With more than 5 billion (with a “B”) Google searches occurring each day last year, you know you need a robust online presence to stand out and get noticed.
You may have read or heard about the importance of SEO (search engine optimization) for your website and digital content. But when you saw 614 million search results for ‘how to do SEO,’ you decided to add ‘hire an SEO agency’ to your business ‘to-do’ list.
Remember, though, that SEO Agencies specialize in marketing businesses, including their own. While you want to partner with a company that showcases its strengths, it can be tough to sift the facts from the hype.
Our guidelines below should help you find an agency that fits your needs and your budget.
Choosing the Right SEO Agency
We’ll start by saying that the response to your initial contact with an agency should be enthusiastic and quick. Assuming no weather-related power outages prevented delivery of your contact details, a reply that takes more than 2 days to arrive is a red flag. Move on to find a company curious about your company and your goals.
Vetting an agency should be a dialogue. You’re assessing the agency, and they should be evaluating you to ensure they have the capabilities and tools to support your business plan.
- Questions the Agency Should Ask YOU:
- Tell us about your company. What’s your mission/vision/ purpose? Who are your customers? Without revealing anything confidential, can you give us a sense of your goals for the next year / two years / five years?
- What’s the tone you’d like to set with your marketing? The agency should have reviewed your website but hearing your first-person explanation of how you’d like to communicate with customers adds useful insights.
- From your perspective, what’s working well with your digital marketing program? What kind of results have you seen with your advertising, your website, and other marketing materials?
- How do you see SEO helping you reach your goals? Are you going to focus on a few products or services? Are you targeting a specific customer group? Do you want to get more customer leads overall? Are you trying to build awareness of your company/products/ services?
- Questions YOU Should Ask the Agency (after your review their website, online reviews and customer testimonials):
- Have you worked with other clients in my industry?
- Can you explain your SEO strategies? SEO can be complicated, but it’s not a black box. A reputable agency will happily share the steps they follow to improve your online presence.
- Do you sub-contract the work, or do it in-house?
- How often will we meet/communicate about my program?
- What types of tracking and reporting do you provide? How often do you report? Do I have full access to the analytics for my site?
- What results might I expect and when should I begin to see them? What do you do if our SEO strategy isn’t working? Beware of agencies who ‘guarantee’ specific results. A reliable agency will focus on outcomes and work to get you there.
- What other marketing services do you provide? SEO is a fundamental building block of a digital marketing strategy. Partnering with an agency that can also support your website design, social media presence, and digital advertising efforts can deliver a cohesive, consistent marketing message.
- What are ballpark prices for your services?
- What’s the duration of a contract with you, and what is your cancellation policy?
Your conversational interview should give you a sense of how well you will be able to communicate with the agency team. Answers should give you a sense of confidence and trust in the agency’s capabilities. Finally, the pricing and contract terms should align with your needs.
Resources for Finding Your SEO Agency Partner
Selecting the right SEO agency involves a process that is like any other purchase decision.
- Check with associates and friends for their suggestions and experiences.
- Connect with a few companies with good websites to learn whom they use for SEO.
- If you belong to industry associations, ask their leaders for ideas and recommendations.
We’ve done some research for you and compiled a short list of reputable SEO agencies. Consider this list a starting point and plan to talk with a least 3 different agencies before finalizing your decision.
Our list is based on endorsements from industry experts, associations, and our own experience. We’re proud of the work we do and have included our agency on the list to represent Virginia.
State Agency
Alabama New Merkel Consulting Group
Alaska Buzzbiz Creative
Arizona Vertical Measures
Arkansas Tydal Wave Creative Services
California BusinessOnline
Colorado InFlow
Connecticut PageOne Click
Delaware Digital Eye
Florida Fractl
Georgia Lyfe Marketing
Hawaii Grow Local SEO
Idaho Define Media Group
Illinois Straight North
Indiana imavex
Iowa IowaSEO
Kansas Social Managed
Kentucky Leap
Louisiana Catapult Creative Media
Maine Pine Point Creative
Maryland Dragonfly Digital Marketing
Massachusetts Metro Annex Interactive
Michigan Ignite Media Group
Minnesota Triton Commerce
Mississippi Webimax
Missouri Match Box Design Group
Montana Missoula SEO Geek
Nebraska Big Red SEO
Nevada On the Maps
New Hampshire Windhill Design
New Jersey Worldwide Riches Web Design and SEO
New Mexico Digital Key Design
New York Internet Marketing Ninjas
North Carolina Hive Digital
North Dakota Adshark Marketing
Ohio RevLocal
Oklahoma Bigwing Interactive
Oregon UpBuild
Pennsylvania Greenlane Marketing
Rhode Island Tribal Vision
South Carolina Hall Analysis LLC
South Dakota tiger29
Tennesee Higher Visibility
Texas Key Relevance
Utah 97th Floor
Vermont bytes.co
Virginia Renaissance Marketing
Washington Distilled
Wisconsin Get Found Madison
West Virgina Local Impact Group
Wyoming Wind River Marketing
For more information about Renaissance Marketing’s approach to local SEO, how SEO benefits your business, and the additional digital marketing services we provide, contact our team.
- We follow SEO Best Practices and use approved search engine guidelines to deliver superior results to our customers. You will see site rankings improve and you will get more business leads.
- We’ll spend as much time as you need to explain what we’re doing and the return you can expect from your investment. We’ll report about what’s working and what could be improved. Our plans and recommendations will always align with your growth goals and your budget.
Our relationship with you is a partnership, with honest and consistent communication keeping us tracking toward your success. Helping your business grow is our passion!
Explore our case studies and comprehensive marketing services at: Richmond SEO, Tampa SEO Agency, Tampa digital marketing agency, digital marketing agency Richmond VA, white label SEO agency.