We live in an age of false gurus. They are all over social media promising they hacked the code to be successful if they adopt their simple system at a low price. I mean, it’s not hard to sniff out if they’re trustworthy or if they’re looking to make some quick money.Here are nine questions I recommend asking before investing in an SEO partner. indicate.
1. How long have you been doing this?
It makes sense to hire someone with at least two years of experience. Look for someone who takes a long term approach.
2. How will my ranking improve?
Modern SEO requires a comprehensive strategy and experienced execution. If an agency is doing this right, it will be transparent about its strategy. But if an SEO company is hesitant to explain their process, they probably aren’t qualified or just want to cash your check and don’t care about the results.
3. How do you approach backlinks?
Backlinks (links that another website returns to your website) have been important to SEO ever since Google came out with their PageRank algorithm, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.
What is PageRank and why are backlinks valuable? PageRank is a core part of Google’s algorithm that counts backlinks as “votes” in search engine popularity contests. Also, one good backlink is worth more than several cheap alternatives, so quality is more important than quantity.
No self-respecting SEO provider will pursue low-quality backlinks, and shady providers will not allow it. There are a myriad of ways to solicit backlinks, but two to avoid are “forum signatures” (stuffing links in bios for forums that are never used again) or “link directories” (lists of worthless links that exist as and websites that real people don’t use just to get links).
A good SEO company can transparently communicate with you about your link building strategy. !
4. What do you track?
SEO can be technical, so you don’t need to know everything, but I would say most SEO companies track:
Ranking: You should be able to see which target keywords are rising (or falling) in your ranking report.
traffic: A traffic report should show search traffic for a specific time period (i.e. a month or a year) compared to previous ranges.
conversion: Any experienced SEO company knows that the money is in conversions. Without conversions, there is no return on investment and increased traffic is just a vanity metric.
All three metrics are important, but you can’t track conversions without traffic or track traffic without rankings. If your website is new, track your ranking until it appears on his first page on Google. Page 1 brings traffic. So you can track it. When conversion.
5. Are you following Google’s best practices?
If you want Google to get along with you, you have to get along with Google. Failure to do so may result in your website disappearing from Google in the form of search engine penalties. SEO providers should be able to be candid about how well they adhere to Google-recommended best practices, or at least where they might push boundaries.
6. What do you know about Google’s algorithm?
Most Google algorithm updates have only a minor impact on a single site. However, some algorithms are important enough to name, such as Pandas, Penguins, and Hummingbirds. A qualified he SEO provider should be familiar with most of these. Here’s a good resource if you want to learn more.
7. Tell me about your unsuccessful campaign.
Most SEO companies have failed in the past. That’s how you learn. Whether it’s because of that or the lack of participation from the client, it’s great to hear why it didn’t perform well and, more importantly, how it was fixed for the future.
8. Who is your longest standing client?
If you find a good tax accountant, you probably won’t mind paying their fees because you’ll save enough taxes to cover that cost. If your SEO firm has been around for a few years but can’t talk about long-term clients, be careful.
9. Can you guarantee 1st place in the ranking?
I hate to call someone a liar, but someone who promises to be #1 every time is not telling the truth. The myth persists, but here’s why the guarantee seems too good to be true.
Google’s algorithm is technically a mystery. Google is in business to make money. Specifically, billions of dollars. If someone cracks that algorithm, its earnings will be vulnerable. SEO companies can read insights from Google publications and patent applications, or conduct their own research, but Google doesn’t share anything else.
Algorithm changes are constant. Algorithms change from day to day, so if someone comes up with an algorithm, it won’t be the same the next day.
It’s a risky business. Driving 20 mph over the speed limit may not be a problem if you don’t get caught. However, the results of doing so can be considerable. Similarly, Google regularly rolls out manual and algorithmic speed traps, making SEO shortcuts a game you don’t want to play.
Good SEO is a two-way street
A good relationship with an SEO company is a partnership built on mutual understanding. You are both pursuing the same goal: to increase your bottom line. Work together from the beginning to determine how you can help each other reach those goals.
