What to Look For in a Bay Area SEO Consultant
On average, companies will spend about $5,000 a month on SEO.
However, if you're going to be spending that much on a San Francisco Bay Area SEO Consultant, you'll want to ensure that you're choosing the right one who will actually improve your ratings. With so many different local SEO services to choose from, it's important to have a list to help you navigate the decision-making process.
Keep reading to discover all the factors you'll want to look for when hiring an SEO consultant.
Years of Experience
Anyone can start an SEO agency seemingly overnight and offer local SEO services, but that doesn't mean that they are actually knowledgable about SEO. Because of that, you may be able to trust someone who has a few years of experience in the business.
It'll take many years of experience and experimenting with what works and doesn't work. There are so many small details, which means what works for one company won't work for another.
Someone who is new at SEO may not know what to try differently to improve your website. Or, they may only know how to do a few things that don't have much effect on your ranking.
Experience With Domains
Since SEO is constantly changing, you need someone who is staying on top of the latest trends and has a good command of the SEO platforms and toolsets that will facilitate different competitor analysis, backlink optimization, and keyword research.
You'll also want someone who understands the industry that you're in. One key part of SEO is being able to write copy for your website, and this copy needs to be knowledgeable and smart.
You'll also want to find an agency that understands all of the technical aspects of SEO. You need to find a well-rounded strategist who can not only write you copy, but can also know all the technical aspects of building your website.
Methodology
Many different companies have different SEO strategies, and you need to work with a company that will be compatible with you.
Some SEO consultants won't even tell you what their strategy is. You should avoid working with any of those companies. They should explain all of the techniques that they will use to drive up your website's SEO ranking, as well as give you an estimate of how long they think it will take to reach your goals.
They should also give you a proposal that includes a technical SEO review of your website as it is right now. This will help you understand that they know what they're talking about and know how to fix your page.
While most SEO consultants will offer on-page SEO services, you should also see if they offer off-page services as well. This will help you have a better overall SEO strategy.
Good Communication
An SEO agency should be able to clearly communicate with you and update you on all of the changes that they're going to make. In addition, they should also be clear about what goals they will help you achieve.
In some cases, you may need to give them access to change things, and they'll have to communicate their needs with you. They will need to work well with other teams, including your C-level or IT teams.
Sense of Your Product
When the company understands what your business is selling, it can perform better SEO work. This will help them apply that knowledge to your SEO strategy.
They'll also be able to do research on your competition and create a strategy that will drive more leads to your website. A good SEO agency will always start by asking you questions about your business and trying to understand the product and services that you offer.
No Guarantees
When you first meet with an agency, you should ask them if they can make any guarantees about the leads or goals that you want to achieve. If they say yes, try and find a new agency.
No SEO agency should try and offer you guarantees, because SEO changes so much, and sometimes the results aren't always attainable. If an agency tells you that they have a relationship with any of the search engines and can control how high your website will rank, find a different company.
Curiosity
Knowledge of SEO is important, but curiosity can help a great SEO agency stand out. If they're interested in understanding the foundations of how Google's SEO works, then you're likely to hire someone who knows a lot about SEO.
Because SEO can constantly change, it's important to find someone who loves learning about it. This way, you'll know that you have someone who understands the latest SEO trends working for your business.
Transparency
SEO will almost always require changes in your website's coding. However, the agency should be upfront and honest about what plans they intend to change.
Giving someone access to your website can be a security risk, especially if they're altering your code. They should always ask your permission before changing anything like that.
For example, are they going to add new codes into your HTML or just modify your existing ones. Are they going to create new copy or are they going to optimize the existing writing? They should send everything through you to approve before they do it and be honest about what the strategy is.
Discover More About Choosing a Bay Area SEO Consultant
These are only a few of the key things to look for when choosing a Bay Area SEO consultant, but there are many other factors to keep in mind.
We know that searching for the perfect SEO consultant can be overwhelming, but we're here to help you out.
Check out our website today to find the right local SEO agency that can help your business get more leads and ultimately more sales.