Now that you’ve seen the value of search engine optimization (SEO) in business marketing, it’s time to take action and get your SEO campaign off the ground. The first step is to choose the best SEO services and the SEO agency with the qualities to help you succeed.
Many business owners enter the digital landscape and wonder how to run effective business lead generation campaigns. You don’t have to worry about all this. SEO is best left to professionals. The best SEO companies can take care of the technical work for you so you can focus on your core business.
However, determining the best SEO company that fits your needs isn’t always easy. Read on before you sign that digital marketing contract to ensure your marketing dollars are spent on effective SEO services.
How To Choose the Right SEO
Company: Factors To Consider
Knowing how to choose an SEO company and hire SEO expert offering the best value for money can be the difference between digital marketing success and failure. Since all businesses want to have a strong digital presence and rank for their target keywords, you need to invest in the best SEO services from a trustworthy search engine optimization firm to achieve real growth.
Not sure how to choose the right SEO company for your business? Here are key considerations when selecting a search engine optimization agency:
1. Scope of SEO Services
When vetting SEO services providers, you need to have a good handle on their scope of work. The best SEO agencies are not restricted to a certain area of SEO campaign optimization. They should be capable of conducting on-site and off-site optimizations to improve your website visibility and keep your site in top positions in the search results.
The basic SEO services you should expect from the top SEO agencies include:
- Comprehensive Site Audit
- Competitive Website Analysis
- Keyword Research
- Blog Set Up
- Quality SEO Copywriting
- Link Building
- On-Page Optimization
- Guest Posting
- Progressive Strategy Optimizations
- Local Optimization
- Directory Listings
- Google Analytics Reports
Every business has unique needs, and the best SEO companies understand this. A reliable search engine optimization firm will work closely with you to create custom SEO business packages that fit your goals, needs and budget.
2. Overall Pricing
In your search for the best SEO agency, you will find a few providers of search engine optimization services that are upfront about the costs and others that are not.
Whether you’re looking for SEO packages for small business or large enterprises, price matters. So choose an SEO firm that clearly communicates its SEO business pricing details and sets a realistic budget to avoid being scammed and have peace of mind.
Many business owners fall for top SEO agencies promoting ultra-low rates only to find out later that they either underdeliver, use black hat SEO strategies or collect hidden fees. Keep in mind that SEO takes time, so avoid those that claim to be the best SEO agencies but charge a one-time fee.
A better way to handle SEO packages for small business entities and enterprises is by monthly or annual contracts. This ensures the SEO company will continuously work to maintain results and improve your SEO performance. Compare at least three quotes from top SEO companies, and then decide which SEO business plan suits you best.
3. SEO Case Studies
SEO case studies are an excellent way to learn more about how an SEO firm tackles website issues and achieves its client’s goals. Many small business SEO services providers claim to be among the best SEO companies but fail to provide data to back them up.
Top SEO companies publish SEO case studies on their website to prove they’ve achieved the results they promise. These SEO case studies should outline their processes, provide transparent SEO campaign results and validate the search engine optimization company’s expertise and skill.
Here are a few Thrive case studies to show what you’d be looking for with each digital marketing agency:
+89K
Leads Across
180 Locations
+276K
New
Website Users
One of the biggest property damage restoration companies in the U.S. reached out to Thrive to increase its monthly leads and goal completions for both corporate and franchise accounts. Thrive focused on SEO, PPC marketing, web development and reputation management to improve its overall search performance. These efforts resulted in a total of 89,422 leads across 180 locations, 1,345 calls and 2,064 conversions for its paid ads alone.
+110.5%
Organic
SEO Traffic
+43.5%
Conversion Rate
An international technology manufacturer and supplier partnered with Thrive to improve its online visibility, traffic throughout and organic keyword rankings. Thrive’s SEO, link building and PPC marketing efforts positioned the client’s website in front of high-converting audience segments, generating a 110.5 percent increase in organic SEO traffic and moving 688 search terms to the first page of search results.
+440%
Top 5
Keyword Rankings
+191%
Monthly Leads
A dermatology practice group with more than 100 locations across the U.S. needed the best SEO services to boost its organic lead generation and establish a robust SEO strategy for all its service locations. Thrive’s SEO experts implemented local citation management, ongoing content development, domain linking and link building to achieve these goals. By month nine into the SEO strategy, the client increased its monthly leads by 191 percent and Top 5 keyword rankings by 440 percent.
A reputable SEO firm would be more than happy to present you with its portfolio and answer your questions confidently. Get in touch with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency to find out how we’ve helped thousands of businesses worldwide achieve and exceed their SEO goals.
4. Digital Marketing Strategy
What you should know about SEO is that it’s a long-term investment, so a good search engine optimization agency should provide you with a robust digital marketing strategy tailored to your unique business needs.
Partner with a strategy-first SEO company that follows a proven growth formula to secure digital marketing success. An SEO agency that implements a strategy-first approach gives clear direction, enables you to understand your market share better and helps you develop a value proposition to edge out the competition.
The four key areas of an effective business lead generation strategy are (1) technical SEO, (2) content, (3) on-site SEO and (4) off-site SEO. The best SEO company covers all these SEO processes in their business lead generation plan to maximize the opportunity to gain organic website traffic.
If you want your target audience to find your website, it’s also integral that your search engine optimization company implements only white hat SEO tactics or approved best practices for increasing site rankings.
But most importantly, the best SEO firm understands that SEO is not the only way to drive business. A reliable search engine optimization agency would also present you with a comprehensive digital marketing plan that takes into account other marketing channels and strategies to increase revenue and improve your audience engagement and customer loyalty.
5. Reporting Process
Transparency is at the core of the best search engine optimization company’s business processes. Look for a search engine optimization firm that discusses its approach and regularly reports back on the process. Any reluctance to do this is a red flag.
The digital landscape is fast changing, and websites have to be updated at the same pace. Swift action and regular client communication are thus a prerequisite for a top SEO company.
A detailed monthly report will cover things such as your site’s:
- Organic Rankings
- Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- Conversion Rate
- Keyword Rankings
- Site Speed
- And More
Getting insights into your SEO campaign allows you to ensure everything’s on track and validate any claims or promises your SEO company offered to deliver.
6. Website Quality & Performance
Don’t just trust the word of a search engine company that it can deliver stellar results. Its website quality and SEO performance should speak for the quality of its search engine optimization services.
The best SEO agencies boast a well-designed, SEO-optimized website that ranks high in search results. A good SEO service provider also regularly publishes unique, relevant and quality content.
Does the company appear on the first page of local search results? Look extensively into the SEO firm’s search performance to help you confidently make your decision.
7. Reviews and References
Ask present or past clients about their experience with the small business SEO services provider. Additionally, review the SEO companies reviews and testimonials across the web to gain a better understanding of its client relationships and gain more insights into its strategy and reporting process. The best SEO firm to partner with displays social proof on its website and social media platforms.
Reading SEO companies reviews and connecting with past or current clients go a long way toward giving you peace of mind when selecting the best SEO agency for your business.
Besides the reviews and references, also take a look at an SEO firm’s core values and make sure they align with your business. A company’s core values shape its vision and reflect its culture. They will give you an idea of the firm’s basic work ethics and help you decide if they’re somebody you’d like to work with.
8. KPIs and Other Metrics
Consider your business marketing goals and ensure you choose the best SEO firm that has metrics that work for you. As digital marketing partners, you should be on the same page in deciding the key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics for your SEO campaign.
A good SEO service provider takes a highly collaborative approach to projects and identifies metrics that support your business objectives.
9. Social Media Initiatives
When looking for an SEO company for small business entities or large enterprises, consider a firm with expertise in handling social media marketing campaigns.
Social media and search engine optimization services go hand in hand in establishing your digital presence and directing the right kind of traffic to your website. The best search engine optimization company has people with the expertise and the proper tools to manage this process.
10. Proven Industry Experience
Signing on with the best SEO company with proven experience, expertise and industry knowledge will get your campaign moving quickly. But more importantly, it will ensure you are investing in effective SEO services that will produce profitable long-term results.
A reputable top SEO agency has a track record of success, evident in its case studies, industry awards and client portfolios. In addition, the best SEO agency invests in keeping its employees’ knowledge and skills up to date by allotting time to attend SEO conferences. This shows in the accolades and certifications the team has received throughout the years.
How To Choose an SEO Company:
Do’s and Don’ts
While the above factors should be considered in selecting the best search engine optimization company, here are additional tips to assist you in your search and guide your SEO journey:
-
DO:
DO NOT:
- Simply scan the SEO campaign proposal.
- Come to the consultation without doing your own research.
- Rely on the company’s website content alone.
- Be afraid to ask questions during the consultation.
- Sign up with the first SEO services provider that you encounter.
- Hire a self-proclaimed top SEO company that doesn’t know the difference between black hat and white hat SEO.
- Choose an SEO campaign expert that promises immediate results.
Find the Right SEO Agency
for Your Business
Are you choosing an SEO campaign expert the right way? Making the right decision when choosing your next top SEO agency has major consequences on your bottom line. Before locking into a contract with an SEO company for small business entities or enterprises, be sure to gather enough data to make confident decisions.
Almost one in five companies had a negative experience with an SEO agency before finding the right fit. So take your time.
Do your research and leverage all the available resources to vet multiple SEO companies and find the right fit for your business.
If you’re ready to take the next step with a new SEO partner, choose Thrive.
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is an award-winning digital marketing firm dedicated to client success. Since 2005, we have been partnering with businesses from various industries to achieve their SEO goals.
Thrive knows how to grow businesses, and our awards and recognition throughout the years speak for the quality of our services. Thrive has been listed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing businesses in the U.S. for six consecutive years, and we continuously improve our processes to remain on top.
Our professional team can give you site consultation and educate you on what is SEO and the importance of white hat SEO in business success.
Let us help you identify the SEO solutions best suited to your needs. Call us now.
