It’s naturally important to ask questions of a potential third-party service provider before working with them, and the world of SEO is no exception. What kind of SEO agency questions should you be asking a prospective agency as you’re deciding on an SEO partnership?
At Upward Engine, we’re here to provide a wide range of SEO services to clients around Utah and nationally. We regularly walk clients through our entire processes and answer their questions about how we work, ensuring you have the right information with which to proceed. Here are some of the essential SEO agency questions to be asking of us or any other agency you’re considering for your needs.
Key Areas to Inquire About
While there may be additional SEO questions you want to ask about, depending on the nature of your business, here are a few major areas that should be covered:
Deliverables
When we talk about deliverables in SEO, we’re referring to the specific work that will be completed for your website. This could include things like keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, content creation, and more.
- What specific deliverables are included in the SEO packages you offer?
- How often will these deliverables be completed?
- Can you provide a detailed breakdown of what each deliverable entails and how it will benefit our website’s SEO?
- Do you have any case studies or examples of successful results from similar projects?
Timelines
Speaking of deliverables, it’s important to understand the timelines associated with each one. When discussing your SEO package options, be sure to ask about the expected timeline for completion of each deliverable. This will give you a better understanding of when you can expect to see results and how long it may take for your website to rank higher in search engine results.
Strategy
As with any marketing initiative, having a clear strategy is essential for success. When discussing your SEO package options, ask the provider about their overall strategy and approach to optimizing websites. This should include keyword research, on-page optimization techniques, content creation plans, backlinking strategies, and more.
For instance, keyword research is a crucial part of any SEO strategy. This involves identifying the most relevant and high-traffic keywords for your business and incorporating them strategically into your website’s content. On-page optimization techniques, such as optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text, can also help improve your website’s visibility in search results. An agency should be able to explain these and related areas, like link building and technical SEO.
Content creation plans are another important aspect of an effective SEO strategy. Quality, informative, and relevant content not only helps attract more visitors to your site but also improves its authority and ranking potential. Backlinking strategies involve building links from other reputable websites back to your own, signaling to search engines that your site is trustworthy and valuable.
Reporting
It’s also vital to ask any prospective SEO agency about their reporting process. Ideally, they should provide you with regular and detailed reports on your website’s performance, including changes in rankings and traffic. This will help you track the progress of your SEO efforts and make necessary adjustments along the way.
Furthermore, a good SEO agency should be able to provide you with insights and recommendations based on the data gathered from these reports. They should also explain any technical terms or metrics that may not be familiar to you, ensuring transparency and understanding between both parties.
How to Identify Transparency Vs Vague Answers
Sadly, some SEO agencies you deal with may give vague answers or use technical jargon to confuse and mislead you. To ensure transparency, here are some tips to identify vague answers from transparent ones:
- Clear and specific language – Transparent agencies will use clear and specific language that is easy for you to understand.
- Detailed explanations – If an agency provides detailed explanations of their strategies and processes, it shows they are not trying to hide any information from you.
- Data-driven evidence – A transparent agency will provide data-driven evidence to support their recommendations and decisions.
- Honest about limitations – No SEO strategy is perfect, and a transparent agency should be honest about the limitations of their approach and how they plan to address them.
Other Red Flags to Avoid
In addition to offering vague promises and avoiding transparency, there are other red flags you should watch out for when choosing an SEO agency. These include:
- Black hat tactics – Some agencies may promise quick results by using unethical or “black hat” SEO tactics. This can ultimately harm your website’s ranking in the long run.
- Lack of communication – Communication is key in any successful partnership, and a lack of responsiveness or clear communication from an agency should raise concerns.
- Guarantees of top rankings – No reputable SEO agency can guarantee a top ranking on search engines, as algorithms are constantly changing and competition is high.
At Upward Engine, we’re proud to offer some of the best, reputable SEO services available around Utah. Contact us today to ask us any questions you may have, to learn more about how we can boost your digital marketing success!