We live in a world of charlatans and quick fixes. How often do you see self-help books, online courses, or social media reels focusing on instant weight loss, wrinkle-zappers, and wealth and fortune without lifting a finger? Everything around us is catered to instant results, instant success, and instant satisfaction; even the fast-food joint on the corner is driven by this promise.
As a serious business owner, you’ll know that if you’re looking for long-term ROI and quality results, the long game is where it’s at. And you know the value of working with trusted individuals and businesses that will help you get there.
The problem is that finding these high-value services becomes ever more difficult in a market crowded by those who shout the loudest.
This is certainly no different in the SEO game. If you perhaps already have an internet search behind you, there’s no doubt you’ve been targeted by ads that promise instant #1 Google rankings, 10x website traffic, and six-figure returns, all by simply investing in one ridiculously overpriced or worryingly cheap onboarding call or online course. So, how do you even begin finding a reliable SEO company in this jungle of gibberish?
In this quick guide, we’ll help you do just that, looking at 4 key questions you can ask yourself and your potential SEO agency to help establish if they’re the real deal and the right fit for you.
1. Establish Your Business Goals
To start, you’ll need to assess where you currently stand in your digital strategy and what your own key priorities will be moving forward.
For example, perhaps you’re starting from scratch and have no digital presence to speak of. In that case, you’ll definitely need to search for full-service SEO agencies that can carry you every step of the way. But perhaps you already have a strong Google presence and no social media experience — or vice versa — and need someone to help you fill that gap. There’s no point in working with Anna from Instagram, who has a very limited scope in what she can offer if it doesn’t meet your business requirements.
The best local SEO company on your radar is likely to be a full-service agency, a company that offers SEO, UX design, content planning and writing, social media management, and even ongoing website maintenance. This ensures that they’ll have a team of experts to cater to your business goals, no matter what they may be, and that your agency can grow with you as your business develops.
By choosing an SEO agency that’s established across the board, you can also ensure that they’re in this for the long haul and not a quick-fix expert using black hat techniques that will likely trigger Google’s spam alerts and backfire further down the line.
But once you have a few of those “SEO company Australia” search results, how can you narrow them down to find the one best suited to you?
2. Ask About Their Local SEO Expertise
It’s likely that your first search will bring up global service agencies that may not understand your hometown market, or very small local SEO services that don’t know much beyond their immediate region. Ideally, you’d find a good in-between, a company that understands both general SEO and GEO (generative engine optimisation) practices and location-based strategies. Local SEO, after all, is a very specialised field that goes beyond optimising for standard Google search results.
As a first point, analyse the company’s website. Do they talk about local SEO strategies? Are they focused on catering to small businesses and local communities? Do they mention targeting geo-specific keywords, optimising Google Business Profiles, and working specifically on Google’s Local Pack (also known as the Map Pack or Local 3-Pack)?
If so, then you’re already on the right track in finding the best local SEO company for your business needs. But it’s also a good idea to take it one step further. Chat to the team to find out about their experience with similar businesses or ask for case studies to see how they’ve worked with clients in the past.
The goal here is to establish the company’s practices and knowledge of localised SEO. While finding an SEO company with highly relevant experience is gold, this may not always be possible, especially if you’re in a niche industry or are considering a more newly-established SEO agency. So your main focus should be on establishing whether or not the company can offer actual localised services over more general SEO and social media management packages.
3. Understand Their Communication And Reporting Practices
Effective SEO is a long-term strategy, and before hiring an SEO company, you need to know that you’ll be able to work with the team effectively over the long haul. Part of this requires understanding the company’s communication and reporting styles.
Of course, you should immediately steer clear of companies that promise first-position Google rankings within a week or 10x website traffic within a month. These are lucrative promises, but they’re almost impossible to achieve and all but guarantee you’re about to enter into an agreement with a company that’s either about to scam you or use black hat practices to achieve great initial results that will backfire as soon as they’ve walked off with your cash.
Instead, look for a company that sets realistic expectations and offers clear communication and reporting practices. Establish how often they’ll update you, what metrics they track, and how they explain their focus. It’s worth remembering that establishing a good SEO or social strategy takes time, and it’s unrealistic to expect daily communication and massive weekly progress. Monthly or quarterly updates and progress reports, however, should be the norm.
Your chosen company should be able to offer you clear content plans and insight into key performance indicators, including website growth, keyword rankings, online reviews, business profile engagement, and click-through and conversion rates. At the very least, they should be working with data from Google Analytics and Google Search Console, but most expert companies will also rely on a host of other analytics tools or their own programmes to draw up reports.
Providing SEO-specific KPIs keeps your chosen SEO company on track and gives you, as the business owner, a clearer overview of how well your digital marketing campaigns are performing.
4. Consider Overall Value And Growth
A dirt-cheap SEO expert may be the dream, but it’s important to consider overall value and growth over initial investment. Going for the cheapest provider may suit your needs better now, but they may not actually be the best option in the long haul, especially if you’re considering the long-term ROI a well-established SEO strategy can bring. The goal in hiring an SEO company is to find a team that can work with you to find long-term success in the digital sphere.
But to ensure the local SEO company you’re considering matches your budget, it’s also worth comparing pricing packages and understanding what’s included. Perhaps the company in question can tailor a package to suit your needs? Or perhaps there is the option of upgrading or downgrading the plan you choose as your needs change?
A higher upfront cost should not deter you from choosing the SEO agency that can help you and your business achieve greater success in the long term, especially if they offer the deliverables, communication, and reporting practices essential to SEO success. The old adage, ‘you get what you pay for,’ comes into play here.
Find The Right Partner For The Long Haul
Finding the best local SEO company to work with may require time and effort. You’ll likely have to do a little digging, ask questions, compare packages, and invest in discussions, strategy meetings, and interviews.
But if you invest this time properly and focus on choosing an SEO agency that will stick with you, it’s a process you’ll hopefully only have to do once.
The key is finding a local SEO company like PrecisionSEO that caters to a wide range of requirements and comes with a dedicated team of experts to help you through your entire digital strategy — today, tomorrow, and beyond.
