Getting large amounts of organic traffic from Google is every business owner’s dream, right? If you had all the time in the world, you and your team could probably do a lot of SEO (or Search Engine Optimisation) yourself. However, hiring a professional team to do the job for you could be the right decision. Not only are SEO companies more capable than your average business owner in doing optimisation, but they can also save you a lot of time and energy that you just simply don’t have.
The SEO services market has become so big to the point where it’s worth well over $80 billion just in the US. This means that more and more businesses are hiring companies to handle their optimisation shenanigans.
Read along as we take a lot of the benefits of hiring an SEO company. We’ll also cover how you can outsource your needs to the right one.
The pros of hiring an SEO Company
While doing SEO in-house all by yourself is doable if you put enough effort and time into learning it, there still are many benefits to outsourcing it. Here are some of the benefits of hiring an SEO company:
1. Hiring an SEO company can be cost effective
Search engine optimisation can be a difficult and complex process. As a result, it can be quite counter-productive to put time and money into training an in-house employee to handle it. Why? You might ask. Well, most people don’t have the right skills when it comes to SEO, and it might take months to properly train them. And then what happens if/when that employee leaves the business?
So, if you want your SEO to be done right, then you’re probably better off with someone or a ‘team of someone’ who have years of experience in the area.
Most SEO companies have teams of professionals, with each specialising in a specific area of search engine optimisation. Bring them together, and you will have one unit that is capable of providing a lot of value for little cost (when compared to doing it yourself).
2. It’s more sophisticated
Many businesses think of SEO as this concept that solely depends on writing content that revolves around the right keywords (and their variants) and hoping it works. That strategy isn’t inherently wrong, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SEO.
When hiring a good SEO company, expect them to help you develop your SEO in these areas:
- Keyword research & use
- Content strategies
- Content marketing
- Link building strategies
- Technical SEO (backend SEO)
- Etc
3. Hiring an SEO company yields faster results
If your website already has a decent amount of organic traffic coming in each month, an SEO company will work around that traffic to further develop your marketing strategy in a way that ensures faster results. If you don’t have organic traffic coming in already, SEO agencies will work closely with you to start to get you results as quick as possible.
Additionally, when hiring an SEO company, it’s only logical for them to begin work immediately after you approach them. Most of the time, doing SEO in-house needs a lot of preparation and planning in order to be executed properly.
However, this is rarely the case for the full-fledged professionals that you can find in an SEO agency.
Then there is the fact that any SEO efforts should be continuously tested and measured in order to be improved hence the word “optimisation”.
Hiring an SEO company – Best practices
Choosing the right SEO company can be a tricky business. It requires a lot of careful decision-making. That’s because not only do you need to find a good SEO agency, but you also need to find one that fits well with your goals and needs.
Because of this, we have included 9 tips that every business should follow if they want to effectively hire an SEO company.
1. Ask your network
One of the best sources for good SEO company recommendations is your business’ network. You would have to focus on the businesses that function within your particular industry. That’s because most of their SEO objectives align with yours.
2. Avoid promises like guaranteed results
The number one rule of thumb with SEO is the fact that it takes a lot of time to show results. So, having a company promise you something like guaranteed ranking is a massive red flag. They are either using (illegitimate) black-hat SEO techniques, or they are straight up scamming you.
3. When hiring an SEO company: Get an idea of what’s included in packages
Most SEO agencies offer SEO packages that include a wide variety of services. Many go as far as offering an all-in-one package. And while there is nothing wrong with a complete and whole package, you still need to do your research in order to understand whether a provider is ready to tailor their services to your needs or not.
4. Check out user reviews & testimonials
Whether you were recommended an SEO agency by someone in your network or you stumbled on one through your own research, it’s always a must to check out their user reviews. In today’s day and age, customer reviews and testimonials are easily accessible online.
Check to see if their previous clients have enjoyed working with them. Furthermore, look for any evidence that they have generated results for their clients (sales, organic traffic, leads, etc.).
You should also look through their website and social media for any examples of their past work or anything that proves that they are good at what they are doing (case studies, portfolios).
Lastly, ask yourself: How good are they at communicating their analytics once their work is done?
5. Communicate your SEO goals
Ranking well at Google’s SERPs is a goal that every business has when it comes to SEO. However, surely you have other reachable goals, such as increasing your organic engagement in the next 6 months or so, achieving a milestone in sales, and more.
The most important part here, however, is to communicate these goals in a clear and concise way to your potential SEO company.
This would ensure that both you and your provider are on the same page, expectations-wise. Additionally, most providers will go out of their own way to recommend to you some more SEO goals that you didn’t know you had or needed.
6. Focus on the techniques used
As a business with optimisation goals, you should have an idea of how an SEO provider will help you achieve said goals, i.e., what techniques they plan to use. SEO is an ever-changing domain, so make sure that the provider in question is up to date.
To get an idea of this, simply check out their website or ask for a consultation. More on that later.
7. When hiring an SEO company: Look for value
When it comes to search engine optimisation, you usually end up getting what you pay for. However, as is the case with any product or service out there, certain SEO companies may charge much more than the competition.
Still, such instances are probably the result of that company having much more experience and expertise behind it than its competitors. In other words, for SEO, cheaper does not necessarily equal better.
8. Ask for a free consultation
Once you establish clear-cut SEO goals, make sure to ask whatever provider you end up approaching for a free consultation. Most of the leading SEO agencies offer free consultations, so do take advantage of such an opportunity.
A consultation will give you a much clearer idea about how an SEO company functions than some customer reviews or testimonials.
9. Ask for full transparency
Make sure to hire an SEO company that is very much transparent about whatever techniques they plan to use. The agency you hire should not hold any results from you. Indeed, it’s very much within your rights to demand full transparency in such a situation.
When we say full transparency, we’re referring to the following aspects:
- Get an idea of what you’re paying for. If a company is intentionally hiding crucial payment information from you (such as the individual costs of each service in a package), that might be a sign of shady practices such as overbilling
- It’s a major red flag if a company is hesitant to be fully transparent with you. That might imply a lot of things, such as them using black-hat practices and more
- Lastly, transparency is key when it comes to reports. If an SEO company refuses to provide you with weekly, quarterly, or monthly reports, then it can become difficult for you to calculate your ROI (return on investment)
Hiring an SEO company – The best companies
There are hundreds of search engine optimisation companies out there, but if you want to go with the best, look no further than Rockstar Marketing.
Rockstar Marketing is a UK-based digital marketing agency that houses several digital marketing, design, and development experts who can help you with a plethora of different things, from email marketing to LinkedIn advertising. Our SEO services range from on-site search engine optimisation to content development and link building.
Please note that, as we have just said above, there are hundreds of other SEO companies out there that are just as capable as ours. So, make sure to do your own research to figure out which one truly works for you.
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