What questions to ask an SEO company before hiring them?

By: Skynet Technologies USA LLC
8 mins
500
questions to ask an SEO company

Search engine optimization (SEO) algorithms get reviewed periodically. Accordingly, you need to change your website structure to fulfil SEO requirements or otherwise, be ready to see a drop in website rank in search engines.

Don’t you think, it can be overwhelming to keep an eye on recent SEO updates and maintain the website as per new algorithms every now and then?

Not only overwhelming, but you might end up messing up with poor SEO configurations. Thereby, it is better to hire an eminent and trustworthy SEO company that can handle your website’s SEO efficiently.

But the question is, how to choose the right SEO company? Is there any reliable way to find out a company that can set the SEO of your website and helps you acquire maximum traffic and conversion?

There are umpteen companies that are offering SEO services and claiming to be the best SEO companies. How will you find one for your business? We shall help you to find the right SEO company for your business.

Which SEO approach do you wish to apply to your website?

SEO is a way broader concept than you assume. It has some important facets like on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO, etc. Do you know which SEO will be perfect for your business and what are the best possible SEO techniques?

On-page SEO, technical SEO, Off-page SEO, user experience, and all other types of SEO work in a specific way to influence your website's performance on search engines. An SEO company knows which all SEO techniques are apt for your business website; thus, they apply them appropriately.

There are chances that your business needs a local SEO expert to acquire a local market share or a combination of on-page and off-page will work best. The SEO company does proper research on your industry and competitors’ SEO and then performs search engine optimization for your website as per your business goals.

Effective SEO campaigns and experienced execution can surely be a game changer. Thus, when you choose an SEO company, make sure to check that they offer all types of SEO services to fulfil your business goals and SEO expectations.

Questions you must ask the SEO company before taking them on-board

1. What is your SEO approach?

Before you hire an SEO company, know about their working pattern, process and how they set up SEO. There must be a clear picture of their SEO knowledge and work approach. If you get unrealistic or vague answers, wait for a minute, and think, they might ruin your SEO.

Answers like, “we will get you top ranking within a few days” are not good signs. Such companies mostly use black hat SEO and violate SEO regulations to achieve the desired upshots, which can be troublesome for your business as well.

Ask more questions about how they do technical SEO, structured data optimization, off-page SEO, user experience optimization, etc. A genuine company will surely tell you everything with results but if they are reluctant to tell you how they do all this, it is a red flag.

Make sure the company you choose deals in all facets of SEO and can apply them as per your business needs in a balanced way.

2. How will you apply SEO strategies to our business?

When you are about to hand over the responsibility of your website SEO to a company, you must know how they are going to modify and apply strategies as per the business requirements.

If your business needs more website traffic or top ranking on organic search or region-specific SEO, or anything else, they all need different and specific approaches to achieve the results. Moreover, if the SEO company has experience in your business niche, that can be an added advantage. Though it should not be a criterion.

3. How long will it take to achieve the desired upshots?

SEO companies apply the correct SEO campaigns to your business website, which takes some time to show evident results. They do not have a magic wand, that you get results in a few moments. For long-term and visible results, you must wait for as long as six months approx.

When SEO work starts, there are many factors involved. Website design, traffic, location, competition, target market, etc. are the factors that decide how long will it take to get results.

4. How will you do mobile search engine optimization?

SEO for mobile is crucial, thus, when you hire an SEO company do not forget to discuss their SEO approaches for mobile phones.

In the modern era, mobile SEO is inevitable. Therefore, ask the SEO company for vogue techniques that will boost the mobile performance of your business website.

5. What about an SEO audit?

SEO audit lets you know, where exactly your website SEO stands and what all improvements are needed. You get detailed information about where your website is lagging, what is working well for your website, how can you improve, etc.

So, you cannot overlook the SEO audit part. If the SEO company is properly equipped to help you with SEO audit, then choosing such company will be a wise decision.

6. What all strategies do you follow for link building?

Link building is one of the important parts of SEO and it helps in raising website ranking in search engines as well. With the help of link building, you can promote your brand, build business relationships, and double-up referral business.

When you are scrutinizing an SEO company, check if they follow the right link-building techniques and how they will modify them with time. Do not hire any such company that claims to get you thousands of links in a few days. One quality link can make your SEO rather than many low-quality links.

7. Tell us something about your keyword research process

Keyword research is again a key component of SEO because it makes your content available for each related search. Find out, how the SEO company will research words and phrases for your business and how they will implement them in the content.

The right set of keywords will only get you quality traffic. If the SEO company has stuffed the wrong keywords into your content, you will get the traffic but irrelevant and useless.

So, when hiring a company, make sure they refer to user intent, correct methodologies, and tools to leverage the keywords.

8. Which tools do you use for SEO campaigns?

SEO companies use some tools to improve the SEO techniques for your website. You must know all tools they use and what are the rate of their efficiency. It is okay if they will not share the tools name, but they should inform you of their benefits and if they are charging extra for the tools.

9. When will we get SEO progress reports?

It is critical for you to have the status reports regularly. The reports show the progress of SEO work as per the business goals. The companies that cannot provide a detailed report of progress can be a headache for you.

10. What information do you require from us?

A genuine company will have a list of questions to ask you as well. They must ask for information about your industry, audience, business goals, key performance indicators, etc. They might need your Google Analytics account access and ask for digital marketing tools you use, to see their effect on business.

If an SEO company is not asking for information, it is a matter of concern.

11. What is the pricing for SEO services you offer?

You are looking for an SEO company because you wish to generate traffic and increase revenue. And to get that you must invest in quality services. SEO is not a low-cost deal. It takes a decent sum of amount, which eventually benefits your business.

12. Can we see your client portfolio?

Always remember to check their client portfolio to know how well they have done SEO work for other organizations. It will give you a trust factor as well. Ask them about their longest and shortest SEO clients.

13. Do you offer SEO content marketing services as well?

Content is an integral part of SEO, and it is important for your website’s success. The content must be consistent, relevant, and tailored to voice your brand. Many SEO companies offer holistic content marketing services as well and others may ask you for content. If you are going to provide the content, ensure that they will modify it as per SEO standards. Also, check their sample content before you rely on them for content marketing.

14. How will the contract work?

Have a clear discussion on contract and legal points. If the contract expires or you wish to end it early, all the paid work will belong to you. Also, the SEO company will not modify the work done, once you part ways with them.

Select the right SEO company for desirable results!

Hiring an SEO company to get a higher ranking on search engines is obvious. But choosing the correct one is a bit tricky. There are companies that apply black hat SEO to get you quick results, which is not favorable in long run.

Some marketers know how to manipulate SEO. You must be careful with such people or companies. Make your set of questions and ask as much as you can to know every bit of their work. The more you will ask, the lesser chances to choose the wrong company.

Ask, evaluate, and then choose!

You can also choose our company to achieve your SEO goals. Skynet Technologies provide 360° digital marketing services for your business including SEO and content marketing. SEO changes fast; it comes with new challenges from algorithm changes to voice impacts as well! Whether you are looking for a website SEO audit, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO, local SEO, international SEO, ecommerce SEO, mobile app SEO, custom analytics, and more, you are at the right place. We are a search engine optimization company who have a well-established approach and ever evolved with the improvements over a time! Reach us out at [email protected] or fill out the given form to request a quote.

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