If you run a business today, having a strong online presence is critical to reaching customers and driving growth. And in the online world, search engine optimization (SEO) is king.
Showing up at the top of Google search results for your important keywords can send highly targeted, ready-to-buy visitors to your site. However, mastering SEO takes specialized expertise. That’s why most companies turn to an SEO agency or consultant to improve their search rankings.
However, not all SEO firms are created equal. Hiring the wrong partner can lead to risky tactics, wasted budget, and failure to hit your revenue goals.
So how do you find an SEO company that will actually help your business succeed? Asking the right questions during the vetting process is key.
In this article, we’ll cover the 7 must-ask questions to help you identify an SEO agency that is truly best for your unique needs. Finding the perfect partner leads to long-term search engine optimization success.
#1: Do They Insist on Getting You on the Phone?
At the very start of your search for an SEO company, pay attention to how they prefer to communicate. Many will suggest kicking things off over email or having you fill out questionnaires.
But the best partners will actually insist on getting on the phone call with you directly. Speaking over the phone builds trust and allows them to gain a much deeper understanding of your business, target audience, content, products, and overall goals.
This real human interaction gives them key insights they just can’t gather from forms or emails. When an agency doesn’t make that initial phone call a priority, it’s a potential red flag.
Why might some SEO firms avoid live conversations? Unfortunately, many agencies today are focused on efficiency and scalability above all else. They use systems to onboard as many clients as possible in the shortest time. This allows them to quickly grow their own income.
But it means they have less incentive to truly get to know you and your business at a more thoughtful pace. Rushing into an SEO campaign without that strategic foundation increases the likelihood of failure.
So if an agency doesn’t insist on at least one thorough introductory phone call, be wary. Taking the time shows they genuinely care about deeply understanding your needs and setting your partnership up for success.
#2: Are They an Expert or Just a Salesperson?
Once you do get an SEO company on the phone, the next step is assessing if they are a true expert or merely an adept salesperson. Their confidence level can be very telling.
True SEO experts will speak authoritatively because they have the knowledge and experience to back it up. They’ll tie SEO strategy directly back to overarching business goals like driving revenue, reducing cost-per-lead, or maximizing lifetime value.
And they’ll give realistic assessments of the opportunities and limitations you may face in your specific niche or competitive landscape. There won’t be any wild overpromising or pressure tactics.
On the flip side, less qualified agencies may come across more like stereotypical salespeople. They’ll be vague on details and quick to guarantee you’ll “rank #1 in Google” without any caveats.
Watch out for confident claims they can get you to the top in X number of months. No ethical SEO company can make ironclad ranking guarantees. There are simply too many moving parts they don’t control.
High-pressure sales techniques may also be employed, like limited-time special offers if you sign quickly. Again, this signals an emphasis on their interests rather than thoughtfully mapping out a plan tailored to you.
#3: Do They Understand Your Business Goals?
You wouldn’t hire a doctor who only focused on treating symptoms without understanding the underlying health condition. Similarly, an SEO agency fixated on tactics without aligning with your business goals is problematic.
The only reason you should invest in search engine optimization is to get a return on that investment. ROI comes in many forms more leads, lower cost-per-conversion, higher lifetime value of a customer, etc.
So during your conversations, notice if the agency steers the discussion to those critical business outcomes for you. Do they take the time to learn what KPIs matter most to your organization?
For example, a B2B SaaS company will be more focused on reducing churn and increasing average deal size. An e-commerce site will prioritize cart conversion rates and repeat purchase frequency.
An SEO partner who knows how to translate ranking improvements into actual financial results for your specific model is invaluable. A fixation on vanity metrics like pageviews demonstrates a lack of business acumen.
#4: Is Their Proposal Tailored to You?
After your initial call, the next step is typically receiving the SEO company’s proposal or contract. Scrutinize this document closely.
If it appears boilerplate or generic, that’s a bad sign. You want to see a proposal customized to reflect your unique challenges, target keywords, industry, competitive threats, and other specifics discussed.
Yes, customization takes more work upfront. But it shows the sincerity of the agency’s desire to solve your problems, not just go through the motions.
Imagine you needed a custom-tailored suit for an important event. The fabric, style, measurements, and stitching all need to fit you perfectly.
Would you be satisfied receiving an off-the-rack suit in only approximate sizes without any adjustments? Then why settle for a cookie-cutter SEO proposal?
Take it as a compliment if an agency delivers a plan with details specific to you. It demonstrates they’ve listened and aim to address your precise needs.
#5: Are They Using Cookie-Cutter Pricing?
Pricing is another area where there is no one-size-fits-all approach, despite what some SEO agencies may claim. Cookie-cutter pricing structures are a telltale sign of inexperience.
Campaign costs can vary based on the competitiveness of keywords targeted, the authority you already have, types of content needed, backlink acquisition strategies, reporting needs, and other intangibles.
For example, let’s say your site provides personal injury legal services. The competition for keywords like “personal injury lawyer” is extreme, with advertisers paying $90+ per click.
An effective campaign in that niche may require a substantial investment to contest with rivals. Compare that to a local cake bakery targeting “birthday cakes Minneapolis” where competition is far lower.
Customer lifetime value also plays a major role. If your average customer spends $5,000 over time, you can afford more SEO investment than if they only spend $50.
Sophisticated agencies will explain how they land on a specific monthly retainer or project cost for you after careful analysis. They customize based on what it will reasonably take to acquire customers profitably.
Warily eye any agency that throws out the same prices they charge everyone else regardless of market dynamics.
#6: What Is Their SEO Methodology?
Now that you’ve assessed business philosophy and pricing models, it’s time to dig into tactical specifics. SEO agencies can differ wildly in their approaches to improving search rankings.
Some firms still rely on shady short-term tricks like spam backlinks, keyword stuffing, or “black hat” tactics. But these unethical practices put you at high risk for penalties.
Google’s algorithms have grown highly advanced at detecting such manipulations. A temporary boost may vanish overnight after a new algorithm update. And you may be slapped with lasting manual penalties.
Other agencies talk about tactics like “PBNs” (private blog networks), excessive guest posting, paid links, etc. While not fully black hat, these carry more risk than reward in the long run.
The ideal SEO partner will practice sustainable white hat tactics including:
- Creating new, relevant, high-quality content assets. Useful, engaging, keyword-optimized content is the foundation of all SEO success.
- Optimizing existing content. Old articles, blog posts, and pages can often be refreshed with new titles, better internal linking, multimedia, structured data, etc.
- Improving your site’s user experience and conversions. Page speed, navigation, forms, and other UX elements impact rankings.
- Acquiring backlinks slowly from reputable sites related to your content and industry. Natural links still carry weight but avoid anything artificial.
- Leveraging social, local listings, reviews, and other secondary signals to build holistic authority.
If an agency mentions anything sounding manipulative or too good to be true, proceed very carefully, if at all. Sticking to best practices may be slower but pays off in lasting results.
#7: How Transparent Are They?
Finally, take note throughout your evaluation process whether the SEO company operates transparently. Do they freely share examples of reporting they provide clients?
You should expect to receive regular reporting highlighting:
- Individual keyword rankings and ranking changes month-to-month
- Total number of keywords ranking on page 1 of Google
- Organic traffic growth
- Leads or sales generated from organic traffic
- Changes made to your site and content
- Offsite SEO activities like new links acquired
- Ongoing optimizations planned for the next month
Frequent updates build trust and give you visibility into your return on investment. Beware of agencies that avoid sending reports or claim it’s “too difficult.” They likely are hiding something.
Transparency is also reflected in their communication style overall. Do they use pretentious jargon and vagueness or speak in plain language?
You are hiring experts so some terminology is expected. But quality agencies aim to truly educate you on SEO best practices in an accessible way.