While there are elements to SEO that are unknown, even to SEOs, the majority of the industry is more of an open book. The key is to learn the language. Before you sign that contract or write a check to hire an SEO here are three red flags you should watch for.
They promise you page one rankings
This claim is a problem for two reasons. The first, no SEO can control the algorithms that decide the search rankings for any site. Google has shared many of the elements they use to rank a site. These are what good SEOs follow and understand. At the same time there are many elements that are not known, even by staff at Google. Each team at google is responsible for a different element of the algorithm and those teams do not cross paths. In light of this it is extra critical to do SEO work with the elements that are known.
The second issues with this claim, and possible the bigger issue here, is that your site is already ranking on page one. Are you surprised? Google is a brilliant organization and are capable of telling what your brand name is from your website. Which means you are already on page one for your company name. Unless you have a generic company like “wheat bread” you will have no problem showing up on page one for your brand. If your SEO agency reports that they have gotten you on page one for your brand, it’s time to cut and run. Not only is this claim deceptive it’s unethical. Demand transparency from your SEO.
They won’t explain how and what they are going to do to increase rankings.
Thanks in part to the mystery behind the algorithms, some SEOs have adopted a hazy philosophy that allows them to increase their value by touting they know something that no other SEO knows. The fact that they don’t want to share their “secret sauce” should alert you. This omission can mean one of two things that could cost your business. First, they may not know what they are doing. If you can’t explain your craft in an easy and understandable way, then you may not know your craft. You don’t want to invest money into an amateur SEO or someone who is just learning. It’s possible that they can make thing worse and cost you more money in the long run to repair the damage.
The second concern you should have is that this SEO may use grey or black hat techniques that could get you banned from search engines. Grey and black hat SEOs use dangerous techniques to increase a site’s organic rankings. Search engines like Google, work hard to uncover these strategies and punish sites for using them. Having your site banned from Google will cost you money in sales and leads, as well as thousands of dollars to repair the damage and get back in the good graces. Unfortunately, once you are on Google’s radar as a bad seed, they tend to continue to monitor you which can slow organic growth.
Before you hire an SEO demand transparency. You don’t need to know every little thing they do, but you do need a high level explanation of what their strategy is, how long it will take to implement, and roughly when you should expect results.
They don’t provide thorough reporting and monthly strategy plans
As a business owner or manager, you have a lot on your plate. You don’t have time to find out everything your SEO is doing and when they are doing it. At the same time, you need to make sure that you are getting your monies worth. Does your SEO provide you with monthly reports that track organic traffic month-over-month and year-over-year? Does it include data on organic conversions, and compare conversions across other traffic sources. How are your keyword rankings? Do you know which terms are ranking where and what kind of search volume those terms have? In addition to the data, a solid SEO report would include explanations of fluctuations, wins, losses, and next steps. A report of this caliber will allow you to readily measure the success of the campaign so far. In addition to monthly analytics report, your SEO should include an overview of monthly activities. You are paying good money for services rendered; you need to know what those services are.
The key to hiring a great SEO for your company comes down to one word. Transparency. Before you hire an SEO make sure they are willing to show you what’s behind the curtain. While many mysteries lie in the shadows, there are plenty of golden treasures for them to capitalize on and increase your company’s websites organic rankings. If you have been struggling to find the right SEO team for your company we can help. Contact us to learn about our assessment packages that can be used to grade your current SEO or find out how our trained team could help your website.
