The best SEO agencies can help businesses grow tremendously. That’s because they can help increase traffic to your site, increase brand awareness, increase conversions, which can ultimately, boost sales. But choosing the right SEO Company can be quite challenging, especially if you don’t know what to look for in an SEO agency.
Additionally, when it comes to hiring an SEO agency, there are some common mistakes that people make. These mistakes can be quite costly in the end. In this article, we are going to look at some of the most common mistakes you should avoid when hiring an SEO agency. Let’s delve into them.
Basing the hiring decision on price alone
You always get what you pay for. You may opt to hire an SEO agency that is charging lower rates, especially if you are a small business owner who is operating on a limited budget. However, sometimes, cheap isn’t cheap. These SEO agencies charging extremely lower rates may not be offering high-quality services. On top of that, they may be having some hidden fees that you will be surprised with when it is too late.
Although it can’t be denied that pricing plays a crucial role, you shouldn’t let it be the only determining factor as to whether you should hire a particular SEO agency or not. You should also pay attention to other essential factors, such as the reputation of the agency, their experience level, professionalism, and the range of services they are offering to their customers.
Failing to hire an experienced SEO agency
When it comes to hiring an SEO agency, you should know that some agencies will try to lure you with an attractive sales pitch. Some will even promise what they cannot deliver. For example, you may come across an agency that promises that they can make your website appear on the first page in search results in one week. This is not possible, so you shouldn’t buy it.
When hiring an SEO agency, you need to determine their level of experience. SEO is quite a challenging task, so you need to work with only experienced SEO agencies. Ask the agency about how long they have been operating. Agencies that have been in business for a very long time tend to be more experienced than the relatively new agencies.
Failing to set clear goals
Before you hire any SEO agency, you need to define your SEO goals. You need to identify the things that you want the SEO agency to help you achieve. Do you want the agency to help you improve ranking, increase brand awareness, build high-quality links, or to increase sales? Defining your goals can help you find an SEO agency that aligns with your goals.
Failing to do thorough research about an agency before hiring them
This is also one of the common mistakes people make when hiring an SEO agency. When hiring an SEO agency, it is advisable to work with an SEO agency that provides you with the kind of services that match your business needs.
This is why you need to research more about the company to understand some of the services the agency is offering. Don’t just hire an SEO agency as long as it is offering SEO services. Hire the agency that offers services that meets your business’ specific needs. Through your research, you will be able to know more about the agency, in terms of the range of services they are offering, how they are handling their customers, what people are saying about them, and so much more.
Failing to ask for references
Before you sign any contract with an SEO agency, you need to ask for references. Failing to ask for references can cost you a lot. Don’t just assume that an SEO agency is excellent just by the appearance of their website. After all, looks can deceive. You need to get a hold of what the agency’s most recent clients are saying about the agency.
Generally, reputable and experienced SEO agencies are always willing to provide clients with a list of their past clients. So, it’s upon you to take your time and contact these past clients. You can ask these people about anything they can say about the agency, their experience working with the agency, how their complaints were handled [if any], etc. This can help you make a more informed decision as far as hiring the agency is concerned.