Deciding to hire an SEO specialist is, for the most time, the easiest part, especially when your website is not getting the traffic you want. 

Yes. Sometimes, stagnation catches up with us unawares. But it often occurs when a company is not swift enough to adapt to changes in the latest trends and search algorithms. And keeping up with the changes is a big-time job! 

That’s why searching for a dedicated SEO agency can be a massive asset to your digital marketing department. But, conversely, a wrong choice can cause the downfall of your business. 

To help you choose the right SEO specialist for your company, we’ve outlined seven essential tips in this guide. These tips will help you make an informed decision and draw out any SEO agency interested in only your money. 

1. Get A List Of Past And Current Clients 

Anyone can establish an SEO firm overnight and call themselves experts. But it doesn’t mean they have a clue of what they’re doing. So to be sure, you need to get a list of their clients, both old and new, and verify. 

A reputable SEO agency should be transparent and willing to share a brief list of current and former clients, including their contact information. The references can help you determine how effective a candidate is. 

Also, you can verify from the previous clients if the agency did indeed work on a particular SEO campaign. The clients may not give you detailed analytics (which is understandable). But they should tell you if they saw an improvement in their search ranking, especially in acquiring customers and conversions.  

So you should ask for at least three current clients you can contact for further information. 

2.Ask For The Agency’s SEO Strategy 

Be wary of SEO consultants who won’t share their detailed SEO strategies. Instead, they should be able to explain the methods they’d use to improve your site’s search engine ranking. In addition, the company should estimate how long it will take to achieve the SEO objectives you agree on. 

Furthermore, make sure the company includes an initial technical review of your business site to find the issues that decrease your ranking. That can consist of error pages, broken links, etc. 

The SEO firm should also provide on-page optimization. An on-page optimization ensures that your website is well optimized for search engines. It includes improving your internal linking structure, your site’s URL, and developing headings, web page titles, and tags. 

Also, ask the SEO specialist if they give an off-page SEO approach to increase your content visibility on other sites. SEO agencies can pull this off through blogs, social media platforms, etc. 

3.Avoid SEO Specialists That Make SEO Too Simple

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves techniques that help your site rank higher on Google and other search engines. Now, the methods used to improve the rankings keep changing. 

In fact, Google has announced an update set to roll out in May 2021. But, unfortunately, SEO is no easy task, and that’s why it’s often misunderstood. So people who claim to have unique insight into Google’s algorithms are usually lying. 

A good SEO-like SEO web design in Los Angeles requires an in-depth understanding of how a search engine works, keenness on details, and periodic modifications since Google’s algorithm keeps changing. 

Furthermore, shortcuts such as keyword stuffing, purchasing links, and cloaking can cause search engines to penalize your site, thereby decreasing organic traffic. These techniques are referred to as Black Hat SEO because they go against the rules of search engines. 

SEO agencies that make it too simple or claim they have unique insight could be implementing Black Hat SEO strategies. But, unfortunately, if you choose such a company, you will pay a higher price in the end. 

4.Be Clear About Your Goals And Find An Agency That Meets Them

Don’t hire an SEO specialist with a vague objective of “increasing organic traffic.” That’s deadly. First of all, we have different kinds of organic traffic. Second, that means increased traffic doesn’t automatically result in increased revenue. 

For example, ranking first for men’s Italian fashion does you no good if you’re in the restaurant business. That’s a lot of money gone to waste. To avoid that, you need to know what you want to accomplish with Search Engine Optimization exactly. 

Do you want to decrease your bounce rate or boost product sales with specific keywords? Are you looking to boost your conversion rate? If you intend to grow your ad income, would you prefer a smaller audience or a massive audience spending enough time on your site? 

Is your primary goal to build a social media following? Regardless of the SEO specialist you choose, make sure you know exactly the results you expect and what services you’ll need. 

5.Go With Word of Mouth, Not Just Google’s List of Best SEO Agencies

There is a reason why you shouldn’t choose an SEO specialist based on how well they rank on Google., and a good one too. The best SEO agencies are usually busy optimizing their client’s websites. They don’t have time to rank their websites. 

The best SEO companies usually have lifelong clients who have referred their colleagues to the same service. Most of the time, it’s typically new firms that rank for “best WordPress theme development company,” for example. 

Also, some companies pay a premium to be listed on some listicle websites. Good SEO firms already have too much on their hands to do that. 

Of course, this is not to say that all companies on such platforms are newbies. Consider such SEO platforms that list “top SEO companies in New York,” for example. But the best way to find a qualified and experienced SEO specialist is through word-of-mouth advertising. 

 Instead of relying on Google, you can ask your colleagues in a professional circle or other businesses within your industry. 

6.Ask If They Will Share Any Changes On Your Site With You

With SEO, there are likely to be several changes to the existing coding of your web page. Therefore, it’s crucial to know the exact adjustments the SEO firm plans to make. If you want your SEO specialist to seek permission before any changes, let them know upfront. 

For example, will the SEO company add new title tags to your current HTML code or modify existing ones? Will they provide additional content that highlights your products and services to increase visibility online? 

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