SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an aspect of digital marketing that you can’t afford to do wrong.
If you rely on paid advertisements alone, you are on the wrong track. Consumers are wary of paid ads.
According to Moz, only ~2.8% of people click on paid advertisements of all US searches of all US searches, only ~2.8% of people click on paid advertisements.
Moreover, if you embark on a paid advertisement campaign and your website is slow and not optimised, you will be throwing money down the drain because a significant number of people will leave a website if it takes too long to load.
These days, more than 60% of internet users turn to search engines to find information; getting your site appearing in search results is even more critical.
The importance attached to SEO is one of the reasons why you need to find the best SEO agency you can afford to partner with. To do your SEO well, right from the very start.
Contrary to all the myths about SEO, your SEO influences your social media marketing, and so on.
For example, 48% of local searches result in phone calls or people visiting that location in 24 hours.
When growing your business online, you’re not only competing against your direct competitors; you are also competing against all other website owners. You are all competing for the coveted top position on the first page in search engine results.
Stats from Moz, the top 3 or 4 results are getting more than 70% of those clicks, 65% or 70%, and Page 1 gets 95% plus of the clicks.
According to this article, a recent study shows that the first three organic search ranking positions result in nearly 40 per cent of all click-throughs. While up to 30 per cent of all results on Page 1 and 2 don’t get clicked at all.
The same article in Search Engine Journal also mentions that Google owns about 75 per cent of the overall search market. The remaining 25 per cent of the market held by other engines is valuable to brands, too. It is the reason why the majority of SEO practitioners focus on Google.
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Criteria Used in Selecting the Right SEO Agency
So how can you go about selecting a top SEO agency that’s right for your brand? As a business owner, it’s understandable if you don’t know much about SEO.
However, you don’t need to worry. Your SEO agency must explain to you what SEO is all about. You can use the three criteria mentioned below as a guide for a start.
It's essential to partner with an agency that understands your brand's vision and mission. Click To Tweet
Compatibility
Compatibility is one of the most important things to expect from an SEO agency. The SEO agency needs to get to know your business.
They need to discuss with you to understand your own business and define the goals of your SEO campaign.
You need to agree on what KPI’s (links, rankings, traffic, referrals, social shares, and so on) you’d be using to measure the success or otherwise of your campaign.
Discuss the cost and if it’s affordable for you, considering that an SEO campaign is not a one-off affair. It usually requires a long-term commitment from both parties to yield any tangible results.
Find out what strategies they would use to help you meet your goals and if they would achieve your goals within a reasonable timeframe. Many organisations don’t feel they can define a focused digital strategy.
Transparency
Is the SEO agency ready to answer all your questions? Are they transparent about their strategies and processes, or are they dodgy?
Transparency is a sensitive topic because SEO and most digital marketing have intellectual property.
So the agency may not want to divulge all its processes and strategies to you without getting a firm commitment from you.
Agency’s not willing to divulge all their processes to you is understandable. After all, as a client, you must learn to respect the agency’s intellectual property rights. Nobody likes a client who tries to “play smart” or “pick your brain” for free.
Ask lots of questions to know if the SEO agency offers the level of transparency that makes you feel comfortable.
Once you’ve selected your preferred SEO agencies and they’ve signed you on as a client, you should expect that their level of transparency will increase.
You must realise that the constant change in search engine algorithms makes most digital marketers learn on the job.
There must be open lines of communication. The agency must be proactive in communicating how your campaign is performing and if any issues need attention.
Accountability
It would help if you held the SEO agency accountable to meet the set goals and KPIs established.
Before hiring an SEO agency, they must tell you who will be held accountable for what and why.
They should also let you know the kind of feedback they would need from you on your SEO campaign.
Most professional SEO agencies are proactive in this regard and will always reach out to you with daily, weekly, or monthly and so on, accounts and reports depending on what you’ve agreed.
They will keep you abreast of the what, why and how of each step in your campaign. If the drive is not going according to plan, the agency will reach out to you with suggestions on what to do to get back on track.
Final Thoughts
These three things are some of the most important criteria you should use in selecting an SEO agency to handle your SEO campaigns.
As mentioned before, it’s essential to partner with an agency that understands your brand’s vision and mission.
Your brand is unique, and the SEO agency you hire has to treat your brand and find custom SEO solutions for your brand.
Gone are the days of cookie-cutter one size fits all SEO campaigns. Google’s algorithm has developed more than it was five or ten years ago. Therefore your SEO strategies and tactics have to move with the times.
If you’re looking for SEO experts in Nigeria to partner with, get in touch to discuss your needs and see if we are the right fit for you based on the three criteria mentioned above.
Related Article(s)
- What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
- Why SEO for Business Owners in Nigeria Is Important
- How to Select an Awesome SEO Agency That’s Right for Your Brand
- 10 Reliable Tips for an Effective SEO Strategy This Year
- How to Explain SEO to Someone Who Knows Nothing About It
- 10 Myths about SEO That You Should Stop Believing
- Influence of Social Media on SEO
- Our Five-Step SEO Process
- SEO for Small Business Websites
- PPC or SEO – Which Do You Need?
- Why and How to Start Using Search Engine Optimization Now
