Do you need help with your SEO? Finding a good partner is important. Here are our top tips on how to choose an SEO agency:
What is an SEO Agency?
An SEO (Search Engine Optimization) agency will assess your website and identify opportunities to improve your ranking on search engines for specific search terms, make optimizations on your site’s back end (eg increasing page speed), enhance your online visibility, and make recommendations for improving all aspects of on-page SEO.
Some agencies specialize only in SEO and may offer additional services such as guidance for local SEO, building backlinks, and other off-page SEO suggestions. Others, like AndiSites, view SEO services as part of an overall website strategy that also considers your web design, Content Management System, user experience, accessibility, and analytics.
Do Agencies Promise Immediate Success?
If they do, they should be looked at with suspicion. Any SEO strategy should be seen as a long term game. Depending on the site, it may take anywhere from 4 to 12 months to show improvement.
While the goal of many companies is to get ranked on the first page of Google search results, the path to attain this requires proper investment and realistic expectations.
The days of “keyword stuffing” as a one-and-done method of getting ranked are well and truly over, but also are the days of SEO being a well-guarded secret that only professionals can understand.
While an SEO agency isn’t essential, a trusted partner can focus your efforts and help make measurable improvements to your site. That said, a successful SEO strategy should always include your involvement, and never include unscrupulous tricks that promise “instant success”.
SEO Agency Credentials
So how do you select an SEO agency?
Word of mouth is often one of the best ways, as is working with a company who already knows your site (and maybe even built it)!
Otherwise, look for credible testimonials and certifications. For example, AndiSites is proud to be a Semrush Certified Agency Partner.
Start with an SEO Audit
Most agencies offer SEO audits, and the price range can be huge. Here at AndiSites we offer both a basic free audit and an in-depth detailed analysis.
We recommend starting with the free audit for all our clients. This gives a snapshot overview of general site health and number of errors and warnings.
AndiSites will then provide you with an estimate for running the full audit, based on number of pages on your site, their complexity, and the factors discovered in the basic audit.
This audit will give you a full breakdown of all the issues and recommendations for remediation. After that, the choice is yours whether to hire us to take care of everything for you, make the changes yourself, or have us share the load.
Importantly, the experience of getting an audit will tell you more about how a potential agency partner is to work with. Do they explain everything to you in ways that are understandable and actionable? Do they offer suggestions on usability issues that may not appear in a typical automated report but definitely affect SEO? Are they friendly, dependable, and focused on your success?
AndiSites has helped many of our clients improve their findability, usability, and search engine ranking. Are you interested in discussing your SEO strategy with us? Read more about the SEO packages that we have to offer, or contact us today!
