These days, there are hundreds, if not thousands of SEO agencies out there. So, if you’re looking for SEO help, where do you start? You’ll want to know how to choose the best agency, how find one that doesn’t need ads to rank websites organically, and what to look for when searching for an agency to help. Let’s get started.

SEO is an essential part of any online marketing strategy, but it’s more important to choose an ethical company that can help. Before browsing through Google and choosing one agency to take on your SEO needs, research the company’s ethical practices. You want to make sure that the agency you choose has a good reputation in the industry.

There’s nothing worse than signing a contract with a company that has a bad reputation, putting your business at risk.

An ethical company will use legitimate, white hat SEO practices. “What does white hat mean?” You may ask. Simply put, white hat refers to good SEO practices that search engines recommend, while black hat refers to bad SEO practices that break search engine rules.

Do you use black hat SEO techniques? If so, you should be careful about who you choose as your agency. Black hat SEO tactics can damage your website’s reputation and ranking, and may not be legal in some cases. Unethical SEO practices can also lead to lost traffic and revenue.

So, in other words… beware of the black hat.

You can use case studies to your advantage to evaluate different SEO agencies. Ask the agency you’re interested in possibly working with to provide testimonials from past clients and look for an agency that has a good track record of success. It’s also important to ask for references to verify their credentials before hiring them – because, as you may know, it’s easy to make up fake testimonials on the spot.

Reputable and dependable SEO agencies should have a strong portfolio of successful projects and be able to provide detailed project proposals and timelines. If you have been given a proposal that lacks a lot of information, a detailed timeline, and a breakdown of what you’ll get, stay away. That just screams red flags.

In addition to an impressive client portfolio, the best SEO companies come with great experience. Good SEO agencies have a wealth of experience helping businesses achieve their online goals. They’ll also take the time to understand your business and your target audience so they can develop a strategy that is tailored to your specific needs.

So, good SEO agencies do not provide a cookie-cutter experience, providing a custom SEO strategy just for your business.

If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. You want to look for companies that offer realistic results and keep goals in check. Because SEO is an ongoing process, no one – not even the man upstairs – can guarantee rankings 100% due to search algorithms working beyond an agency’s control.

Instead, follow up with your chosen agency to regularly monitor progress and ensure satisfactory results.

Start off by asking the agency what services they offer and what their pricing looks like. Make sure the agency is transparent about their process and how they will achieve your goals. Don’t let the agency talk you into signing a “secret sauce” contract that you can’t understand or see the results of. The best SEO agencies are willing to share their insights and strategies with you – resulting in success.

The bottom line is, SEO is not magic, so avoid anyone who talks about it abstractly. SEO is a long-term investment and requires consistent effort on your part. It takes time, so don’t expect to get it done overnight. 

Your agency should provide guidance and support throughout the entire process. They’ll help you measure the success of your campaigns, work with you to create long-term plans for your website’s growth, and may offer a free consultation to get started.

The right search engine optimization agency will provide clear and actionable results that you can use to improve your business. They’ll also provide results over reports – which is the best choice for businesses that want to grow their online presence. 

You can measure SEO success in a variety of ways, but the most important thing is to measure progress over time. An agency will provide you with metrics and tracking tools to help you track your progress and help you troubleshoot any issues that you may encounter.

Ask questions, stay in the loop, and pay attention to the progress reports that are given to you. This way, you’ll be up-to-date on how well your website is moving in the right direction.

Experienced and successful SEO agencies should have a diverse team of specialists with different backgrounds and experience. The team should have in-house expertise in search engine optimization (SEO), have a strong track record in delivering successful SEO campaigns for businesses of all sizes, and offer a complete SEO services package that includes website design, web development, and link building.

Another way to implement SEO strategy is to continue to write blog posts. That may sound simple, but you need to know how many words you need in each blog to compete with your competitors, conduct keyword research, add images, headers, etc. A lot goes into just one blog to make sure the SEO is successful. With that said, you can find a keyword research tool that will help you find exactly what keywords you need to rank.

There are many ways to implement SEO strategy. The first task is going to be making sure your website is up-to-par with what search engines want from you. Although Google and other search engines change what they want to see from time to time, you want to make sure you’re always on top of the changes and optimize your pages on your site to adhere to the ‘new rules.’

Video is another way to build great SEO for your website properties and gain visibility to your customers. Believe it or not, video isn’t utilized enough when it comes to building SEO. While other brands concentrate on other media buys, those who are already using video are reaping the rewards of better rankings.

Let’s take a look at your current website so we can make some recommendations. If you choose us, we’ll research other sites that are in your industry, check out what major search engines want to see in your content, and start conducting goals to make your search rankings soar.

Are you ready to get your website search engine friendly? Now that you have all of this information in your back pocket (you literally do – just keep this blog up on your phone), you’re ready to seek and choose an agency to handle your SEO. Whether you want a full website re-design or just SEO assistance, we’re here to help.

We work hand-in-hand with you to develop the perfect web presence. Plus, we keep your branding and business goals at the center of strategic design, so you’ll never miss the mark. With an optimized SEO setup, custom photography, cutting edge functionality, and a supportive hosting and maintenance plan, we know your online portfolio will have everyone swiping right. Pretty sweet, huh?

We mentioned before that video is a great way to build up your SEO. If you can find an agency like us that does BOTH, you’re in good hands. Don’t underestimate the power of video when you’re marketing your brand. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world – second to Google. This means that if you don’t have any content on YouTube, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to be found and seen.