO needs could be the one featured in the latest issue of the trades. Or maybe listed on the most popular blogs and sites dedicated to SEO.
-
Go to the next big SEO conference. If you are looking for the best in SEO agencies,
you can be sure they will be attending the best SEO conferences. After all, today’s conferences and trade shows are all about networking. Your perfect match may be just as actively looking for you too!
These are just a few tips for finding your right SEO partner agency. But there are some tips for avoiding a loser, too. After all, this is the wild, wild west again, right? There are plenty of “black hat” wearing agencies out there to beware of.
-
Avoid agencies that can’t answer SEO questions confidently. You can’t rely on everyone to know everything, but you can expect a certain level of credibility.
-
Remember that SEO is organic—no package deal. No agency should be pricing or optimizing by the “page” anymore. Those SEO days are long gone. Instead, look for pricing that is flexible and based on the success metrics you are looking for specifically.
-
No long contracts! There’s nothing wrong with trial periods to test the waters and be assured that your new partner is everything you dreamed of in your SEO dreams. Maybe ask for as little as a one-month contract to see where the relationship is going. No one wants into a long term marriage right away.
-
Good SEO partners are out there.
-
In the end, investing in a more expensive agency is worth it if the results are there. We all need SEO these days. What is it worth to you?
Want to learn more? Talk to us.
