If you want to grow your small business, you want to find the best SEO consultant. Find out the right questions to ask when hiring an SEO company.

9 Questions to Ask When Hiring an SEO Company + Bonus Questions

folder_openSearch Engine Optimization

You’ve had your company website up for months. You made a plan and everything seemed promising at launch but you haven’t gotten many hits at all. It’s probably because your Google rank is still low.

While you’re great at running your business, you’re not experienced enough with SEO to make your rank go up further than it already is. It may be time for you to bring in the professionals. How do you filter out the professionals from the ones just in it for the money though?

We can help you out with that. Keep reading for all the questions you should be asking when hiring an SEO company.

1. How Can You Increase Our Rankings? 

Many companies you ask this question to won’t be able to tell you anything specific such as what websites they’ll get their links from. What they can do is tell you a little about their process. Like how they will get your keywords for example. 

While you’re asking about how they’ll increase your rankings you should also find out if they perform website audits. This audit is crucial for finding the strong and weak points in your site. Without one, they won’t be able to increase your online presence as effectively.  

There is no secret sauce to SEO. It’s all about quality work and providing a positive user experience.

There is three main pillars to SEO:

  1. Technical SEO
  2. On- Page SEO
  3. Off-Page SEO

If your website is technically sound most of the results will come from the ladder two. 

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is making tweaks to the code or even having a fast server to ensure your websites code is clean, W3 compliant and fast loading. Going further we want to leave no stone unturned and give Google every reason possible to ensure your website is ranking.

This can include optimizing meta tags, adding schema, or even SEO bread crumbs. Some aspects such as adding bread crumbs are seen as a simple thing to do, yet, from our experience, can lead to big results – infact we’ve seen some sites even double their traffic by such small changes. 

On-Page SEO

This is the optimization of the content that lives on your website. This means making tweaks to, or writing people first content. Since the Helpful Content update in August of 2022 writing people first content means quality, relevant, and original content. Gone are the days of writing for robots and keyword stuffing. 

Off-Page SEO

Google gets to learn about your website from other factors placed around the web. This means placing high-quality links on other, relevant websites that link to your website. Usually the best way to do this is through blogger outreach. Industry experience shows that these editorial style links are the standard when it comes to link building.

2. Tell Us a Little About Your Experience

You need the best so you probably want to hire a company that’s had a few years experience in the SEO field. There is nothing wrong with asking a business this question going in.

For the most part, you wouldn’t go to an establishment without checking out reviews first. That’s why when you’re asking about an SEO company’s experience you should go ahead and try to get information about previous clients. 

They most likely won’t give you an entire list but it should be enough to get an idea about the kind of work they’ve done at least. 

3. How Will You Inform Us About Website Changes?

For the SEO company to work on your site, you’ll have to give them access to it. Once you do that they’ll be making changes to it regularly. Most companies will give you monthly or even weekly updates. 

You’ll need to ask them about the kind of reports they’ll be giving you. There needs to be a constant line of communication so you can get these updates.

If you don’t know what the company is up to you may end up with a broken site that you don’t know how to fix because you don’t know how they broke it. 

4. How Can Your Efforts Tie into Our Marketing? 

At one time, marketing and SEO was seen as two separate things. Today, they are two sides of the same exact coin. They should blend together to build your online presence. 

It’s for this reason that many SEO companies are now branding themselves as marketing specialists. If you see this, don’t rule the company out because their brand says marketing instead of SEO.

Chances are, they have SEO consultants onboard who can help you out. All you have to do is ask about it. 

5. Do You Follow Google’s Practices?

Following the rules and practices of search engines (mainly Google) is the best way to ensure that your website is successful. These search engines update their rules and regulations periodically.

You’ll need to hire a company that keeps up with these rules because Google can and will punish you if your website happens to break them. If you are hit with a penalty it can take months before it’s corrected and your site is up and running again. 

6. What Tools Do You Use?

There are some tools that can help you and the company you hire save tons of time and money. The problem is that some of these tools are good and some are bad.

For example, technical SEO tools can help a company scan for technical issues. This job would take forever to do manually. On the flip side, it’s not a good idea to use pure link building tools. 

They work off thousands of blogs and forums. Not only are these links the weakest ones you can use, but Google will hit you with a penalty for using them. 

7. What Kind of Work Do You Do?

Any company that you hire should offer all aspects of SEO work to ensure that you rank. These areas include technical, off-page, and on-page. Technical involves how well search engines can search your site and all its content. 

Off-page work focuses on inbound links that appear on your site. As the name suggests, on-site SEO work is in charge of accessing the content that goes on your website. 

8. Can You Guarantee Our Website will Rank #1? 

If an SEO company tells you that they can get you to rank #1 without a doubt this is a pretty large red flag. More than likely they are telling you the answer you want to hear to make a sale. 

No company knows what Google’s algorithms are completely nor do they know how and when they will change. Therefore it’s sort of hard to promise they will get you to the top. 

9. What is Your Payment Structure? 

You can’t pay a company for their services if you don’t know when you’re supposed to pay them. You’ll need to ask the SEO company you’re hiring what payment structure they use so you can factor it into your budget. 

Most companies do it by the project but there are some that want to be paid by the hour. You should also find out when you need to pay them and see if they have an interest rate in the event you have to pay late. 

We go a bit further into the costs of SEO in this article here.

BONUS: Are there unique SEO strategies for e-commerce vs. service-based businesses?”

E-commerce SEO Strategies:

  1. Product Optimization: Focus on optimizing product pages with relevant keywords, high-quality images, and detailed product descriptions.
  2. Category Page SEO: Enhance category pages with keyword-rich content and easy navigation to improve user experience and search rankings.
  3. Customer Reviews: Leverage customer reviews on product pages for fresh content and trust signals.
  4. Technical SEO: Prioritize site speed and mobile optimization, as e-commerce sites are often image-heavy.

Service-Based Business SEO Strategies:

  1. Local SEO: Emphasize local SEO tactics, including local keyword optimization and Google My Business optimization, especially for businesses serving specific geographic areas.
  2. Content Marketing: Develop in-depth content that addresses the services offered, customer pain points, and industry insights.
  3. Authority Building: Focus on building authority through backlinks from local directories, industry-specific sites, and guest posting on relevant blogs.
  4. Service-Specific Landing Pages: Create optimized landing pages for each service offered, highlighting benefits, customer testimonials, and case studies.

BONUS: What should a local business look for in an SEO company compared to a global enterprise?

Local Business Considerations:

  1. Local SEO Expertise: The SEO company should have proven experience in local SEO, understanding how to rank in local search results and Google Maps.
  2. Understanding of Local Market: They should have a good grasp of the local market dynamics, including local competition and customer behavior.
  3. Personalized Service: Local businesses might benefit from more personalized service and a closer working relationship with the SEO provider.

Global Enterprise Considerations:

  1. Scalability and Resources: The SEO company should have the capability to handle large-scale SEO campaigns and provide a wide range of services, including international SEO.
  2. Multilingual SEO: For global enterprises, expertise in multilingual and multi-regional SEO is crucial.
  3. Strategic Approach: The company should be able to strategize beyond basic SEO, integrating it with overall digital marketing and global branding efforts.

BONUS: What are some warning signs that an SEO company might not be reputable?

  1. Guaranteed Rankings: Beware of companies that promise guaranteed rankings, especially if they claim to achieve this in a very short time. SEO is complex and results can vary; no one can guarantee a top ranking on Google.

  2. Lack of Transparency: If an SEO company is not open about their strategies or refuses to share detailed plans and reports, it’s a red flag. Reputable SEO companies maintain transparency with their clients.

  3. One-Size-Fits-All Approach: SEO needs vary from business to business. A company offering a standard package without customizing their approach to your specific needs may not be effective.

  4. Unsolicited SEO Offers via Email: Be cautious of SEO services that reach out through unsolicited emails, especially those with generic or vague messaging.

  5. Very Low Pricing: While competitive pricing is normal, prices that seem too good to be true might indicate low-quality services or unsustainable tactics.

  6. Use of Black-Hat Techniques: If an SEO company suggests using questionable tactics like keyword stuffing, invisible text, or buying links, steer clear. These black-hat SEO practices can lead to penalties from search engines.

  7. Lack of Case Studies or References: A reputable SEO company should be able to provide case studies or references from past clients.

  8. Overemphasis on Link Quantity Over Quality: Quality backlinks are crucial for SEO. If a company focuses only on the number of links rather than their relevance and quality, it’s a concern.

BONUS: Are there common myths about SEO services that businesses should be aware of?

  1. SEO is a One-Time Effort: Many businesses believe that SEO is a set-it-and-forget-it task. In reality, SEO requires ongoing effort and updates to keep up with search engine algorithm changes and market dynamics.

  2. More Keywords Mean Better Rankings: Simply stuffing a webpage with keywords does not improve rankings. Modern search engines prioritize content quality and relevance over keyword density.

  3. SEO Results are Instant: Some businesses expect immediate results from SEO efforts. However, SEO typically takes time to show results, often several months.

  4. SEO is All About Ranking: While ranking is important, it’s not the only goal. Good SEO also focuses on user experience, content relevance, and conversion rates.

  5. Social Media Doesn’t Impact SEO: While social media signals don’t directly influence search rankings, a strong social media presence can drive traffic and enhance brand visibility, indirectly benefiting SEO.

  6. Meta Tags are Irrelevant: Meta tags, especially title tags and meta descriptions, are still important for SEO as they influence click-through rates from search engine results pages.

  7. More Traffic Equals More Business: Not all traffic is equal. SEO should aim to attract quality traffic that is more likely to convert, rather than just increasing overall traffic numbers.

  8. Images Don’t Need Optimization: Images can significantly impact site load times and user experience. Optimizing images for faster loading and including descriptive alt text are important aspects of SEO.

BONUS: What emerging trends in SEO should companies be aware of when choosing an SEO partner?

Emerging trends in SEO are crucial for companies to understand when choosing an SEO partner, as they indicate the direction in which search engine optimization is evolving. One significant trend that companies should be aware of is the increasing importance of topical relevancy, especially in the context of recent and upcoming changes in search engine algorithms, such as Google’s Helpful Content Updates updates.

BONUS: How often should you expect reports from your SEO company, and what should they include?

Frequency of Reports

  1. Initial Monthly Plan: At the beginning of each month, the SEO company should provide an initial plan. This plan outlines the strategies and actions to be taken in the upcoming month. It sets expectations and provides a roadmap for what the client can anticipate.

  2. Topic and Article Approvals: Throughout the month, as new content is developed, the SEO company should seek approval for topics and articles. This ensures that the content aligns with the client’s brand, goals, and expectations. It also keeps the client engaged in the content creation process, which is a critical part of SEO.

  3. Monthly Report: At the end of each month, the SEO company should deliver a comprehensive report. This report is a key component of the service, as it provides insights into what was accomplished, the impact of those actions, and guidance for future strategies.

Content of Reports

  1. Performance Metrics: The monthly report should include key performance metrics such as website traffic, rankings for targeted keywords, backlink profile growth, and any improvements in domain authority. These metrics help in understanding the effectiveness of the SEO strategies implemented.

  2. Content Overview: A summary of the content created and published during the month, including blog posts, articles, and any other forms of content. This should tie back to the initial plan and show how the content strategy is being executed.

  3. SEO Activities: Detail the specific SEO activities undertaken during the month. This can include on-page optimizations, technical SEO improvements, link-building efforts, and any adjustments made to enhance SEO performance.

  4. Analysis and Insights: Provide an analysis of the data collected. This should not just be a presentation of metrics but should include insights into what the data means, how it compares to previous periods, and what trends are emerging.

  5. Recommendations for Next Steps: Based on the month’s performance and insights, the report should include recommendations for the upcoming month. This might involve adjusting strategies, focusing on different keywords, or ramping up certain types of content.

  6. Client Communication and Feedback: Document any ongoing communication, feedback, or discussions that occurred during the month. This ensures that both the SEO company and the client are aligned and any concerns or suggestions from the client are being considered.

By maintaining this structure and frequency of reporting, an SEO company can ensure that the client is well-informed, involved in the process, and able to see the tangible results of the SEO efforts. This approach fosters a collaborative and transparent relationship, which is essential for the long-term success of any SEO endeavor.

BONUS: How important is long-term SEO maintenance for sustained search ranking success?

1. Adapting to Algorithm Changes:

  • Necessity: Search engines frequently update their algorithms.
  • Impact: Regular maintenance ensures adaptation to these changes, maintaining or improving search rankings.

2. Responding to Competitor Strategies:

3. Evolving with User Behavior and Preferences:

  • Necessity: User search behaviors and preferences evolve over time.
  • Impact: Ongoing SEO maintenance allows a website to adapt to these changes, ensuring relevance and user satisfaction.

4. Maintaining Website Health and Performance:

  • Necessity: Websites can develop technical issues over time.
  • Impact: Regular maintenance ensures optimal website performance, crucial for both user experience and search engine rankings.

5. Building and Sustaining Authority:

  • Necessity: Establishing domain authority is a gradual process.
  • Impact: Long-term efforts in content creation and backlink building are essential to build and sustain authority in the eyes of search engines.

In conclusion, ongoing support and maintenance are critical components of an effective SEO strategy. They ensure that a website not only reaches but also maintains high search rankings over time, adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape.

Case Study: E-Commerce SEO – 100 to 2300 Monthly Visitors

Overview of the Case Study

In this case study we detail how we significantly improved the traffic for an online store. The e-commerce site, selling products ranging from $50 to $300, initially had no organic visitors and relied heavily on paid traffic. After engaging with Snap SEO’s managed services, the site experienced a remarkable 2400% increase in traffic.

Key Strategies Employed

  1. SEO Audit: The initial step involved an audit to identify any penalizations and assess the site’s current state, which revealed a lack of content and backlinks.
  2. Easy Win Analysis: This involved identifying keywords that the client was already ranking for but not in top positions, allowing for quick traffic gains.
  3. Keyword Research & Competitive Gap Analysis: This step was crucial in finding new, targetable keywords, especially those that competitors were ranking for but the client was not.
  4. Consistent Link and Content Building: The strategy included building in-content links and creating content targeting high-volume keywords related to the niche.

Results and Takeaways

  • The implementation of a consistent SEO strategy, focusing on content and link building, led to a significant increase in traffic.
  • The importance of long-form blog posts was highlighted, which not only helped in ranking for targeted keywords but also facilitated interlinking to product pages, making it easier to acquire valuable links.
  • The case study underscores the effectiveness of a well-planned and executed SEO strategy in driving organic traffic for e-commerce sites.

This case study demonstrates the potential impact of a comprehensive SEO strategy, particularly for e-commerce sites. It emphasizes the importance of content creation, strategic keyword targeting, and the building of a robust backlink profile to improve organic search visibility and traffic.

Hiring an SEO Company to Handle Your Business Needs 

You’re good at running your business but you’re not an SEO expert. If you’re having problems ranking in Google you should consider using these tips for hiring an SEO company to bring in a professional. 

Having problems with finding an SEO company near you? Contact us to learn more about our services? 

Tags: business, digital marketing, google rankings, link building, seo, SEO company, website

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