13 Questions You Must Ask an SEO Agency Before Hiring

Jullieterm
8 min readOct 5, 2021

--

SEO in simple means Search Engine Optimization. It helps optimize your blog or website for better visibility in different search engines like Bing and Google. Also, this process gets more traffic as it increases website views through visitors and clicks on a specific page.

To get your blog or website ranked better, a good SEO agency is a must.

Some of the questions you should ask an SEO firm before banking on them are as follows:

1. Why should I hire an SEO firm?

The many reasons you can use this company offer more advantages than without one.

Web Designing

An SEO expert helps in website design to keep your blog or site user-friendlier. This includes keyword research, content creation, optimization, and link building. What’s more, they save you a lot of time in all these aspects and more.

Vast Experience

A reputable SEO agency has enough experience and knowledge in everything SEO. Most of them can handle the nitty-gritty details of search engine optimizations in less time than an individual who is starting to build up a new website.

Customized Service

Another benefit for an SEO company is friendly and reliable service. They understand what you need to optimize and the areas that will rank your site much better. Moreso, each business is unique and focuses on a different audience.

For instance, for online sellers that want to advertise their products, using high-quality backlinks is essential.

2. What should I look for when hiring someone for SEO?

We understand finding the right SEO firm can get tricky, especially if you’re new to the content world. That’s why we have some suggestions that will come in handy when looking for the best fit before putting your signature on that contract.

Experience in your field or niche market

Does the company have enough experience in your line of work or industry? This is important to help you gauge how they will deliver results promptly. Also, it will save time during the initial discussions and help better the expected outcome.

How long has the SEO firm been in operation?

Hiring a new company needs a lot of trust to get the intended result. You can do a thorough background check and read existing reviews for more information for an SEO firm. Besides, the company might be a start-up but producing great results for its clientele or vice-versa.

Always perform due diligence before committing to a contract to avoid losses and future conflicts. A reputable agency will tell you if they have experience in marketing campaigns such as social media advertising, email marketing, PPC, and more.

Usage of white hat methods

The white hat process is more ethical than the Black hat method. That means the latter’s main objective is using tricks to ensure Google ranks the website faster than other related sites. Also, these tricks can harm your blog in the long run when the search engine discovers unethical details.

References

Lastly, can this SEO firm offer reputable references from customers they had previously? If the company can provide all these details, you have a better knowledge about their service. Plus, the reviews give some sense of trust about the project you want them to handle.

3.Will they offer free consultations?

Who doesn’t like free stuff, even in the content creation industry? Most people will take this opportunity quickly so long as it offers the desired results. An SEO expert usually tries to lure new clients with pre-existing offers and features.

For example, free advice comes in handy for new customers who want better clarity about the firm’s services. Also, it lets them have a budget and timeline if they decide to go with them. Note that free consultations don’t necessarily mean that you have made a deal with the company.

Moreover, if you want to improve your site, the SEO company must know all the details beforehand. Normally, it includes link building, web loading speed, keywords and much more. Plus, understanding your needs, objectives, and goals gives the professionals an easier time coming up with proper optimization tools.

4. What is your experience in SEO?

This question can give you an insight into whether the company has more knowledge than others in a similar industry. An SEO firm will show you proof of the previous, current, and ongoing projects they have.

What’s more, you can see how long they have been in operation, their clientele, speed of service, reliability, and much more.

5. What are some important keywords in my targeted audience?

Does the company have some keyword suggestions that will improve your site optimization? An experienced SEO firm should offer some available keywords that suit your blog. Also, planning the area of use will be helpful for a start-up or existing website.

6. Will you offer a progress report?

Most SEO agencies have quality customer service to keep the client informed about the project’s progress. Some offer bi-monthly or monthly reports that show the progress of the task. Plus, these reports will let you know if the optimization to your site is bringing more traffic, views, or a better ranking.

You can always check the status reviews and compare them to your site for quicker confirmation. Things like clicks, reading time, and traffic rate will offer more information.

7. Can you guarantee timely results?

Your expected outcome as the client all depends on the SEO firm’s zeal. Do they promise quick or reasonable results after hiring them? Sometimes ranking on google can take time, especially if using white hat procedures.

What’s more, the changes are affected by several things such as traffic, sales, clicks, leads, and much more. As a customer, patience is key if you need real results with zero optimization trickery. Additionally, your blogs get a higher ranking which might lead to future investments such as affiliations.

8. Is hiring an SEO agency worth it?

The many advantages that overshadow the disadvantages of using an SEO firm are many. They are as follows:

Professionalism

SEO experts are professional, just like other businesses, whether online or physical. Not only do you get friendly staff, but also you can engage them in areas that need improvement.

Pricing structure

Depending on your budget, you have lots of SEO company options that suit your blog needs. Multiple agencies usually have similar and different services to meet a client’s SEO wants. What’s more, the pricing can push you whether to settle with the company or not.

Apart from different rates, some SEO professionals allow flexible payments. This is a nice touch for new clients who need to build trust even before paying the whole amount. Plus, the flexibility reduces the pressure of payment plans that feel a little too demanding.

Improved Site Results

Lastly, an SEO company makes sure your site ranks much better than before. The competing websites will have a new competition if all the necessary SEO details are implemented. Also, in a few days, after some small tweaks, you can see a better ranking using your specific key terms.

Note that the well-researched keywords can lead to new clients who want to relate to your website and other related prospects.

9. Are there any particular skills that make you a better SEO firm?

Asking this question will give more information or worthiness to the hiring firm. A professional SEO expert will not only tell but also show you what makes them stand out.

For example, they can show you previous clients’ results that improved their ranking. Other SEO agencies will even go a step further and include bi-weekly reports with positive reviews.

10. Have you worked with clients in my specific industry?

Are you worried that the SEO agency is or has engaged with a competitor? This is not new to the firm because websites might have related keywords and products.

That doesn’t mean that the firm will favor one over the other but only offer what the client needs. And in case the professional has worked with a similar clientele, they have more hands-on experience to give you a quicker turnaround.

11. How often do you perform an update of the specific knowledge base?

Softwares and Artificial Intelligence are created daily to keep you in tandem with the growing technology. These advanced protocols save time when checking for specific SEO details such as optimization, links, clinks, and ranking.

In addition, an SEO agency needs to implement or use some of these details to improve the knowledge database. Not only do clients get updated information but improve the readability score What is Readability and How Does It Work? | Text inspector in your site.

12. How do other clients find your site?

As a trustworthy SEO company, other customers need to find you easily in more than one location. This will give you a better business opportunity, unlike those that rely on one channel. The following are some places to search for reputable SEO professions.

Online

Nowadays, most companies and customers meet online because of its vast benefits as follows:

  • Time-Saving

You’ll save lots of time when searching for an SEO company through online means. This method lets you google all the most reviewed and trusted firms in your field of work. What’s more, you can pinpoint the features and services that suit your SEO needs.

b. Convenient

We love the convenience in most things, whether it’s for casual, family, or professional work. An online SEO search and company bring comfort, especially for work at home individuals. Plus, you can get an instant quotation and consultation before signing an agreement with them.

Friends Referral

Another location you can link up with an SEO firm is through friends’ referrals. They come in handy when looking for one that delivers on its promises on time. Also, you get existing reviews and experience your friend had throughout the project.

Word Of Mouth

Do you understand the saying that a good thing doesn’t need too much hype or advertisement? If you offer quality and expert services to existing clients, they will definitely spread the news.

Your clientele base will grow through these positive reviews about your company based on customer service, pricing, speed of delivery or interaction. Also, remember, customers need good communication after entrusting an SEO agency with a specific project.

Magazine

A magazine is also a reliable source for advertising businesses that deal with SEO services. If you value customers that love reading books, pamphlets, or even newspapers, getting an ad in one of these prints is an excellent move.

Other

The other places prospective clients can find an SEO firm include Local Business Directory, posters, press release events, and the Yellow Pages.

13. Why should we choose you?

The many SEO professionals in the industry offer quality services and are the main competitors over you. For customers, it is best to assure them you can offer better service with no compromise. Some of the important things to check out for are:

  • Cost
  • Availability
  • Customer Support
  • Integrity
  • Speed
  • Location
  • References
  • Experience
  • Reviews

Other aspects that most of these SEO firms should have include:

  • Service Guarantee
  • Specialization
  • Quality
  • Trust
  • Reliability
  • Communication
  • Transparency
  • Knowledge
  • Skills

Conclusion:

The questions you should ask an SEO agency before hiring them are important to let you weigh on their effectiveness. These companies can help you optimize your blog or website for better visibility in different search engines like Bing and Google.

Some of the questions include how long they have been working? Any specific niche they focus on? How long will you see the results? How flexible is the payment plan?

A good SEO professional service normally has free consultation with new clients. Not only to optimize your site but keep it ranking better. Some of the things to check out include but are not limited to: keyword research, content writing, web loading, link building, etc.

Hiring these agencies is a good move, especially for those who want to rank their start-up site better. Plus, it gives you room to do other things as the firm works on your project depending on the specifications.

--

--

Jullieterm
Jullieterm

Written by Jullieterm

SEO Copywriter with extensive experience in blogs, product reviews, and general articles.

No responses yet