As you might already know, Search Engine Optimization is a crucial determinant of success in today’s increasingly digital business environment. Hiring an SEO agency can ramp up your efforts fast.
Whether you’re venturing into e-commerce, need to popularize your service brand, or simply want to establish a commanding online presence for your brick-and-mortar store, SEO is inarguably among the crucial digital marketing aspects that any modern-day business needs to prioritize.
SEO Coaching is also an option – it can help train your team to take over doing SEO work on your own.
Nonetheless, SEO is a continually evolving “discipline” – one with a wide range of technicalities and complexities to navigate. While some search engine optimization processes might seem easy enough to handle on your own, hiring an expert is much more beneficial, and in many ways.
And since not all SEO companies are equal in terms of things like pricing, their approaches, expertise, and specialization, one thing is for sure. It pays to have a sit-down with your prospective SEO professional and interview them briefly to determine whether or not they’re the right person/agency for the job.
Alongside the benefits of doing so, this piece highlights five of the most important questions to ask an SEO expert or agency before hiring them.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Hiring an SEO Agency
Dedicating your search marketing needs to an expert agency or professional can provide innumerable benefits.
Perhaps some of the most significant ones may include.
- Saves time and money
- They have vast knowledge and expertise
- They’ll be on top of changes in the industry
- Experts provide analytical reports and critical metrics that can help you make profitable adjustments
- They can help you improve ROI
Why You Should Interview SEO Experts
Besides letting you determine if an SEO expert is a right fit for your business needs, asking the right questions as you explore hiring an SEO agency can help give you an insight into the kind of results to expect. It can also help you in creating a budget and making informed marketing decisions.
5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an SEO Expert
As earlier mentioned, the effectiveness of your SEO on your ROI will largely depend on the agency or expert you choose to work with. During your interview with them, asking the following questions can help you find out if an SEO provider will be the best fit for your business.
1. What Companies Have You Worked With?
An SEO firm that has experience working with companies (preferably successful ones) related to or in the same industry as yours is more likely to deliver results for your business. Moreover, you can always reach out to some of these companies to find out what their experience was like working with the SEO agency in question.
Besides just telling you how long they have been in business, a good SEO company should also demonstrate their experience in helping companies like yours get game-changing SEO results. As you can learn more here, this is often in terms of online presence, lead generation, recognition, conversion rates, and ROI, among other factors.
2. What Types Of SEO Services Do You Offer?
There are many different types of SEO, and not all SEO agencies may provide all of them. For instance, some companies specialize in local search, whereas others have more focus on organic SEO, paid SEO, and social media SEO campaigns.
Some combine one or several of these with services like link building, content marketing, guest blogging, link audits, and more. Basically, most agencies offer SEO services as a package or individually, with the former being a lot cheaper in most cases.
3. How Much Do Your SEO Services Cost For A Small/Medium/Large Business?
Another important thing to note is that all SEO agencies and experts charge differently, and there isn’t a clear-cut formula that’s agreed upon for pricing.
By asking about the price range, however, you can determine the kind of service you’ll get with an SEO expert or agency, and it can even help you plan a budget accordingly in case you choose to hire them.
Also, don’t forget to ask them if there are other discounts that you might be eligible for.
4. How Long Do You Plan To Spend On My Project Before Achieving Results?
While it’s a general statement, a good SEO agency will need to have a strong reason to spend more time on a project than another company in the same field. Though it’s ideal to spend no more than six months on an SEO project, depending on the specifics of your business, you might require more time.
Ideally, it can be a great idea to ask them how long it will take to get the project done. If the SEO expert doesn’t have a solid answer, it might just be a red flag.
5. How Often Will We Communicate, And What Will The Process Be Like?
While they might be on a project 24/7, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the SEO agency will always be available to discuss your progress or your problems. Some SEO companies may have an office or staff in the same city where you live, but most of them won’t.
The most important thing here is that you will want to be kept in the loop and provided with frequent updates about where they are with the project. Better yet, asking if they’ll be accessible to you is very important, as is asking what the process will be like after the project is done. If they don’t have an exact communication process in place, it’s a big no-no.
Hiring an SEO agency that will get your business the results you need can indeed be a tough calling. However, it gets less daunting if you narrow down your options and ask the right questions before making your hire.
