All businesses need some form of presence online – and small businesses are no exception. While many opt to do their own social media (which is either a hit or miss, since running business social media involves more than just witty captions and viral-worthy responses to customers) or grow their visibility by asking their connections to like and share their social media pages, those who want the full effects of SEO on their small businesses go to freelancers or agencies who can provide SEO services.
The problem with some SEO agencies, however, is that some of them aren’t equipped to provide good strategies for small businesses. Some agencies use the same formula on their clients, regardless of size or business type. So, strategies that could work on medium or large businesses or corporations may not work on small businesses.
And unlike these bigger businesses that might have a few knowledgeable employees who know when their outsourced SEO agency is trying to impress them by throwing power words into each sentence, a small business owner may only rely on whatever their SEO agency tells them what to do.
Avoid falling into this trap and making sure your outsourced agency can provide strategic SEO solutions for your small businesses by looking for these signs.
The Three W’s
When looking at an agency’s website, take note of the three W’s: Who, Where, and What. Who are their clients? Where are they located? And services do they provide.
Plenty of SEO agencies maximize their income by taking any client they can find. However, the SEO agency you’ll want to work with specifically mentions small to medium businesses. The more smaller businesses they’ve worked with, the more likely they understand your situation is not similar to larger companies, and the better their strategy for your business.
Where they’re located can greatly affect the way they do business with you. Agencies located in the other end of the United States promise they can provide you services remotely. However, if you’re a small business, it’s a huge advantage if they know the culture and the people in the area because this makes for a more efficient marketing strategy.
And third, check out the services they offer. If an SEO business offers this list of services, it doesn’t necessarily mean all businesses provide those same services. As a small business, you’ll need local SEO over SEO. If you’ve done your research on the first two, finding an agency that provides all the services you really need can be more efficient.
Check Online Reviews
Like other establishments, don’t take their advertisements of high-quality service to heart. Chances are, a business may say one thing about their services, but most of their customers are singing another tune. One bad review may just be a fluke or an irrational, entitled client among a sea of customers providing high praise, but consistently bad reviews all pointing out the same things that made them unhappy is a huge red flag.
Good SEO agencies understand how online reviews can help their clients, and they know that if they’re providing a good service, they wouldn’t be afraid to have a Google My Business or Yelp where their clients can leave a review.
Can Their Website Walk the Talk?
If an SEO agency’s website promises high-quality web design, white hat SEO, and other quality services but have a slow and ugly website and are not even searchable on Google, are you sure they can provide the right services for your business?
A good SEO business takes the steps of what it does for its clients and then uses it on their own business to attract attention. Their success in marketing their own business is a sign of the type of SEO efficiency you can expect when working with them.
SEO services are a significant investment for small businesses. Because you’re spending a lot of money to get word of your business out on the internet, you need to be working with an agency that really knows what it is doing, especially when it comes to working with your business’ size and nature. Doing your research beforehand ensures that the service you get is worth your money.