Nearly 70% of all online activity begins on a search engine like Google. As a result, 61% of marketers say search engine optimization (SEO) is among their top priorities. In fact, 51% of all web traffic starts with an organic search.
However, 75% of search engine users never check the second page of results.
If you’re not ranking on the first page of results, consider requesting SEO services this year. Not sure who to hire? Here are 12 simple tips that can help you find an expert SEO service provider, like Wildcat Software Design in Tampa, Florida.
With these tips, you can ensure the best SEO company is on the job. Once you improve your rankings, you can reach more customers than ever before. Start searching for SEO companies with these tips today.
1. Establish Your Goals
In order to find the best SEO company possible, it’s important to make sure they’re capable of accomplishing your unique goals. Otherwise, you might choose an SEO agency in Florida that doesn’t offer the services you need to accomplish those goals.
Determine what you want to accomplish by adding SEO to your digital marketing strategy. For example, your goals might include:
- Creating high-quality blog content
- Generating brand awareness and recognition
- Attracting more website traffic
- Establishing your credibility
- Generating quality backlinks
- Improving your domain authority
- Generating more leads and sales
- Improving rankings for specific keywords
Outlining your goals can help you determine what SEO services you need.
For example, if you want to generate quality backlinks, you might want to find an agency that offers backlink-building and guest blogging services.
If you want to create quality blog content, look for an agency that offers content creation services.
Take a moment to audit your website to determine where your current SEO strategy is falling short (if you have one). For example, maybe visitors are leaving your website without converting. You might want to consider your content and web design.
As you interview SEO companies, ask each team how they’ll accomplish your goals.
If they don’t take the time to understand your goals, they won’t customize your SEO marketing strategy. Instead, they might use a cookie-cutter model, which could waste your time and money.
2. Gather Referrals and Reviews
You can learn more about each SEO company on your list by gathering referrals and reviews.
First, talk to other business owners within your network. Ask if they’ve hired an SEO service provider in the past. If they have, ask questions about the company’s services, experience, and expertise.
For example, you might ask:
- How long has the company worked in the industry
- What services do they offer
- Did they accomplish your goals
- Are you satisfied with the services you received
- Did you experience any problems after hiring them
Ask questions about communicating with the company, too. If the client struggled to reach the agency for updates, remove them from your list.
Otherwise, read client reviews online. Check the company’s BBB and Google Business listings. If the company doesn’t have a Google Business profile, remove them from your list.
Optimizing a Google Business profile is an important part of a well-rounded SEO strategy. If the agency isn’t using its own services, they’re not the right fit.
3. Look for Experience
Determine how long each SEO agency has worked in the industry.
You might find digital marketing agencies that only recently started offering SEO services. Try to find a team with years of SEO experience instead. You can leverage their experience and expertise to strengthen your own SEO strategy.
Ask each agency if they’ve helped businesses within your niche, too. These teams will have a better understanding of your industry, customers, and competitors. They might have an easier time developing your SEO strategy as a result.
Finding a team with years of hands-on SEO experience can help you feel more confident in their abilities.
Determine how long the company has operated. A long-running business likely has more efficient processes in place, too. Their efficiency can further benefit your SEO campaigns.
4. Consider SEO Expertise
Before choosing an SEO service provider, it’s important to make sure they have a full understanding of SEO. Prioritize finding a full-service SEO agency that can provide all the services you need under one roof.
Determine what’s included in each company’s SEO service. There are four types of SEO you’ll need for a well-rounded strategy:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
- Local SEO
On-page involves optimizing your website content. For example, the agency should have a strategy for keyword research and keyword placement. Some agencies also offer content creation services to help you rank for a range of keywords.
Off-page SEO involves ranking factors outside of your website. For example, backlinks are one of Google’s top ranking factors. Without backlinks, your domain authority and page rankings might not improve.
Technical SEO involves backend components of your website. For example, Google prioritizes websites that are fast, mobile-optimized, secure, and user-friendly. Consider running your site through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, PageSpeed Insights, and Core Web Vitals to audit your website.
If your website is old, look for an SEO company that also offers web design and development services. Optimizing your website can improve your rankings.
About four in five consumers use search engines to find local information. Meanwhile, 50% of mobile users visit a store after a local search. About 18% of these searches lead to purchases as well.
Local SEO can help you appear in front of consumers based on their location. One of the most important strategies for local SEO is claiming and optimizing your Google Business listing. This listing can help consumers find your website, phone number, address, and other contact details.
As part of your Google Business optimization strategy, it also helps to generate customer reviews. Positive reviews can boost your brand’s reputation.
Determine how each SEO company will help with reputation management as well.
5. Check Their Services
It can help to find a full-service digital marketing agency that also has years of SEO experience. Their supplemental services could improve your SEO rankings.
For example, you might want to find an agency that offers website design and development services.
Nearly 40% of website visitors will leave your website if it’s poorly designed. Another 40% will leave if your site is slow, too. In fact, conversions can drop up to 20% for every additional second of load time.
As people begin leaving your site without exploring additional pages, your bounce rate will start to increase. A higher bounce rate will indicate you’re offering a negative user experience (UX).
A negative UX indicates your site is difficult to navigate and use.
Updating your website will encourage visitors to explore your content. As they explore additional pages, your dwell times will improve. Your rankings could rise as a result.
You might also want to find an agency that offers social media marketing services. Social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, however, it can attract more people to your website, which could boost your rankings.
Video content is becoming more popular, too. An agency that offers video production services can help diversify your content creation strategy. You could start ranking at the top of search pages with video clips as well.
Finding an agency that offers multiple services could benefit your entire SEO strategy.
6. Ask About Previous Clients
Ask each SEO agency about the clients they’ve helped in the past. First, determine if they’ve helped businesses within your niche. If they have, ask how exactly they helped the client.
For example, you might want to find an agency that offers website design and development services.
Ask the agency if they can provide any case studies that prove they were able to accomplish the company’s goals.
Reviewing case studies can help you determine if the agency is capable of accomplishing your goals as well. Determine what key performance indicators they tracked, such as web visitors, rankings, or conversions.
Then, ask how they plan on adapting their strategy to suit your business.
The agency shouldn’t follow a cookie-cutter approach; SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. Instead, they should develop a strategy that suits your industry, customers, and business.
7. Discuss SEO Trends
Before choosing an SEO agency, ask if they’re aware of the latest SEO marketing trends. Choose a company that remains up-to-date with Google’s algorithm updates. Otherwise, they could struggle to help you improve your rankings.
Google updates its search engine algorithm constantly throughout the year. Each update could influence your search engine rankings. If you’re not up-to-date, your rankings could drop off the first page of results.
Consumers might struggle to find your website for relevant searches if you don’t appear on the first page.
For example, nearly 41% of all voice search answers come from a featured snippet. Featured snippets are formatted pieces of information that appear at the top of search result pages. If the SEO company can’t explain what a featured snippet is (or how to help you rank as one), remove them from your list.
About 75% of all voice searches rank in the top three for their queries. Meanwhile, almost 50% of consumers are using voice assistants for general searches. Ask the company how they plan on helping you rank for voice searches.
Creating quality video content could improve your search engine rankings, too. In fact, video content is now the number one form of media for content strategies. The number of views, shares, comments, and likes can impact your YouTube rankings (the second most-used search engine behind Google).
Consider finding an SEO company that also creates and optimizes video content.
For example, they can use a video transcript to help you rank for specific keywords. They should add your target keyword to the video title and description, too.
Finding SEO companies that remain informed about the latest SEO trends can help you find new ways to get ahead of competitors.
8. Look for Certifications
Ask each agency why their team is qualified to offer SEO services.
For example, has their team completed any formal training? Determine if they have any certifications that can speak to their areas of expertise, too.
Finding a team with the proper credentials can help you feel more confident in their abilities to accomplish your goals.
9. Ask About Their Tools
Ask each agency about the tools they intend to use.
For example, you can ask how they plan on conducting keyword research. Keyword research will help them determine what content to create. Otherwise, they might not create content that aligns with the user’s search intent.
Aligning your content with the user’s search intent can help you appear for relevant searches.
Determine what tools the agency uses to monitor rankings, backlinks, or your competitors, too.
10. Discuss Their Strategy
Talk to each SEO company on your list about their process.
They should start by determining the best way to accomplish your goals. Then, they should research your business, customers, and competitors. Gathering this research will help them gather keyword research based on your niche.
The agency might need to make updates to your website before creating content for your blog.
If the company doesn’t have an efficient SEO process in place, remove them from your list. They could waste your time and money.
11. Learn About Metrics
Ask each agency how they define success.
Remember, the agency should develop a customized SEO strategy with your needs and goals in mind. The metrics they track should align with your distinct goals.
For example, if you want to generate more website traffic, they should track unique website visitors. If you want to boost sales, they should track online purchases. When prioritizing lead generation, they should track form submissions.
Ask the agency how long you should wait before expecting results, too. The company shouldn’t guarantee quick results. Instead, they should walk you through the process to help you develop realistic expectations. Typically 3 to 6 months is standard to begin seeing decent results.
12. Compare Pricing
Ask each SEO service provider for an itemized list of the services they offer. Then, compare your options. Gathering multiple estimates can help you determine the average price for services.
Don’t choose the cheapest agency you find, though. Instead, prioritize finding an experienced team that offers the range of services you need to be successful.
Leveraging their services and expertise can help you generate results from SEO marketing for years to come.
Rank Up with Wildcat Software Design: Hire the Best Company for Quality SEO Services Today
Finding the best SEO company in Florida shouldn’t feel stressful. Instead, use these tips before requesting SEO services. With the right agency, you can boost your rankings to reach more customers online than ever before.
As your rankings improve, you can generate more leads and sales for a stronger ROI.
Ready to boost your rankings? We’re here to help.
Contact our team in Florida today to get started.