Guide to Signing a Local SEO Marketing Company

Anyone running a business has heard of the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). A successful business knows which marketing tactics matter and how to implement those tactics. SEO is easy enough to describe but harder to execute. There are SEO specialists and SEO agencies out there for a reason; SEO is complicated. It takes experience and training to plan and implement an SEO strategy properly.

Additionally, SEO is a continually changing field, so a crucial aspect of the industry is staying up-to-date. That's why its vital to hand over this essential marketing tactic to a local SEO marketing company. But, how can a business be sure it's choosing the right SEO agency? Keep reading for the complete guide to signing a local SEO marketing company.

Why SEO Matters

First, before discussing how to choose a local SEO marketing company, it's essential to understand what this partnership is going to achieve for the business. Some of the reasons why every business should appreciate and value SEO are:

• Organic traffic often beats out paid (PPC) traffic.
• How high a business ranks on search engines matters. The first position on Google sees 33% of the traffic search volume. And, while the results on the first page of Google see 91.5% of search traffic, the second page of results sees a dismal 4.8%.
• SEO helps to build brand reputation with backlinks, relevant content, and high search engine rankings
• SEO helps to build out a better user experience for customers. And, customers that have a pleasant user experience are more likely to make a purchase or return to the site.
• Local SEO is a cornerstone for small and medium-sized businesses. Focusing on local SEO can result in higher traffic, increased engagement, and increasing conversions.
• SEO is relatively cheaper than other marketing efforts and can see much more long-term results. For example, PPC efforts stop the minute budget runs out, while SEO is an investment that has long-lasting successes.
• SEO is quantifiable. Not sure if SEO tactics are working? Simply look at the traffic volumes to a website, the conversions, and the website's ranking.

What To Look For In A Local SEO Marketing Company

SEO is a top marketing strategy for almost every business out there. That's because everyone turns to search engines when they need something. Google processed, on average, 3.5 billion searches per day in 2019. This has resulted in a high demand for agencies, which has spawned thousands of SEO marketing companies that claim to know what they're doing. A quick search online will show dozens and dozens of agencies ready for hire. Struggling to understand how to choose between all of them? Try to keep these tips in mind when searching for a new SEO partnership.

Extravagant Promises

Some agencies will make grand promises. These promises may be:

• A number one spot on Google in just a few weeks or months
• Hundreds of new backlinks in just weeks or months
• A doubling or tripling in website traffic or conversions in just weeks or months

These types of promises are clearly not reasonable. SEO is a long-term game; it takes time and patience to build out a proper SEO strategy. And, a company that promises quick results is either lying or using questionable tactics. For example, buying backlinks is against Google policies. Many companies, such as JC Penney and Overstock, have been caught buying backlinks. And the consequences can be severe. Search engines can choose to punish a business for weeks, months, or years, after these methods are discovered.

Cheap Pricing

Along with promises that seem too good to be true, watch out for pricing that also feels so cheap, it's shocking. While SEO can seem affordable in comparison to sky-high PPC budgets, SEO isn't exactly cheap. Nothing that is of quality comes cheap. Remember, a local SEO marketing company should take its time to:

• Understand the business, its strategies, its products or services, its customers, its position in the market, and more.
• Understand the client's desired objectives.
• Conduct research on competitors in the industry.
• Provide monthly progress reports.
• Make constant changes to optimize results.

All of this takes the time and effort of specialized individuals.

Some brief research can give you an idea of what SEO campaigns should cost per month. Of course, this will vary significantly from customer to customer, based on desired outcomes and workload. However, if an agency is quoting prices that are 30-50% less than industry averages, it's very likely they won't achieve results or will use shortcuts that will ultimately hurt the client's brand.

Working with a local SEO marketing company is a partnership and an investment. By paying the right price, organizations can rest assured they'll get the right results.

Review & Verify

Most SEO agencies will have a beautiful website that will impress their visitors. That should be the case, as they're in the e-commerce business. (By the way, if you ever come across an SEO agency that doesn't have an impressive website, RUN.)

However, it's essential to try to dig deeper than just the surface content presented on their website. Some ways you can verify the quality of the agency's work is by:

• Looking at their Google reviews
• Looking at their Clutch reviews
• Asking for existing client references
• Reviewing the case studies they have posted on the website
• Are the results truly impressive?
• If you do a related keyphrase search for the case study client, are they ranking high?

Let customers do the talking for the agency. A happy clientele base speaks to a good work ethic and an agency that can achieve results.

Ask About Local SEO Strategy

A great local SEO marketing company will understand the intricacies of local SEO versus standard organic SEO. Ask what the plan is for the local SEO strategy. Some version of what they present should include elements of Google reviews, Google My Business, location pages (if applicable to the business), and local target keyword research.

SEO Marketing in Times of Uncertainty

Coronavirus has impacted almost every single company. Whether a business has shut down operations temporarily or is still in full swing, now is not the time to cut down on marketing. Sure, some should consider budget cuts to marketing tactics like paid search marketing or radio advertisements. But, now is a great time to think about long-term strategy. When COVID-19 is over, each organization will be fighting hard for their piece of market share. By focusing on SEO now, an organization can stay ahead of the competition and come out on top when things calm down.

Why Agency Jet

Agency Jet is a comprehensive digital marketing agency. Founded in 2014, the agency has seen tremendous growth and success in a short time. The agency's results speak for themselves, with an impressive track record, countless positive client reviews, and in-depth case studies all publicly available on our website.

Agency Jet works with clients on a local SEO strategy that will achieve the results they're looking for. Clients can book a free assessment to start their partnership with Agency Jet and to better understand how we can help.

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