Companies are hiring an SEO agency for one big reason: their expertise.
From our conversations, we learned that 61% of businesses hire an SEO firm because the business doesn’t have the expertise to do search engine optimization in-house. For smaller companies, a lack of results was the biggest motivator for outsourcing their SEO campaigns.
When it came to choosing an Best SEO Company USA, we knew that research was then critical.
Businesses need the tools to research an SEO service provider in-depth so they can verify the agency’s expertise. Case studies, reviews, awards, and client references can help businesses find the right SEO company for their needs.
Companies lean heavily on one channel to find an SEO agency: Referrals.
From friends to colleagues, sales and marketing professionals prefer to ask around. If they don’t find what they’re looking for from their network, though, they’ll turn to search engines, which put the expertise of SEO service providers to the test.
However, more than 20% of respondents shared that SEO agencies have contacted them directly.
While an effective sales tactic, direct outreach gets a mixed reception because of its use of:
- Aggressive sales tactics like pushing a limited-time offer
- Overpromising results, like promising page-one rankings in 30 days
- Limited transparency, like shrinking from shared pricing or deliverables
After learning about how companies find SEO marketing companies, we knew education was important. Businesses need to educate themselves before picking an SEO company on what reputable, trustworthy agencies look like so they can evaluate firms and direct outreach offers effectively.
Compile potential SEO companies
Once you have a baseline for what makes an SEO company a good SEO marketing company, start researching potential agencies. In our study, we found businesses rely on a few outlets to find agencies, including:
- Referrals
- Online search
- Social media
- Industry conferences and events
Referrals provide an excellent starting point and often connect you with a good SEO agency.
If you can't find what you’re looking for through referrals, move to online search next.
When searching online for an SEO company, keep in mind how you search.
For example, if you’re focused on getting the lowest price possible from a reputable SEO company, you’ll often search in a way that lists cheap SEO agencies — agencies advertising SEO services for a few hundred dollars each month — which won’t meet your needs for a reputable provider.
Typically, you’ll find third-party review sites and agency websites when researching SEO experts. Using what you’ve learned from our earlier tips on how to find an SEO marketing company, you can narrow this list of firms and then evaluate them using the following steps.
Speak with past or current clients
When you start speaking with past or current clients, you’re close to choosing an SEO company.
For tips on how to find an SEO company, you’ll need to contact the agency. Most SEO agencies will want to speak with your team before providing a client list. These conversations will help you and the agency determine if you’re a good fit for one another.
If you and the SEO firm align, they’ll provide a client list when requested.
- Additional questions you can ask include:
- How long have you worked with this SEO company?
- What were your goals when you hired an SEO agency, and have you achieved them?
- How fast do they return your calls or emails?
- How much of your time is spent working with the agency?
- What is one thing the SEO firm could do better?
- Would you recommend them? Why or why not?
If the agency refuses to provide a client list or can’t compile at least three to five current clients, reconsider choosing that SEO company. Likely, they don’t have any raving fans — or don’t have a large enough client base.
Browsing only to local SEO companies
Getting to work with a local SEO agency is a bonus when choosing a good SEO company.
When it comes to what to look for in an SEO company, however, the location of your agency shouldn’t be your top factor. We want to prioritize your experience, performance, and client experience over location because that will impact the quality of your service the most.
Limiting yourself to a small area can stop your business from achieving the kind of results you want.
If your competitor, for example, partners with an experienced agency several states away and you settle with a local, but inexperienced agency, it can prevent your company and website from ranking at the top of valuable search results and capturing that organic traffic.
That means less revenue, sales, and leads for you and more for your competitors.
Even if you choose an SEO Services USA that isn’t local, they will often try to bridge the gap. For example, they may travel on occasion to meet your team in person. Or, they may use video conferencing or phone calls to chat with your team in a more personable way.
