SEO is a buzz word. The key questions previously have been, what is SEO, do companies need it and if so why? Now that SEO has cemented itself as an important component for any business, one of the key questions has now shifted to understanding what to expect from your SEO agency and if they are ultimately doing a good job for you and your business?
Signs That They Are Doing It Successfully
There are quite a few SEO agencies in the industry, all promising the same, namely, better results. There are a few crucial and encouraging signs that your SEO partner is doing it successfully and that you should be looking at.
Does Your SEO Agency Have A Process & Clear Deliverables?
An SEO firm needs to have the basics right, which comes in the form of a clear process and deliverables. They will set out what they are doing from the onset of the relationship, and on an ongoing basis in order to get the desired results. For example, they should execute and showcase the following elements:
- Site audits in the form of technical, google search console, site speed and content SWOT analysis
- Clear strategy including business/competitor review, keyword research, content gaps within the given industry, mapped to monthly deliverables and targets
- Optimisation of current content and the recommendation/roll-out of new content on a monthly basis, based on priorities
- A monthly report detailing key visibility wins or concerns, plus an overview of monthly tasks and next priority steps to be taken
What needs to be remembered is that SEO is not a quick fix to get a business on page one of Google, it is a longer-term investment, and needs to consistently be focused upon. A process needs to be followed and the relevant monthly deliverables rolled out to ensure improvements. If your SEO agency is able to showcase the work being done, and the process being followed, this is a great sign.
Does Your Seo Agency Have Recommendations For Improvement?
With monthly deliverables such as audits, comes a bunch of key recommendations that require action or implementation. Whether or not your SEO agency is able to implement those recommendations themselves or send these onto your team for roll-out. The key here is that they are providing ongoing recommendations. If these recommendations are executed by either party, the business will most likely see the results that they are hoping for. These recommendations may come in the form of the below:
- Updated sitemap.xml
- Site speed improvements
- Content plan, including content briefs for current and new pages
- Updating the site robots.txt to ensure that search engines such as Google knows which pages on your site to crawl (or not crawl)
- Updated navigation and website page set-up
- Disavowal of spammy incoming links
- Secure site elements with HTTPS
- Concise, unique and relevant descriptions for each of the pages
- Fixing of Mobile Usability issues such as text too small to read
The above are just a few examples of the recommendations that could be made, there are many more, and all of these are done to help your business improve your site from a technical, content and rankings perspective.
These recommendations are a key outcome that your SEO agency should be providing to you on a monthly basis. Often, an SEO partner that is focused on shifting the needle for you, will put a lot of pressure on you to get these recommendations implemented, or even fire themselves (worst case scenario) if these are not done, as, without the implementation of these, the results will not be as both parties would hope for.
Your Ranking Improves
Ranking, rankings, rankings! This is something that your SEO agency and you as a client will constantly have top of mind and strive for improvements. It is a pretty safe bet that if your rankings are improving, that you are in capable hands.
Furthermore, there are a few signs that you can look out for, in terms of ensuring that you have trustworthy rank improvements.
- Your site is ranking for the target keywords identified
- Your ranking stays consistent week on week.
- Your site is ranking on the first page of a Search Engine
Your Traffic May Go Up Or Down, But Key Is That Your Revenue Goes Up
Your SEO agency will monitor your organic traffic month on month and year on year to see if there have been any significant shifts. Sometimes, you may even see a dip in your organic traffic, once your SEO partner has kicked-off, however, this is not always a concern. This is due to the fact that one of the key goals that your SEO partner should put in place is that traffic should be targeted/quality traffic, rather than a spray and pray approach.
If the right audience is being targeted and lands on your site, they are more likely to convert. Therefore, while your SEO partner monitors your organic traffic movements, they (with the help of your team) should simultaneously be tracking the change in revenue. An increase in conversions and revenue will give you a good indication of whether or not your SEO team is working for you.
Communication Is Key
Finally, to tie all of the above together, clear and consistent communication is key. There is one problem that the SEO industry has continuously faced over the past few years, and that is a lack of communication between the SEO partner and the client.
If you feel that you understand what your SEO team is doing, then this is an awesome but basic requirement.
Open and frequent communication between yourself and your SEO agency is key in terms of success. The best way to check whether they are doing the right things for your site and business is to actually talk to them (face to face, with the specialist in the room).
If you are unsure about the value of your SEO efforts, we can conduct an audit and business case of what success should look like, Contact Us for more information.
Article Author : Lindsay Benn
