Everyone once in a while I come across a gem that’s worth mentioning here and giving a back link to. It’s rare that I find anything really quality on Search Engine Journal anymore. I’ve often looked elsewhere for up to date news, but a post about looking for an SEO Agency this morning caught my eye and I thought it was worth summarizing here.
Tread Carefully If You Hear Any Of These From An SEO Agency
I really want to take a few of their titles and really expand and give my thoughts on them and really looking out for yourself when it comes to picking an SEO Agency. You can never be too safe when it comes to choosing the correct agency, and all of their suggestions hit home when it comes to keeping yourself protected among the sharks out there.
Number & Quality Of Links
SEJ Wrote:
One of the first aspects most clients like to get their head around is the link building side to SEO. Most agencies will try to educate the client to understand exactly what the agency will do for their website. If you notice that they are slightly reserved when it comes to their link building techniques, this is your first Red Flag.
I see both sides of this argument. In one way, the SEO Agency should be honest when it comes to their linking practices, and in another they should be reserved because SEO is an absolute cut throat business when it comes to competition. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “well company x does it this way,” giving a rough outline of how the company has success in link building and strategy.
Another thing however, is that reserved or not the SEJ article hit it on the head. Make sure any SEO Agency that you potentially deal with is saying the right things about the kinds of links they should be going after.
Owning Content & Links
SEJ Wrote:
This has only happened to a small amount of clients, but they had paid for a year’s worth of SEO agency and they had stuck out the contract and reaped the benefits; however when they left the agency, their traffic and sales suffered. They didn’t know what had happened and when they came to us, we realised that the previous agency had taken down all the guest posts and links they had got throughout the year.
Wholeheartedly agree with this and I’ve actually seen it happen. Especially if the business in questions pays for links from a source. Those links are then removed when the payments are stopped, leaving the client dead in the water. It’s an issue of why buying links is a failure for most small businesses.
An SEO Agency That Guarantees Of Sales or Traffic
SEJ Wrote:
If they mention guarantees of traffic or sales start running because it is impossible to guarantee anything in the SEO world. They might forecast some targets, but it is very hard to guarantee anything because some changes Google might make are out of your hands. Forecasts are great, but Guarantees are BAD.
I went ahead and emphasized the bad because this is something that I literally can’t repeat or preach enough. Sadly however, this is another thing that I’m familiar with in the industry. Any time either the salesperson or the SEO him/herself gets caught up saying that they can offer x amount of visits or leads in a certain time is setting themselves up for a failure and will do nothing but frustrate the business owner in the end.
The article has more points worth reading. It really drives the point home in the fact that there are shady SEO Agencies out there looking to just make a quick buck. Always research and prepare questions when you’re looking for an SEO or Internet Marketer.