So you’ve hired an SEO firm to handle all your SEO campaigns. Things look promising from the start but suddenly your stats go downward, you don’t know what to do. To avoid all this there are some clear signs that can save you agony in the short and long term.
First of all, your SEO firm should be informative, open to communication that is providing you with pertinent data. Not smokescreens, not speculation, but real data that you can sink your teeth into. Your SEO firm must be upfront regarding all your concerns, introduce you to terminology that you’ll need to comprehend the process, explain any technologies and tactics, within reason, and basically keep you posted on all issues. At anytime, should your SEO firm be non communicative, then it’s time to pick up and move on. It’s and indicator that they’re either incompetent, indifferent, or doing something dirty.
Another indicator is the fact that your statistics start dropping or they’re not improving at all. Your SEO company should be able to get an improvement in your stats, not overnight, but down the road a piece. SEO isn’t a magic bullet, but a gradual progression upward and more stable statistics. SEO is an applied science and art nowadays, calling for professionals to be on top of all the latest changes in the field. They have to be adaptive and innovative as well as follow the standards that build you a solid foundation from which to grow on. Any SEO firm making pie-in-the-sky promises is just blowing smoke. A real SEO pro will explain a strategy that works short and long term. This way you’ll see your statistics grow steadily and perhaps expand substantially.
Another issue are the tools your SEO firm uses. They may or not be upfront regarding automation. In some cases automation is essential but it has to be mixed with manual or you end up losing control. Be careful of the SEO firm that espouses the need for dominant control of your SEO campaigns to automation. It means laziness and lack of hands on application of SEO.
Pricing. An SEO firm is going to give you pricing that is reasonable for your budget. Be wary of sales pitches that lead to more expensive packages that make no sense to you. An honest SEO company will ask the size of your business and its promotional budget and how much you can and should spare for an SEO campaign that will not only show results, but will work on a gradient so as your not being overwhelmed by it all. Some SEO firms work on a tier basis. It’s smart to take the smaller package firs if you’re a small company, wait three to six months to evaluate how good they are and then reinvest your ROI on more services.
This is how an SEO firm that is worth its salt works. You know the experts by name, you can count on them to steer you in the right direction and you can see your growth along the way.