Here are some tips for finding the right SEO company to help you rank on Page 1 of Search Engines and get the exposure your business needs to stand out from the competition.
If you are reading this article, chances are Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your business has piqued your interest and this is now priority for you.
I would also like to assume you either already have an online presence which you would like to strengthen and promote your business on search engines the organic way, or you have never realized the potential power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your business and are now doing so. Well, either way, Good move! Efforts made towards SEO always pay off in the long run!
I run a Web Design and Online Marketing business based in Sydney and every week have multiple really interesting and insightful conversations with small and medium sized business across Australia seeking to engage a reliable and results driven SEO Company that will actually deliver what they promise; that is – more traffic and more leads.
Many businesses perceive SEO as something of a ‘Pandora’s box’, something they tend to put in the ‘too hard to understand and lets deal with it later basket’. More often than not, this is simply the result of a bad experience suffered by the business with an SEO Company who promised them the stars but were not even reach close to the moon! ‘Lack of knowledge’ on the part of the business owner can often be the deal breaker here and it is this that SEO Companies offering cheap and attractive packages pry on. Once the contract is signed and the monies received, chances are, your communication with the SEO providers starts to dwindle unless of course its renewal time of your contract!
Bottom-line: SEO doesn’t have to be a mammoth task. It’s as important as you perceive it to be and only then will you see the value add it can offer your business. Here are some tips on how to go about finding the right SEO Company.
- Find them on Search Engines – Use a search engine to search a SEO Company. This is often a good test to determine the true capabilities and strengths of a SEO Company. If the company knows SEO well, then they should really be ranking on top of search engines themselves! Avoid clicking on and following through the Paid ads on the top and the right hand side of search engines displaying SEO Company details. Rather and concentrate on the organic results section. It’s easy to set a budget on Google and advertise your business but the true test of a SEO company’s expertise in my opinion, lies in how well they are advertising themselves organically. As a testament to our work, we rank on Page 1 on Google for the following search terms, SEO Packages Sydney, Affordable SEO Sydney. Cheap SEO Packages Sydney.
- Use your social/professional circles– Networking on professional platforms such as LinkedIn and asking questions from other similar businesses to yours, who have used an effective SEO company in the past, is a great medium. Such unbiased referrals can be very effective to really determine the strengths and weakness of a SEO Company, what their approach is and essentially how effectively ad efficiently can they produce results!
- Website Analysis – A professional and experienced SEO Company will almost always provide you with analytics and reports from the very beginning detailing and monitoring the status of your campaign, coupled with making recommendations along the way, just as your trusted business advisor. Once you have completed your homework, shortlisted a few SEO Providers, get in touch with these companies to get more information on the packages they offer and if they would be willing to provide you a website analysis.
- Stay away from dirt cheap SEO packages– There are plenty of cases where companies are willing to offer SEO packages starting from as low as a $100. This may sound like music to your ears and you may be willing to jump on board but in the long run it’s just going to prove to be pricey on your budget. SEO is no magic wand or a short band aid fix strategy, rather a highly effective tool to make your presence felt on search engines if done right SEO involves work and I mean a lot of work.
- Stay away from dodgy emails and phone calls selling SEO services– If inbound marketing is what the company excels in then why do they have to use outbound marketing to attract clients? Food for thought! As I have mentioned previously, a testament to a SEO company’s expertise and capabilities lies in its ability to be organically and easily found on search engines so if you can’t find them, chances are your business might suffer the same plight!
- Sign a proper SEO Contract– Make sure you sign a proper contract covering each aspect of the transaction. Lock-in contracts are a big NO NO!
- Don’t pay all the money upfront– If you sign a 6 month contract then ideally the SEO Company should break down the payments payable by you periodically in a mutually agreeable manner. Quarterly payments are a good idea.
- Ask them for Rank reports for other clients– If the company you are talking to is result oriented, they should not have any problem sharing Ranking Reports. This will be a good testament to measure not just their ability to produce results and showcase their expertise, but the readiness and willingness or otherwise of a company to share this information with you, a prospective client can do wonders to build their creditability.
- Monthly Progress Reports– As I have previously stated, SEO is not a short term stop gap or quick band aid strategy but rather should be a well thought of and equally well executed strategy that will yield results in the long term. Therefore any SEO Company that you engage, should really be sharing with you a monthly progress reports detailing what steps have been taken in the past month from an SEO perspective and where your website ranks on search engines.
- Sharing knowledge– Good SEO companies come on board as partners and provide suggestions and share knowledge from time to time with business owners to further help them climb search engines organically
- Educate yourself– This is biggest favor you will do for yourself and will surely thank yourself down the track. There are plenty of websites that specialize in all things SEO and provide informative articles on the topic. Some of these include, Moz, Search Engine Journal, and SEO Book. By educating yourself about SEO, you will also ensure that the SEO company you have contracted is moving in the right direction rather than being taken for a ride.
I hope you have found this article useful and informative! If you are a local Australian business and are looking for a reliable SEO Company then get in touch with Websites ‘N’ More to equip yourself with the right tools and resources required to get your business on top of search engines. We currently have clients all across Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.