Hiring an Agency or a Consultant for SEO: The Lowdown
You are probably reading this because you want your website to rank higher in search engines. Hiring an agency or a consultant for SEO may be beneficial for you, but unfortunately, finding the right person may be tricky and challenging. To help you find the right SEO consultant or agency, here are some do’s and don’ts that you can follow:
DO’s
- Evaluate the best pricing structure for your project.
SEO campaigns can either have a retainer-based fee, or a one-time flat fee. A retainer project involves hiring someone to work for you for a specified number of hours each month. The consultant or agency gives you a list of areas that they will work on that month, and then they accomplish that work and prove you with a report of results. You pay a retainer-based fee for that. Meanwhile, most flat-fee projects involve finding ways to improve the architecture of your website as well as doing a technical audit to see if there is any duplicate content or broken link. With this kind of project, the consultant or agency will check your site and give you a list of things to be done. For long-term results, a retainer fee is much more effective.
- Know your budget.
Agencies range in price, but you usually get what you pay for. Once you have identified your budget, look for a consultant or agency that will be able to provide you with the widest scope, and not one that only offers the cheapest price. Going for SEO agencies with very cheap rates may actually harm your website rather than improve it.
- Ask for a plan and references.
When screening an SEO consultant or agency, ask for references and a portfolio. While it’s generally hard to provide specifics before any work is done, a good SEO consultant should be able to give you a plan of what they will do.
DON’Ts
- Don’t be a cheapskate.
As with everything else in life, if you want good returns, then you should make a good investment. Of course, it does not make sense to overpay a consultant or an agency, but it is also not recommended that you hire cheap one either. Doing so will only kill off any possibility of return, and will ultimately waste your money. Choose an agency wisely and go for one that will give you the best value for your money.
- Don’t have sky-high expectations.
You should understand that even the best SEO plan will sometimes fail. It takes time for SEO to work, and you can’t expect to get 100,000 site visitors immediately. They key here is to set achievable goals and aggressively work towards attaining them with your consultant or agency.
If you’re looking for an SEO agency, we are here to help. We can give you examples of our previous success and testimonials from our clients. Get in touch for more information.
