Search engine optimization is a focus of business development that is deserving of all the attention it receives. You’re already well aware of how central SEO is to your ability to reach a wider audience, influence conversions, and grow your bottom line. The fact that SEO is essential has already been established, now the challenge is how to best approach the development of an SEO strategy that fuels growth for your business. So how can you tell if your SEO agency is actually performing? We’ll answer that below.
There’s always the option to handle SEO (along with all the other components of digital marketing) inhouse but that can also become a drain on the resources needed to continually push your business forward. There’s also the nagging concern that the person you hire might not be as well equipped for the responsibility as an SEO agency whose only goal is to produce the results you’re looking for.
This is why so many businesses like yours turn to a digital agency to handle the heavy lifting and intricacies of true search engine optimization. The reasons to hire a professional are many, especially with all the minor – and major – fluctuations in Google’s algorithm. You need someone who is on top of the industry and well ahead of any curveballs that Google throws their way.
The challenge is that once you do bring an agency on board, how do you determine if they’re doing their job, maximizing results, and having a positive influence on your bottom line? In other words, how can you tell if your SEO specialists are doing their job, and worth the money you’re paying them?
What An SEO Agency Should Be Doing For You
It’s easy to talk a big game with SEO, but much more difficult to deliver measurable results. It’s an unfortunate fact of the industry, but one that needs to be recognized so you can avoid wasting time, money, and opportunities on digital “experts” who are more talk than action. Before you make initial contact with an SEO specialist, it’s crucial to have a foundational understanding of what they should be doing for your business.
There are a few easy-to-spot-benefits of working with an SEO agency. Like how they have access to all the tools and technology that you might not have at your immediate disposal. If they take their responsibilities in the industry seriously, they should also understand the role your competitors play in your SEO success and have a strategy for using those insights to boost results. And finally, hiring an agency should turn out to be time and cost-effective because they immediately recognize which tactics to use, and which to leave off to the side.
An SEO specialist should take a very thorough approach to strategy development. It’s important to recognize that SEO has many facets, and it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. A few of the major focuses of an SEO specialist include:
- Discovery of your business, including familiarizing themselves with every detail that matters for SEO
- Competitive analysis that looks at what your main competitors are doing, along with recognizing their strong and weak points
- Buyer personas that help you pinpoint who you’re targeting and how to reach them
- Keyword research that helps you reach your targets
- On-page optimization that leaves no stone unturned for improving the SEO structure of your website
- User experience audits to ensure website visitors linger and return.
- Content generation and management to engage your audience
- Link building to expand reach and visibility
- Analytics that help shape the most successful strategy for your business
5 Ways to Measure the Success of Your SEO Agency
So, you know what your SEO specialist should be doing, but how do you know they’re actually doing it and producing results along the way? Here are a few easy ways to tell if your SEO agency is doing their job.
Communication
It’s impossible to produce results with search engine optimization without a good exchange of communication. Are they asking questions about your business, where your challenges have been, and what your goals are? Can they make immediate suggestions and then follow up with more in-depth solutions? Are they coming to you to discuss the next move in your strategy?
Results
Obviously, you’re looking for results and you can’t expect miracles overnight. However, your SEO agency should be taking the initiative to report back to you on results, whether they’re positive or indicate a need for a change in direction. A true specialist should keep you in the loop regarding results at every turn.
Suggestions and Answers
A quality agency should be able to provide some immediate insights, even if it turns out that another approach works best for your business. By looking at some surface components of SEO and making valuable suggestions, they’re indicating a real interest in your business. Likewise, your specialist should be able to answer your questions and explain their process to you without hesitation.
Key Metrics
An SEO strategy can take a while to build up momentum, but there shouldn’t be too much time that passes before you start to see small movements in some key metrics – or at least some calm waters where you were previously noticing steady drops. Take a few minutes and look at metrics like your search engine ranking, the volume of traffic, time on your site, etc. If you’re not seeing positive movement, it’s time to ask why.
Money Talks
At the end of the day, you’re looking for an increase in revenue. An exception to advice about key metrics mentioned above is if you start to see a drop in traffic that’s associated with a boost in revenue. This means your SEO specialist has done the job of reaching a targeted audience primed for conversion. This is a good thing. If a month or two passes with no measurable profit benefits, don’t hesitate to ask your SEO specialist why.
A Dedicated, Thorough Approach to SEO
Trust is key when working with an SEO agency. After all, their approach to SEO can either give your business the forward push it needs or leave you stagnant while your competitors march ahead. The last thing you want to do is trust the future of your business in the hands of anyone less than a knowledgeable, experienced SEO agency. At Double Up Digital, we have the experience you’re looking for and welcome the opportunity to discuss strategy with you. Contact Double Up Digital today to request on an audit of your current campaign. We’ll be happy to identify areas where we think you can improve and how we can help.
