5 Tips for Choosing the Best SEO Company To Help You With Your Content Strategy
You don’t have to be hit by SEO to know it packs a punch.
The numbers say it all. For instance, the first Google search result receives 32.5 percent of all organic traffic. SEO has 20 times more traffic opportunity than PPC and other paid search strategies. 45 percent of all businesses know content marketing has to be a part of their SEO strategy.
Look, we can go on and on, but the point will remain the same. Your business needs SEO, especially a content strategy. And the best way to make the powers of SEO work for you is to hire a small business SEO company?
But how do you find the best SEO provider, given that there are thousands to choose from?
Lean in. We’re telling you how.
1. Know Your SEO Goals
The first step to finding the best small business SEO company is to have an intricate grasp of your own SEO goals.
What exactly do you want to achieve?
When defining these goals, it’s important to be very specific. This means having increased organic traffic as a goal is not acceptable. Why? This is a very broad goal. Every SEO effort should generally result in increased organic traffic.
Examples of specific SEO goals include:
- Increased content engagement
- Increased lead generation and conversion
- Increased brand recognition
- Greater keyword targeting
- Increased industry reputation/ SEO for reputation management
- Higher search engine ranking (First spot ranking).
When you have a list of goals, you can approach any SEO provider and ask if they can meet them, and after how long. But without goals, you won’t even know whether a preferred SEO company has what it takes to deliver the results you want.
2. Define Your SEO Budget
SEO marketing costs money. Depending on where your SEO is right now, you could end up spending up to $5,000 or more – every month! That said, the vast majority of business actually spend less than $1,000, and that’s why they are often lagging behind.
Sure, as a small business, it’s understandable that you could be operating on a shoestring budget. As such, you want to spend as little as possible, and hope to yield as many positive results as possible!
Before starting your hunt for an SEO company, define your budget.
Doing so will help you find a company that not only fits your budget, but also offers customized packages to help you make the most of your money beit-mirkahat.com.
One thing: don’t be frugal with your SEO spending. You’re better off taking out a small business loan to invest in SEO, because SEO has a massive return on investment. Imagine what a first spot Google ranking can do to your business.
3. Begin Your Search for the Best Small Business SEO Company
Once you know your goals and budget, it’s time to step into the jungle and begin your hunt. Here are the strategies that will take you to the best game:
Get Recommendations from Friendly Business Partners/Friends
Did you know word of mouth is still the king of marketing? Yes, people trust what other people recommend.
That’s why you should begin your search by getting recommendations from the people closest to you. If, for example, you know a business owner whose enterprise is doing really well on the web, don’t shy away from asking whether they do SEO in-house or they outsource. If outsourcing, ask who does the SEO for them.
There is no reason such a business owner would not oblige to say who does their SEO. After all, if you went to the website of some of the top SEO providers, you will find that they have publicly listed some of their clients.
Do an Online Search
In addition to getting recommendations from people, do an online search and add a couple more names to your list.
Keep in mind that when searching online the results can be endless. As such, you have to be very specific, and it’s preferable to focus on local companies.
If you are in Tucson, AZ, for example, search “best small business SEO companies in Tucson, AZ” or “the best small business SEO companies near me.” And ensure the location services on your device are turned on. On that note, if you’re in need in Tucson, this company should be a top choice.
Create a list of about 5-10 companies, and proceed to the next step.
4. Evaluate the SEO Companies on Your List
Now that you have a list of potential SEO providers, it’s time to do further evaluation to not only find the best, but also one that suits your SEO and financial needs.
Begin by looking for online reviews of each company on your list. What are other customers saying about them on Facebook, Yelp, and other review sites? Look at testimonials, too.
When looking for reviews, don’t expect to find one with 100 percent positive reviews. In business, it’s hardly possible to please everyone. There will always be disgruntled customers who will go online and post negative things.
However, you can learn a lot from how a company handles a negative review, be it genuine or note. Did the company respond professionally and offer to help or did it ignore the comment? If it ignored, strike that company off your list. That’s a telltale sign of poor customer service.
Next, evaluate their own SEO.
How does their website look? Is it clean and engaging? Where does it rank online? How about their blog? Is it regularly updated with fresh content?
Finally, consider their experience and areas of expertise. How long have they in business? How many clients do they have? Note having many clients is a sign of quality service provision, but ensure they have the manpower to meet their needs. Avoid companies that have little SEO experience.
After this evaluation, you should end up with about 3 companies on your list.
5. Schedule a Consultation
Contact the remaining contestants and schedule on your list. When doing this, take note of the scheduling process.
How long do they take to schedule the consultant? Do they offer multiple contact channels?
If a company takes a tad too long to get back to you, that’s a red flag. It probably shows they don’t put much value on customer service.
During the consultation, present each company with your goals and budget expectations. Their answers should satisfy you. Don’t settle for a company unless it checks all your boxes.
Your Content Strategy Needs the Input of a Competent SEO Expert
As a business owner, it’s unlikely that you have the skills and time to craft and roll out your content strategy. You need to find the best small business SEO company to handle your SEO, so that you can focus on what you do best.
Oh, one more thing! Keep an eye on our blog for more SEO tips.