SEO is a complex and wide spreading practice that isn’t always easy to do in house. This is why the majority of organisations choose to partner with an SEO specialist agency to plan and manage their search engine optimisation strategies. But when it comes to choosing an agency, the options can be overwhelming. So we’ve put together this helpful guide of what to look for in an SEO agency.

 

1. Make sure they are an SEO specialist

The first thing to look out for when choosing an SEO agency is to make sure that they are, in fact, an SEO agency. Many digital marketing agencies who cover a wide range of services may say they are an integrated marketing company, offering a full set of services. However this often means that they are an agency of all trades and master of none.

Agencies who specialise specifically in search engine optimisation mean they will be fully committed to this practice, will be up to date on all the latest trends, and will have an in-depth knowledge of all facets of SEO.

 

2. Make sure they cover all areas of SEO

Speaking of which, the next thing to check when looking for your SEO agency, is that they cover all types of SEO. You should check their website or ask them directly about their range of services. You want to be partnering with an agency who cover: technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, local SEO, content SEO and mobile SEO. These are all the key areas of search engine optimisation that you want your agency to be experienced in. 

 

3. Expect them to suggest a full audit when you start working with them

As part of your initial discussions, you will want to know where the agency will start once they are on-boarded to work with you. The answer to this is a full site audit. Any good agency would want to assess where you sit within your market, and in the organic search landscape.

They should ask for your competitors, and they should suggest both a technical audit (looking at your website from a technical point of view and checking for crawl errors, missing meta content, indexing issue) and a keyword analysis. This would include checking how your website already ranks for your target keywords, as well as defining a targeted keyword list and steps to be taken to achieve the desired rankings.

 

4. Ask for some case studies or references

A great way to assess if your potential SEO agency is as good as they sound is to ask for case studies and references. Any good agency should be able to give you a list of other organisations that they work with or have worked with. This should give you an idea of the type of clients they are used to partnering with.

Case studies are also a great way to understand the type of projects they have worked on and how they summarise that work. Case studies should give you insights into the types of problems their clients were looking to solve, and the results they could deliver. And finally reviews and testimonials are another useful way to assess what an agency is like. If they come highly rated on Google (where the reviewed company can’t delete or amend honest reviews), then this is a good sign. Most agencies will list clients and show testimonials on their website, so have a browse for these too.

 

5. Ask to meet the specialists you will be working with

When you’re further down the journey in selecting your SEO agency and you’ve started speaking to an account manager or client services team, it’s advised to ask if you can meet their SEO specialists.

A quick call to meet their team and speak with one or two of their specialists is a great way to get a feel for their technical team, understand their internal structure, and get more familiar with the individuals who will be carrying out the actual work.

This is also a great time to ask about their ways of working and how often you will speak to them and in what format (calls, emails, automated reports).

 

6. Understand that price isn’t always the deciding factor

It may be tempting to want to go with the cheapest agency you can find, however lower rates don’t always guarantee good quality. If an agency is serious about the standard of service they provide, they will not change an exceedingly low price. They are looking to partner with companies who are willing to invest in their services and form a long term relationship. So ask for quotes from a few agencies if you want to get a feel for pricing, but don’t go for a race to the bottom, as your content and work may suffer.

Finding your perfect SEO agency partner isn’t always an easy task, and may take some time, research and evaluation. However it’s worth putting in the effort, going through the above steps, and ensuring the agency you’re entrusting with your organic performance is the right one.

If you would like to speak to one of our team, see our case studies or have a chat about the range of services we can help you with, reach out to one of our team today.