table of content
1. Best SEO Companies and services
2. What is an SEO company?
3. What does an SEO company do?
4. What services do SEO companies offer?
5. What are the benefits of working with an SEO company?
6. How much does SEO cost in 2021?
7. What are the characteristics that make a great SEO company?
8. What to expect from a great SEO company?
9. What’s it like working with an SEO agency?
10. What SEO services should you expect when you sign on to the SEO company?
11. Should you hire an SEO company?
12. What is the sign your SEO company is using black hat SEO?
13. How do you know if your SEO agency is practicing black hat tactics
14. When should you hire an SEO company?
15. 26 questions to ask any SEO company before hiring
16. Why is SPINX digital the right SEO company choice for you?
17. Brands that have nailed SEO like a boss
18. Sources
BEST SEO COMPANIES & SERVICES
Are you looking for planned and professional SEO Services to take your business to a different level? SPINX Digital, one of the top SEO companies in Chicago, offers comprehensive SEO solutions built on smart goals to improve your likelihood of appearing in search results. Their tailor-made SEO plans can help you achieve significant results through targeted keywords, active Google business listings, and content or image optimization, and more.
SEO is not like a ‘one-time’ thing. If you want to grow in today’s digital era, you need constant maintenance and adjustments. Working with a company that would not only listen to your business goals but also helps to derive the desired results. SPINX Digital is an SEO Company made of experienced professionals. SPINX Digital experienced professionals onboard providing various services, including web development, SEO, and social media marketing. They have skillsets for remarketing, and content marketing, too. They will flawlessly help your website get valuable leads that will be converted into your customers.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Web design and development
- Mobile and tablet solutions
- Strategy & planning
client portfolio
Amazon, General Electric, CNBC, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Physicians Formula, Beats Audio, Wet n Wild, Lip Smacker, and more.
Client Focus
Midmarket, Small business, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2005
Los Angeles, California
11-50
$150 – $199/Hr
Not Disclosed
hello@spinxdigital.com
+1 213-894-9933
WebPageFX is one of the top SEO agencies with twenty-four years of experience. The agency is tech-enabled that focuses on revenue-generating for its clients. WebPageFX designs and implements SEO strategies that generate traffic and revenue. It boasts of generating $2.4 billion revenue for its partners over half a decade.
The firm is Google Analytics certified making it a data-driven agency. Apart from SEO, the agency also provides several other services like content marketing, website development, and social media marketing. The firm has multiple plans to suit every business type and needs making it a go-to agency for SEO.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Social Media Marketing
client portfolio
PaulB Parts, Furbo, Walmart, Verizon, Auntie Anne’s, 1&1, Subway, Jiffy Lube, Food Lion, FujiFilm, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dover Downs, Giant Foods, Wrangler, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
1995
Harrisburg, PA
250 – 999
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
—
888-601-5359
Industry experts John Lincoln and Krish Coughran co-founded Ignite Visibility. Did you know John Lincoln was named “Search Marketer of the Year” in 2017 by Search Engine Land? The firm offers a variety of services like SEO, Local and International SEO, SEO consulting, eCommerce SEO amongst others making it a preferred SEO agency.
The firm is process-oriented, starting with keyword analysis and assignment, then moving on to On-Site Code Optimization, Content SEO, On-Site Internal Link Optimization, and Advanced SEO with External Linking. Ignite Visibility regularly contributes to the industry in the form of blogs, podcasts, and webinars. The firm has also created “SEO: The Movie” and “Social Media Marketing: The Movie” helping companies understand the influence of SEO and marketing.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Web Design
- Pay Per Click Advertising
- Social Media Marketing
- Email Marketing
client portfolio
Tony Robbins, Sharp Healthcare, The Knot Worldwide, National Funding, EOS Fitness, The General Insurance, Accredited Debt Relief, COX Communications, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2013
San Diego, CA
50 – 249
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
—
619.752.1955
Boostability has over a decade of experience in providing SEO services. Jared Turner, the founder, started the firm with a vision to help small businesses succeed online. The firm has its proprietary SEO platform called LaunchPad to deliver vital SEO insights and allow companies to create a data-driven strategy. LaunchPad also provides SEO reporting to clients helping them check campaign performance and measure success. The agency believes in using technology to deliver better SEO.
With a presence in 15 countries Boostability, incorporates the best practices followed worldwide. The SEO agency is technology-powered and people-enabled. Their team of experts will help your company grow and find success online. If you are a small business planning to explore the online world, Boostability is one of the best SEO agencies to work with.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Web Design
client portfolio
Artbeats, Alegria Shoes, Dexter Law, JD Power, Decision, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2009
Lehi, UT
250 – 299
$50 – $99 / hr
Not Disclosed
—
(800) 261-1537
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is one of the leading SEO services providers in 25 cities across the US. It has over a decade of experience in providing B2B and B2C SEO services. The agency has dedicated SEO professionals with rich experience and in-depth knowledge. Whether it’s organic SEO, Link building, Onsite SEO, or Custom SEO Strategy, Thrive has done it all. The agency follows “Agile SEO,” which creates a campaign framework that delivers value for your business.
Thrive has experience in a variety of industries like Education, Finance, Healthcare, Home Services, and Manufacturing. Thrive believes in contributing to the industry. It has thousands of subscribers for their weekly posts discussing industry trends and best practices.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Social Media Marketing
- Pay Per Click
client portfolio
Restoration 1, Driver Support, Tavistock Restaurant Group, BMS Cat, Berryman Products, GAINSCO Auto Insurance, Ready Seal, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2005
Dallas, TX
10 – 49
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
—
(888) 498-3815
With over two decades of experience, Social SEO is one the most experienced SEO agencies in the United States. It has over 100 employees in the US, so you are never far away from Social SEO. The agency caters to everything, from local, national, to eCommerce SEO. The agency is Google Premier Partners, which proves their expertise.
The agency has done it all, whether it is to increase your online or brick-and-mortar sales, generating leads, or gaining exposure. The firm has been working with local to national brands. Social SEO has the required skill set to take your business online, give you the leads and ultimately increase your sales and profit.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Digital Strategy
client portfolio
Jaguar, Gaiam, Cadillac, Cherry Creek Shopping Center, The CE Shop, National Corporate Housing, Red Noland Dealerships, 100% Chiropractic, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
1996
Englewood, CO
50 – 249
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
inquiries@SocialSEO.com
(303) 339-0392
SEO.com is a performance-driven SEO agency. With over ten years of industry experience, the agency has worked with well-known Fortune 500 companies and locally-focused startups. The agency designs customer-specific campaigns that help attract more traffic, more leads, and more revenue, eventually leading to business growth.
The firm has a focus on metrics that helps them deliver successful results. Their record is impeccable. Having worked so long in the SEO industry, the agency understands the modern approach required to provide comprehensive SEO services. SEO.com has flexible pricing to suit every need. If you are looking for an SEO service within your budget and that delivers outstanding results, you are at the right place.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Digital Strategy
- Content Marketing
client portfolio
Dell, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Jaybird Sport, Mary Kay, ZAGG, Alpha Graphics, Bulk Apothecary, Hazzouri Dental, and Hillsboro Aero Academy, Utah’s Realtors, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2007
Draper, UT
50 – 249
$100 – $149 / hr
Not Disclosed
—
+18003519081
A glance at their enviable portfolio, you will realize SEO Brand is a big fish in the SEO industry. Established in 2006, the firm works with small to large companies. It has helped grow small brands into national brands. It has a very streamlined approach to transforming your SEO practices. From analyzing to executing strategies, the firm promises to blow away your competition.
The agency boasts of having a retention rate of 90%. It speaks volumes of their work and customer satisfaction. The agency focuses more on return of interest rather than metrics. Their strategy has consistently given ten times the ROI to their clients.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Social Media Marketing
client portfolio
Ceridian, Mont Blanc, Sotheby’s International Realty, LG, Uniden, US Department of State, Ritz Carlton, DWK Life Sciences, Duty Free Americas, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2006
Boca Raton, FL
10-49
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
info@seo.com
8887362571
Straight North has close to three decades of experience in SEO services. It is present across eight locations in the US with over 100 employees. The firm has all the skillset required to take your company to the next level in SEO and marketing. Irrespective of the size, the agency helps all kinds of businesses from B2B to B2C companies.
Its expertise is in generating sales leads, E-commerce and Enterprise SEO, Keyword Research, and SEO copywriting. The team has in-depth knowledge of SEO that enables them to deliver powerful campaigns that deliver results. This result-driven agency will make sure that every click counts.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Email Marketing
- Custom Web Design
client portfolio
Chicago Bears, Fiserv, Nicor Gas, Hub Group, UPS, HomeAdvisor, Harvard, Trustwave, New City Moving, Advanced Technology Solutions, Follett, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
1997
Chicago, IL
50 – 249
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
8442193699
With just over a decade and Higher Visibility is winning praise and awards. Higher Visibility has a laser focus on generating positive ROI for its clients. The agency has experience in working with Fortune 500 companies as well as a small local business. The experienced team can take your SEO to the next level and help grow your company.
The ultimate goal of the agency is to get you more conversion while improving your rankings and increasing your traffic. With tailored strategies and a focus on targets, the agency promises to deliver results measured by data. The agency actively participates in sharing best practices and knowledge with the industry. They actively share blogs, provide free SEO tools, and create guides to help others.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Conversion Optimization
- Pay Per Click
client portfolio
Barefoot Luxury Villas, Eclipse Awnings, Magnolia Homes, Garden State Tile, Fitness 19, Memphis Medical Society, SonX Therapy, Ufood Grill, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2008
Cordova, TN
50-249
$100 – $149 / hr
$1,000+
jeremy@bopdesign.com
888.316.6878
OuterBox has been rated as the top eCommerce SEO agency by Clutch. With over a decade of experience, that firm has gained the skillset to create powerful SEO campaigns. Whether it’s a custom-built strategy or a simple SEO consultation, their Ecommerce experience is second to none. With over 30 employees, OuterBox, the team works consistently to grow leads and sales for your company.
The agency provides an array of services, like SEO reporting, copywriting, Shopify, and WordPress SEO services. The firm has worked across industries like Healthcare, HVAC, and Real estate. If you are looking for an agency with wide-ranging experience within budget, connect with OuterBox for a free consultation today.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Web Design
client portfolio
K2 Awards & Apparel, NewAir.com, AtlasOil.com, UCFS.com, JetDock.com, Matco Tools, Morton Salt, Romeo’s Pizza, RB Medical, Aviya Mattress, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2004
Akron, OH
50 – 249
$100 – $149
$1,000+
—
+1.8666479218
Big Leap was founded thirteen years ago, has over 80 employees. The goal of the team is to provide companies with organic and sustainable growth. The firm focuses not only on metrics but also believes in building trust. It believes in nurturing long-term relationships with its clients. Their SEO services have helped clients find success in generating more leads leading to an increase in revenue.
The team is proficient, organized, and efficient. With constant communication, it is easy to engage with the team. Big Leap has won several prestigious awards that amplify their success. With a client retention rate of 95%, the agency has a proven track record of expert knowledge and customer satisfaction.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
client portfolio
Avis Budget Car Rental, Pluralsight, Nu Skin, Empire Today, Workfront, Alphagraphics, Purple Mattress, Vivint, and more.
Client Focus
Small Business, Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2008
Lehi, UT
50-249
$100 – $149
$1,000+
—
801-477-1067
Founded in 2014, Directive Consulting has been at the forefront in providing SEO services. The firm is open to accepting challenges and has the experience to take your business on the success path. The firm designs SEO campaigns that match your business model and goals. Their results often exceed the expectation of the clients, making them a preferred SEO agency.
The agency creates a growth-driven strategy that helps you achieve your vital business goals. The firm creates a complete SEO strategy to get full-funnel discoverability. Their expert team generates that helps discover new markets. Having worked with both B2B and B2C software companies, the agency has wide-ranging experience. Book a call with them today to transform your SEO landscape.
Service Focus
- Search Engine Optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Conversion Rate Optimization
- Paid Social Media
client portfolio
Sumo Logic, Sendoso, Cisco, Betterment, New Relic, Allstate Samsung SDS, Cherwell, Xactly, Tencent, bill.com, Zoominfo, Procare Solutions, Blackline, and more.
Client Focus
Midmarket, Enterprise
GO TO WEBSITE
2014
Irvine, CA
10-49
$150 – $199 / hr
$5,000+
—
(949) 214-4024
What is an SEO company?
Imagine you wanted to have a dream home.
So instead of searching it yourself, you connect with one of your local real estate agents.
They promise to get you the best property deals in a good location.
To what real estate agent is to you, SEO company is to your customers.
Let us crack this for you.
Your customers are looking for answers on search engines (Google, Bing, Or Yahoo).
They look for solutions that could add value to their queries.
SEO companies promise the
- • best search results
- • relevant answers to the queries
Sure SEO companies
- • boost your visibility
- • help your brand grow organically
- • increase your web traffic
- • offer long-term exponential growth
But think of them as agents for your customers and not you.
Why?
Because you’re ultimately trying to get
- • leads
- • phone calls
- • sales
So SEO firms do help your business grow.
But their ultimate goal is to help users find the relevant answers to their problems on search engines— be it through your website or your competitors’.
It is probably another reason you should go for the SEO companies that weigh your customers more than you (don’t feel bad about it).
You’ll be happy to know our researched list of SEO companies does precisely the same.
What does an SEO company do?
Well, a lot of people say SEO is dead.
Our question is
- • Did you stop Google searching?
- • Have people stopped looking for answers on search engines?
Take this— people make 5.6 billion searches every day on Google alone.[1]
So it makes a lot of sense that 70% of marketers support SEO as an effective marketing campaign.[2]
*You have an accessible gateway to lots of traffic without paying a penny to Google*
*Sorry PPC, nothing against you— but SEO is getting free traffic at low cost.*
Now coming back to the question— what does an SEO company do?
They offer search engine optimization services.
If you’re wondering what SEO service is— take it as a process of ranking your website on the top of the search results.
An SEO company
- • changes the design of your website
- • uses attractive content for customers and robots
- • optimizes the website for higher ranking
All of these don’t come out of thin air.
Ranking high is not even an accident.
SEO is a competitive process that SEO companies know in and out.
These agencies know what pleases and annoys Google.
The SEO company also
- • treats your website as their website
- • maximizes ROI for SEO investment
They take two approaches to this:
- • on-page optimizations
- • off-page optimizations
-
What SEO agencies do in on-page optimization
• Write meaningful, short URLs
• Use powerful and optimized title tags
• Writes thought-provoking meta descriptions
• Applies structured data
• Write power and compelling words in headlines
• Executes SEO copywriting for best conversion
• Research target keywords and spread them smartly in content
• Take care of keyword density
• Target website elements like HTML code
• Optimize images and visual content
-
What SEO agencies do in off-page optimization
SEO agencies love to follow the E-A-T model
• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness
They’ll mainly work on these to ensure they stay by the model.
• Work on-site authority
• Boost domain ranking
• Create valuable backlinks
• Market your brand on social media
• Post guest blogs
• Focus on local listings
• Post on forums
Since SEO is not just about your website but also what happens beyond your website, you should work with SEO companies that understand both the dynamics.
You’d be interested in checking our curated list of top SEO companies— they nail both on-page and off-page gimmicks— without you having to silently worry about it.
What services do SEO companies offer?
What’s working for you is a successful tactic.
It is what we usually believe and so do SEO companies.
Different SEO companies have different SEO action plans and methods to operate.
And all of them think their tactics are the best (because they’ve seen themselves grow).
But you can’t deny they have similar frameworks in the background.
Even Though they have different experiences, and the process is not hard-wired— somehow, all the SEO techniques are connected.
If you try to break down what works for the SEO agency, many variables affect their gameplay:
- • clients
- • environments
- • locations
- • experiences
For example, an SEO company operating in the United States may apply completely alien tactics for the subcontinent audience.
Anyway, you can expect these common SEO techniques that almost every SEO company applies.
These points got you intrigued, right?
SEO Service #1: Analyze your website and determine your audience
Here’s a question for you.
Do you have time or resources to make your business available for everyone?
We guess it’s a no!
No one has it! Because not all customers are interested in your product or services.
So why not identify a target market that gives you maximum
- • Leads
- • Conversion
- • Sales
SEO companies will
- • first, research your web project
- • second, find out your target audience
How SEO companies research for web projects
- a. Ballpark estimate (will take them 15-20 minutes)
- 1. Check your web competition
- 2. Outline a possible but vague sitemap
- 3. Figure out the pages missing in the brief
- b. Proper estimate (will take them 2-3 hours)
- 1. Learn the specifics of your project
- 2. Know more about your long-term goals (to reveal vital information)
- 3. Try to find out your current business process
- 4. Ensure you understand the technical details of the project scope (number of web pages, third-party integration, etc.)
- 5. Evaluate your current online standing in the market (social media pages, brand, website, etc.)
- 6. Take a look at CMS (if you already own one)
- 7. Go through the analytics data (if available)
- 8. Determine potential glitches in your existing website
- c. More profound research (may take a long time)
- 1. Plan the design for your business niche (Marketing Material, Brand, Design Audit, Stationary)
- 2. Strategize for development (Mobile Support, CMS, Native App)
- 3. Understand the technical requirements (Domain, Hosting, Traffic)
How SEO companies identify the target audience
- 1. They’ll identify the selling point (determine what makes you unique in the market)
- 2. Look through your existing audience
- • send surveys to the email list
- • rely on demographic information
- • invest in CRM software
- 3. Take outsider’s opinion
- 4. Build an audience profile
SEO Service #2: Apply on-page SEO tactics
So 57% of the marketers think on-page content is the key to getting traffic and conversion, ideally making it a strong SEO tactic.[3]
What does this tell you?
SEO is not just about building backlinks but what you do on your website.
And if you’re putting so much effort into your website, wouldn’t it make sense to have it completely optimized?
Well, experienced SEO companies such as those mentioned in our list do it for you— quite diligently.
Here’s what you can expect from them in on-page SEO services.
What on-page SEO tactics do SEO companies apply
SEO companies will apply both technical and non-technical service tactics to reach your business goals.
Take a look at how these SEO agencies help your web traffic grow manifold.
Optimize your URL to improve organic CTR
SEO agencies will
- • Make URLs readable for everyone
- • Organize your content
- • Use short URLs
- • Adjust your main keyword in the URL
- • Remove capitals from URL
- • Canonicalize your URLs
- • Add your mobile URLs to a sitemap
- • Use hyphens instead of underscores
- • Keep unsafe URLs at bay with the help of robots
Optimize the title tags
SEO agencies will
- • Make your title tag most appearable
- • Write a descriptive yet concise title tag
- • Write a unique title for each page
- • Load the most relevant keyword first
- • Write optimized title tag is limited characters (higher CTR by 8.6%) [4]
- • Fit the brand in the title tag to exploit the branding opportunity
- • Avoid overuse of keywords in the title tag
- • Keep users in mind while writing the title tag
- • Embed title tag modifiers
Use keywords smartly in the content
SEO agencies will
- • Insert the primary keyword in the first 200 words
- • Write keywords in a natural form
- • Take care of keyword density
- • Use keywords in the last 150 words
- • Load main keywords in headings (H1, H2, H3)
- • Write long-tail keywords in subheadings
- • Use LSI and synonym keywords
Optimize images to help Google understand them
SEO agencies will
- • Optimize file names for the images they’ll put on the website
- • Resize your images.
- • Use alt tags to describe the image
- • Write relevant captions for every image
- • Optimize the image title
- • Insert unique images
- • Make sure images and texts complement
- • Apply structured data to images
Apply good practices to external linking
SEO agencies will
- • Link relevant websites in your content (an excellent way to optimize)
- • Link popular websites with similar topics
- • Write appropriate anchor text on the link
- • Keep away from link spamming
Apply good practices to internal linking
SEO agencies will
- • Create lots of internal pages to build lots of internal links
- • Use anchor texts wisely (natural, unoptimized phrases)
- • Make deeper links
- • Use natural links for the readers
- • Apply relevant internal links
- • Use follow links to build internal architecture
- • Use the relevant number of internal links
Identify and fix crawl errors
SEO agencies will
- • Mark fixed all the crawl errors
- • Check the report once a week
- • Redirect false URLs to fix 404 errors
- • Make changes to the sitemap entries and internal links
- • Minimize server errors
- • Communicate with host should there be the need for help
- • Use Google resources for help
Find out how Google views your page
SEO agencies will
- • Create the sitemap
- • Submit your website to the Google webmaster tool
- • Ask Google to index your site
- • Inspect your URL in the URL Inspection tool
- • Run indexability test
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
SEO agencies will
- • Help build a responsive website
- • Make information easier to find for people
- • Avoid pop-ups and experience interruptive ads
- • Speed up your website
- • Make engaging yet straightforward web designs
- • Use large workable buttons on mobile
- • Apply proper font sizes
- • Avoid the use of flash.
Fix the broken links
SEO agencies will
- • Remove or replace the links with valid ones
- • Fix the misspelled links
- • Make the page real again
- • Use 301 redirects
- • Delete the broken link if necessary
Set-up HTTP to secure your website
SEO agencies will
- • Host your online business with a dedicated IP
- • Get your website a certificate
- • Install and activate the certificate
- • Update your website to HTTP mode
Work on site’s loading speed
SEO agencies will
- • Optimize all the dependencies
- • Use smaller image sizes and formats
- • Optimize caching
- • Avoid inline CSS and JS files
- • Use minimal redirects
- • Refrain from using render-blocking scripts
- • Minimize HTTP requests
- • Setup G-Zip Encoding
SEO Service #3: Use off-page SEO tactics
How often do you find the same brands in the top position of SERP?
And what bothers you is if they have a magic wand to outrank you on almost all the pages?
Well, not your fault.
An average page in the top position uses 35,000 external backlinks.[5]
It just proves how crucial off-page SEO tactics are.
A good SEO agency knows the importance of off-page techniques and offers both on-page and off-page services to keep you in the top position.
What off-page SEO tactics do SEO companies apply?
Here’s what SEO agencies will offer you with their off-page SEO services.
Contribute as a guest author
SEO agencies will
- • Determine your guest blogging goals
- • Discover guest blogging opportunities
- • Pitch for guest blogging
- • Pitch at the perfect time for better conversion
- • Apply best guest author pitches practices
- • Craft guest bio for you
Use optimized influencer outreach strategy
SEO agencies will
- • Research your influencers
- • Connect with influencers
- • Contact them
- • Stay subtly honest with your intent
- • Build engaging content
- • Segregate influencers (depending on your target)
- • Appeal social influencers
- • Hone relationship with influencers
Engage your business on multiple social media pages
SEO agencies will
- • Write social media strategy
- • Determine the most effective platform for you
- • Use management software for social media posting
- • Leverage the use of editorial calendar (for regular social updates)
- • Monitor user activity and engagement
- • Improvise social media strategies
- • Create shareable content
- • Get more social backlinks
Promote your website on social bookmarking sites
SEO agencies will
- • Select a combination of social bookmarking sites (Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, etc.)
- • Upload links and bookmark pages
- • Connect your social media pages with social bookmarking sites
- • Use specific keywords to tag the link
SEO forum submissions
SEO agencies will
- • Choose relevant forums
- • Choose title that tells about the content matter
- • Load main keywords
- • Abide by all the forum guidelines
- • Add link as a signature at the end of the post
- • Make unique content
- • Take care of marketing tactics (avoid direct marketing on forums)
Use and Optimize Google My Business
SEO companies will
- • Claim your Business Profile
- • Fill up every section of your Google My Business account
- • Complete your contact information carefully
- • Pick primary and secondary categories
- • Mark off attributes that are applicable
- • Describe “from the business” section
- • Publish Google posts every week
- • Upload business-related photos every week
- • Answer queries
- • Collect feedback and revert
- • Describe your products and services
- • Setup messaging
- • Manage your profile
Service #4: Communicate clearly on SEO matters and give frequent updates
What separates good SEO companies from average or poor performing SEO companies is their level of communication with the clients.
If you happen to hire an SEO company for your business and they don’t show much interest in communicating with you— it’s a red alert for you.
It’s pretty clear— they’re missing out on your feedback.
And better SEO firm understands the
- • importance of client communication
- • the vitality of repairing any damage with the client relationship
- • the necessity of giving frequent updates
What will SEO companies communicate with you?
Since the SEO process can be tedious, you may get a bit impatient with SEO results.
SEO companies understand the urge for instant gratification.
So they generate SEO reports for you and keep you up to date with business changes.
Take a look at how they do it.
Generate SEO reports
SEO companies will
- • Show you the traffic figures if that’s your goal
- • Illustrate conversion rate and goal completion
- • Display page-level traffic to know where visitors are clicking
- • Give insights on page speed
- • Monitor and illustrate time on site and bounce rate
- • Track and show keyword rankings and links
Smart SEO companies such as our list also give recommendations at the end of every section.
You will have to ask three more crucial questions with SEO companies:
- 1. How often will the SEO agency give the SEO reports?
- 2. What are your mutually accepted SEO campaign goals?
- 3. Is your SEO agency keeping up with the SEO trends?
SEO Service #6: Carry on experiments and tests
SEO is like a chess game.
There are lots of things you can do.
But here’s a slight difference— you can break the rules and continue to play, unlike chess.
That’s what SEO companies do.
They carry on the experiments and tests.
In fact, they must carry experiments depending on the latest SEO trends to find what helps you meet end goals quickly.
But here’s another catch.
A good SEO company such as our listed companies knows where to stop.
How SEO companies conduct experiments and test
Take a look at what SEO companies would do:
Use data to make decisions
SEO companies will:
- • Research keywords and search volume and name your products and brands based on it
- • Plan your keyword strategy (based on interest level)
- • Collect user-generated content to improvise SEO campaigns and services
- • Understand changes in your competitor’s strategies and make last-minute changes
- • Use traffic, impression, and conversion data to optimize on-page SEO strategies
- • Analyze backlink data to discover new networking chances
- • Change CTA based on different data metrics
A/B test areas of your website
SEO companies will:
- • Identify the set of pages they want to improve on your website
- • Choose the test and deploy their tools to run it across the pages
- • Measure and declare the test success (depending on control and variant group)
Find out the critical power phrases to invoke visitors
SEO is incomplete without emotions.
Your SEO company holds the responsibility of using powerful words and phrases to compel users to take action.
Let us break this for you… your SEO companies should know:
- • The catchy and straightforward phrases can do wonders in drawing interests
- • Changing one word in a sentence can make heaps of differences in selling your products or services
And people will make decisions only when your SEO partner makes them feel the way they want to feel.
Power words and phrases are also the pillars for CTR and conversion.
Your SEO company will add:
- • Emotion Power Words (Imagine, Inspire, Transform)
- • Shareable Content (Secret, Discover, Increase)
- • Call to Action (Hurry, Limited Offers, Today Only)
- • Earn Trust (Unconditional, Certified, Fully-refundable)
- • Persuasive (Free, New, Instantly)
- • Community Power Words (Join, Connect, Circle)
Find gaps and new opportunities
SEO companies will:
- • Determine who your target audience/personas are
- • Learn what your audience needs
- • Find the terms they’re looking for online
- • Discover where your site doesn’t get enough traffic in search results
- • Identify things that the target market are looking for that your brand is not providing
- • Discuss the changes you need to make
What are the benefits of working with an SEO company?
You’ve heard it all about the SEO companies, but the final moment boils down to one question— is all the fuss about SEO agencies true?
Plenty of other questions must be bothering you.
- • Should you outsource your Work with an SEO agency?
- • Will they meet your budget?
- • Is your in-house team competent enough to take on evolving SEO challenges?
- • How long would SEO results take?
- • How early do you want SEO results?
- • Will the SEO benefits save you money?
It’s natural to feel that way.
But stats don’t lie.
Have a read at these. [10]
- • 61% of marketers consider improving SEO for organic traffic
- • Top websites have most of the Google SEO factors ticked (out of 200)
- • 70% marketers say SEO >>> PPC
So if you think you can go for DIY SEO to manage all the 200 factors, go ahead with insourcing!
But tick these checkmarks before you hire an SEO company.
Should I hire an SEO company?
Hire an SEO agency if you have:
- • internal resources and team to communicate with SEO agency (who keeps in touch)
- • development resources and budget for a dev agency doesn’t collide with an SEO agency
- • enough budget
Don’t hire an SEO agency if:
- • they don’t meet the company’s culture
- • they’re going to freeze you with complex agreements like a 12-months contract
- • they don’t put your revenues as the essential goal
Absolute must hire an SEO agency if you’re:
- • willing to put your money on other marketing channels
- • looking forward to having long-term success
- • hell-bent on learning your audience
Now you know when to hire an SEO company.
So let’s find out how the agency will benefit you.
- SEO companies benefit #1: Save you time to focus on other business goals
- SEO companies benefit #2: Save you money for other areas
- SEO companies benefit #3: Experts in handling your website
- SEO companies benefit #4: They’ve worked with experienced brands
- SEO companies benefit #5: Increase your efficiency
- SEO companies benefit #6: Keep up with the modern SEO trends
- SEO companies benefit #7: Secure your business for long-term
- SEO companies benefit #8: Boost your business with valuable data & analytics
- SEO companies benefit #9: Dance on high sales & revenue
SEO companies benefit #1: Save you time to focus on other business goals
You know how time-intensive SEO can get.
You also don’t want to pile up another 3 or 6 months for results to reflect.
And as you know SEO process requires continuous:
- • research
- • optimization
- • updates
Chances are high; you’ll only end up being counter-productive in solving the SEO mystery.
But when you outsource SEO to an agency, you can:
- • save clocks from ticking fast
- • hold the tide of aging (SEO is a stressful job)
How SEO companies save time
- • Experts with specialized knowledge will take less time in solving complex SEO problems
- • You won’t have to spend time gathering tools in advance
- • Your human resource department will save time hiring additional full-time staff
- • Seo agency will free up your in-house workforce
- • You don’t have to invest time in pitching and following up for backlinks
- • The SEO agency will manage multiple social media profiles with ease
SEO companies benefit #2: Save you money for other areas
Well, PPC bidding is getting intense.
45% of small businesses put their money on pay-per-click advertisements. [11]
So when everyone tries to sneak the first spot with PPC, what do you do?
Easy-peasy!
Turn to SEO campaigns for earning organic position.
Additionally, going with in-house SEO professionals will:
- • eat up a significant pie of marketing budget
- • demand investment to finance the salaries
- • invite huge equipment spendings
You may find SEO charges to be a little higher for the services, but SEO has unbeatable ROI.
In fact, SEO gets the biggest ROI, with 32% of marketers believing the same. [12]
What does this mean for you?
Whatever amount you invest in hiring an SEO company will soon be compensated for driving valuable revenues.
How SEO companies save money
- • SEO firms will get you results with SEO which is a type of unpaid advertising in itself
- • You can scale your business by upgrading the plan rather than throwing more money on resources
- • SEO companies will generate detailed reports that you can harness to save money in future
- • You’ll have better results with experts than taking things in your hands, i.e., you’ll save lots of green bills
- • Save you from investing in the wrong resources
- • Save money from training new in-house SEO officials
SEO companies benefit #3: Experts in handling your website
They say— “leave your SEO strategies to pro.”
Well said!
Do you know why your DIY SEO strategies are failing?
- • You can’t keep pace with ever-changing SEO trends
- • You have tossed aside the SEO rules in the dustbin
- • You think you can escape social media and yet perform well
- • You feel quantity posting and fast processes will get you results
- • You’re short of time
- • You haven’t focused on quality yet
- • You’re not equipped enough to handle complex SEO situations
- • You’ve no clue about Google and Bing rolling new algorithms every day
- • You’re losing traffic without knowing why
So the things you do are the things you avoid by simply hiring an SEO agency.
How to take advantage of industry experts with the SEO company
SEO companies:
- • have experts such as writers, analysts, designers, etc., to monitor industry trends and news.
- • follow forums, news channels, and competitors diligently.
- • check your website’s health
- • the sudden drop in traffic
- • loss of ranking
- • requesting for page indexing
- • can pinpoint SEO activities that invite search engine penalties and black listing
- • offer development guidance and advice to solve the persisting problems in your website
- • have the latest tools and know-how to get the best out of any technology they have in hand.
- • generate more leads for your business
SEO companies benefit #4: They’ve worked with experienced brands
Don’t go over the hyperbole of fancy SEO services.
Every SEO agency gives you services.
What’s the big deal?
What matters more is their experiences with different
- • clients
- • industries
- • sizes of organizations they’ve worked with
Additionally, these questions can help you find if they’re the SEO company match you’re looking for:
- • Do they have a solid understanding of the strategies?
- • Do they make non-realistic promises?
- • Can they fit in your team?
- • Are they right-minded in terms of their experiences?
Think of it this way!
If you or your team don’t have SEO experience, we’re not saying you’ll make mistakes every time, but you may make mistakes in the key moments.
That’s where you need SEO agencies to save you— to prevent stumbling when you need to sprint.
What are the characteristics of an experienced SEO company?
- • They’ve years of trial and tested methods right in their knowledge bank.
- • They’ve worked across several business landscapes.
- • They can predict search algorithm changes quicker than other companies.
- • They’re ahead of the curve.
- • They know when to start and stop the campaign.
- • They’ve worked with probably dozens of the same clients as you.
- • They’ve already helped many companies hit the top rank of the search results.
- • Your niche is their strong suit, not a new challenge.
- • They champion the art of customized campaigns to fulfill your SEO expectations.
SEO companies benefit #5: Increase your efficiency
Bad marketing strategies are like black holes.
They suck up all the money you’re never getting back.
In fact, 40% of all the marketing strategies are wrongly spent. [13]
And since you’re likely to be unaware of the wrong spendings, you’ll continue to allocate more energy fixing it.
With less experience and bleak chances— you’ll only end up playing willful blindness.
But SEO companies know how to pull out SEO strategies with efficiency.
How SEO companies increase business’s efficiency
- • SEO companies have all the resources and tools at their disposal.
- • Should there be any changes, SEO companies take active approach and not reactive one
- • SEO professionals make seamless changes with their experiences
- • You can spend time on core business services
- • Even if you own a local business, SEO companies grow your marketing efforts
SEO companies benefit #6: Keep up with the modern SEO trends
Do you know what the only constant with Google and other search engines is?
They change their algorithms too often.
Sometimes, twice a day!
Google alters its SEO algorithm 500 to 600 times each year. [14]
And the worst part is— you put so much effort into pleasing it.
Major disadvantages?
- • Ranking fluctuations
- • Fallen traffic
- • Low conversion
- • Decreased sales
But don’t panic.
We know Google algorithms can be hard nuts to crack for you.
So, in that case, you can hire one of the top SEO companies listed above.
Here’s how they help you catch up with the trends.
How SEO Companies keep up with SEO Trends
- • First, they don’t panic when the major algorithm changes are looming around. A good SEO agency will stop trying to over-guess and stop worrying about the changes.
- • Second, it could be tempting for you to make immediate changes, but the top SEO firms wait to react. In fact, the smartest companies check out if your website is affected by the changes.
- • Third, any experienced SEO company relies on credible sources such as Google Webmaster Blogs and then acts. Yes, there are times when Google doesn’t accept the changes they’ve made, which could be unnerving. That’s when you need to hop on other reliable sources and forums.
- • Fourth, SEO companies also save you time. They spend their time monitoring the latest trends and news.
SEO companies benefit #7: Secure your business for long-term
We have only talked about how good SEO and SEO companies are.
But with great power comes significant risks.
Especially if you’re not working with an established SEO agency.
Take a look at these risks:
- • It may take ages for you to get desired results.
- • You may have to wait a lot to achieve ROI from your website.
- • It could turn out costly with inappropriate SEO knowledge.
- • You may not enjoy the best results despite ranking on the first page of SERP.
- • Traffic load is beyond your control.
- • Google updates can penalize your website, annulling all the months of efforts in minutes.
- • Worst of all— your website is not free of spam and hacking.
You want to avoid all these hassles. Don’t you?
That’s where SEO companies chip in.
How SEO companies provide security to your business
- • SEO agencies know how to avoid negative repercussions of all the activities happening around your website
- • They keep your website and rankings safe and secure.
- • A dedicated team prevents your business from a downward spiral in critical moments.
- • Their expertise with major tools like Google and Bing Webmaster Tools, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, etc., help them solve major website problems.
- • They resolve errors like security vulnerabilities, bad backlinks, black-hat attacks, etc.
- • SEO firms quickly act on customers’ grievances to protect their brand reputation.
- • They also give safety nets against adverse publicity and competition.
SEO companies benefit #8: Boost your business with valuable data & analytics
The quality of data you deal with decides the quality of SEO results you get.
Forrester says so in their research “Why Marketers Can’t Ignore Data Quality.” [15]
According to the— 37% of marketers are putting their money on wrong marketing strategies— credits to poor quality data. [16]
And we’re sure no one likes to spend on the wrong stuff.
Plus, you’re well aware of how SEO companies can benefit you.
But most businesses ignore the indirect benefit they get from SEO agencies: free data!
Yes, you’ve access to free data!
And that’s not it.
SEO companies use data to grow your business in every possible way.
They use these SEO data for better decision making:
- • Organic traffic
- • Organic impression
- • Organic rankings
- • Keyword monthly search volume
- • Total referring domains
- • Total backlinks
- • Page speed
How SEO companies use data to expand business
- • Use segmentation data to understand your target audience
- • Monitor website traffic and KPIs to expand their company
- • Feed data into the SEO campaign to make it more effective
- • Use keyword research tools to know the search intent of the audiences
- • Find out the best suited multi-channel strategies for your business and focus on them
- • Evaluate traffic, clicks-through-rate, impressions, and other data metrics to enhance less performing pages
- • Analyze well performing pages and pass on their link juices to low-performing pages
- • Drill down Google Analytics data to understand where shoppers are interested the most
- • Check bounce rate and prevent users from exiting the website
- • Monitor what conversion efforts are giving the best results
- • Notice traffic data to fix things before they go out of hands
SEO companies benefit #9: Dance on high sales & revenue
Obviously, you’re looking to increase sales and revenues if you’re hiring an SEO agency.
But we can’t wait to emphasize it again that it’s not just a bit!
You can make huge profits from it.
Now we’ll tell you why.
- • Research suggests your business makes 40% of the online revenue from Google[17].
- • SEO leads are 8X more likely to convert than outbound marketing strategies.[18]
- • If you somehow manage to appear on the #1 Spot on the SERP— get ready to get 33% of all the clicks.
- • And even if you stay in the top 5— you have 67% more chances of getting clicked than others ranking below.[19]
These stats tell you something, don’t they?
It’s so crucial to stay on the top with SEO.
How much does SEO cost in 2021?
Okay!
Services ticked!
Benefits ticked!
Finally, we’ll talk BUSINESS.
You must be having a flurry of questions.
- • How much does SEO cost?
- • What are the SEO pricing factors?
- • How are SEO pricing models divided?
- • How much should you spend on SEO services?
- • How is SEO pricing forecasted in 2021?
And if SEO is so beneficial and practical— you might already be worried about loosening your pockets.
Don’t worry! These answers will solve all your SEO pricing queries.
How much does SEO cost?
SEO may be one of the most practiced digital marketing strategies.
But it’s hard to give the exact estimate without looking into your requirements deeply.
And since the SEO process demands both time and hundreds of strategies— everything comes down to what you want from the SEO company!
But for your ease, you can expect SEO companies to charge anything between $400/month to $10,000/month.
Yes, that’s a massive range because, as said— everything depends on the level of services you want.
For example, a static website with 15 web pages will invite less SEO cost than an eCommerce store having 15,000+ products.
So you should be realistic about your budget.
Moreover, get the hang of allocating marketing resources accordingly.
What factors affect SEO pricing in SEO companies?
You can expect a fixed price for limited web pages.
But SEO companies may go flexible on you if you own a bulky business website.
These factors affect the SEO pricing:
- • SEO company’s experience
- • SEO company’s pricing model— hourly, monthly, or per-project basis.
- • Your company’s location
- • The size of your business— start-up, mid-scale, or enterprise level
- • The enormity of SEO strategies
- • Your existing SEO standing and plans (domain authority)
- • SEO goals
- • Your website’s current technical state
- • The level of market competition
What SEO pricing model do SEO companies follow?
Depending on the
- • project scope
- • level of services you need
- The SEO company you work with
You may have to pay anything between $500 – $30,000.
But some SEO companies may follow single or multiple pricing models to suit your convenience.
You can expect one of these four models:
Hourly Consultation
You’ll pay hourly fees for availing of any SEO service with your agency.
Range: $100 to $300 / hour
The average range: $80 to $200 / hour.
Things to take care of: Don’t fall for SEO companies charging less (<750$/months).
They might promise you moons and stars in a short period, but don’t let unrealistic hyperbole lure you.
Agencies offering cheap SEO services may lag:
- • resources
- • experience
- • experts
- • knowledge
Monthly retaining plan
Some SEO companies prefer a monthly retaining plan for selected SEO services.
Monthly retainer range: $750 to $5000 per month.
The average monthly retainer plan: $750 to $2000 per month.
Project-based pricing
The SEO company will determine the SEO fee in advance (customized plan).
You have to pay this determined fee for your business project.
Project-based pricing range: $1000 to $30,000 per month.
The average project-based pricing: $5000 to $30,000 per month.
Fixed contract pricing
The fixed pricing model demands you sign the contract and seek a set fee for different SEO services.
You can expect SEO services slabs as follow:
SEO Services | Average set fee |
Copywriting (SEO) | $0.15 to $0.50 word |
Technical website audit | $5000 |
SEO content audit | $500 to $7500 |
Link audit | $500 to $7500 |
Social media site setup | $500 to $3000 |
How much should you spend on SEO companies and their services?
It’s a tricky question, considering the range of SEO pricing varies.
Of course, you wouldn’t know what your spending should be— whether 5000$ would be enough or even $30,000 would fall short of your SEO goals.
But there’s no way you can’t find the right amount of SEO spending for your business.
You need to keep a few things in mind.
Ask yourself:
- • What’s the size of my business?
- • What’s the extent of service I want?
- • Am I willing to compromise quality with cheap SEO services?
- • What are my goals?
- • Where am I looking to see my business in the next three months?
- • Should I go with the professional services?
- • Can I risk working with inexperienced and unproven firms with no proper portfolio in their kitty?
Here’s the pro tip for you.
SEO is an ongoing process. Right?
Your website will interact differently with Google every month.
So it would help if you thought about monthly SEO planning.
It should help you not spend too much on the contract or project-based pricing and continually let you inspect your growth every month.
How is SEO pricing determined in 2021?
It’s rather unfortunate that there’s no fixed way to determine SEO pricing.
What does it mean?
You can even have your own SEO firm established today and charge whatever you find fit.
So the ultimate problem of filtering out the best SEO company match falls on clients like you.
One good way to figure out the ballpark estimate is by talking with other clients of the SEO agencies.
You’ll enjoy two benefits:
- • Existing and old clients have measured the depth of water already! Their experiences will let you make fruitful decisions.
- • You won’t over-spend on trivial services.
What characteristics make a great SEO company?
There are hundreds of SEO companies— if not thousands.
It’s like choosing what drop to drink from a glass of water.
But the only difference is— you don’t have the luxury to pick the best drop.
However, these characteristics can help you find great SEO companies, such as our vetted list mentioned above.
Now, what should you be looking for in an SEO company?
Let’s find it out.
- SEO companies characteristic #1: Experienced and know their SEO thing
- SEO companies characteristic #2: A portfolio to flex
- SEO companies characteristic #3: Aware leaders in the market
- SEO companies characteristic #4: Flaunt honest testimonials
- SEO companies characteristic #5: Show their teams
SEO companies characteristic #1: Experienced and know their SEO thing
Congratulations if you have a laptop, internet, and a little knowledge of CMS like WordPress!
You can boast of yourself as an SEO expert.
Well, that’s been a trend!
The market is full of inexperienced but boastful start-ups and individuals with no solid SEO background.
We don’t say they can’t be experts.
But it’s always good to believe the claims of experienced and process-aware SEO companies.
Of course, you may be fooled into believing they’re the experts, but even a simple Google search of their website will show their positions on SERP.
If they can’t rank themselves— you have to run away!
SEO companies characteristic #2: A portfolio to flex
A great SEO company won’t shy away from flexing its portfolios.
Why?
Because they’ve confidence towered up high.
What you’ll find in their portfolio:
- • Their expertise (on-page, off-page, or technical SEO)
- • Businesses they’ve helped rank on Google
- • Traffic generated for their clients
- • Leads and sales for different businesses
Some SEO companies call it a “show-off” only to realize how essential portfolios are!
What you need to do:
- • Scroll through their portfolio
- • Find their clients and look for similar clients as you
- • Contact them and learn their experiences
- • Decide if you want to hand over the project
SEO companies characteristic #3: Aware leaders in the market
We mentioned how SEO algorithms evolve.
Just when you know it’s the Panda algorithm; Google slaps Hummingbird on your face.
You wouldn’t sit idle if you knew Google would make 3,200 updates in a year. [20]
Would you?
Similarly, great SEO companies don’t sit idle clinging to the old SEO tactics.
They keep the tab with algorithm changes every day.
An SEO company with no trend awareness is as good as not having an SEO company at all!
The excellent SEO agencies:
- • Have bird-eye’s view on all the SEO trends
- • Evolve with the best SEO practices
- • Onboard experts or learn the new trends quickly
- • Execute the trends carefully
It’s one of the ultimate characteristics our list of SEO companies nail.
SEO companies characteristic #4: Flaunt honest testimonials
Great SEO companies avoid tooting their own horns.
They pass their achievements subtly, but more importantly, don’t hesitate to share real-life testimonials.
And even greater SEO companies share negative testimonials and the lessons they learned in fixing the issues.
It would be best if you kept a close eye on their testimonials because they’re hard-earned.
An SEO company has to travel lengths to get one positive testimonial in their favor.
They have to:
- • Strategize their SEO plans
- • Implement them seamlessly
- • Analyze their results
- • Guide business to success
Some SEO firms put fake testimonials to boost their portfolio.
You can connect with their clients to find out the truth,
And some SEO agencies may altogether avoid testimonials.
You’d want to avoid them too because [21]
- • 78% of SEO organizations receive 100% of ROI or more from testimonial videos
- • 62% of large SEO organizations also accept receiving 100% or more ROI
Here’s a little help for you.
How to spot fake SEO company’s testimonials
- • Does it look too good to be trusted?
- • Do they use super boastful language?
- • Can you find admitted bias in their claims?
- • Are reviews all positive or negative?
- • Do they use the customer jacking? (I tried X SEO company, failed, then I came across Y SEO company, and my business grew manifold)
SEO companies characteristic #5: Show their teams
“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
Likewise, no man is an SEO company in itself.
The great SEO agencies have several specialists looking to nail every aspect of SEO.
If the SEO company promises you wild success without introducing you to their team members, you need to hang on.
Now, why should that be a matter of concern for you?
Well, some companies may charge you beyond the pocket limits and get the outsource job done for a few dollars.
The honest SEO company has the rare distinction of taking pride in their teams.
SEO Company key positions
- • SEO Director
- • Project Manager
- • Project Coordinator
- • Head of Content/Content Marketing
- • Digital Strategist
- • Copywriter
- • Link builder
- • Technical Lead
- • Digital PR
- • Social Media Managers
- • Conversion Rate Optimizer
What to expect from a great SEO company?
We have listed top SEO companies and highlighted how they could benefit you.
But assuming you’ve hired one of these— what should you expect from a great SEO company?
- SEO companies expectation #1: Attending discovery sessions
- SEO companies expectation #2: Learning about their research and recommendation
- SEO companies expectation #3: Getting contract and knowing deliverables
- SEO companies expectation #4: Detailed onboarding process
SEO companies expectation #1: Attending discovery sessions
Do you know what’s excellent about experienced SEO companies?
They won’t send the proposal despite working in your niche in the past.
Instead, they’ll conduct discovery sessions with you.
The goal of these sessions is clear.
They want to
- • listen to your struggles
- • understand your current challenges
- • comprehend your insight on business goals
- • figure out what you want to achieve
- • go through your unique needs
Once they feel they’ve known your problem enough— expect them to send customized proposals and make new strategies instead of slapping the old ones that worked for other clients.
SEO companies expectation #2: Learning about their research and recommendation
Once you’ve shared business details in the discovery phase, the SEO company will take matters into their hands to research the maximum about you.
They’ll use your details and their expertise to dig deeper into your niche.
Why do they do this?
- • To bring themselves on the same page with you
- • To know if they’re viewing your businesses from the same point as yours.’
- • To understand who your target audience is
When they’re done on their part— you can expect them to share their ideas to max out business results.
SEO companies expectation #3: Getting contract and knowing deliverables
If the first two steps went seamless (if you choose the top-rate SEO agencies listed above), the SEO company might get you to sign a contract.
Again, it depends on the pricing plan you choose.
But to sound soft, they not only call you to sign contracts but give a detailed list of what they’ll deliver in the coming time.
The SEO contract will have:
- • Information on your SEO company
- • Who’ll do the contracted work (dedicated team members)
- • Client-friendly scope and deliverables
- • Delivery time (starting phase, specific phases)
- • Pricing structure and definition
- • Billing schedule
- • Terms and conditions for canceling plans
- • Scope change process (new contract or reset cancellation terms)
- • Legal Details & Contingencies
- • The expiry date of the contract
SEO companies expectation #4: Detailed onboarding process
Great SEO companies don’t throw away their blankets and start working!
They set up the environment first.
And that begins with accessing your assets like:
- • website or CMS access
- • In-house coordinating staff
- • analytics login details
You must have a smooth onboarding process.
Reasons being?
They get to find
- • Scope of the project
- • Project deadline
- • Ease of managing project
What’s it like working with an SEO agency?
Now that you’ve hired an SEO agency (probably your first experience), you may wonder what it’s to work with them.
You may think:
- • What would the process look like?
- • How will the agency go about starting the SEO project?
- • Will they involve you in meetings?
- • Should you have your say in the SEO process?
And many more questions.
It’s natural to have these thoughts flood your head.
When you’re working with SEO companies like SPINX— here’s what the working environment will look like:
Start with Lead-off meeting
It is where you cut the ribbon, not literally!
But you start the project by meeting the SEO strategists of your selected SEO firm.
While not all SEO companies may feel interested in doing this— it’s a significant step to start with.
You’ll get in touch with a personal account manager who’ll act as the bridge between the SEO company and you.
The lead-off meeting includes:
- • a quick introduction to everyone who’s going to be a part of the SEO project
- • discussion about your SEO goals
- • talks on your business, brand, products, services, etc.
- • SEO company’s insight on following SEO strategies
We’d advise not to go unprepared in the kick-off meeting.
Ask as many questions to your account manager.
You may ask:
- • How will you make my website search engine-friendly?
- • How will you measure my website’s SEO success?
- • What SEO tools do you use regularly?
- • What’s your approach to keyword research?
- • How quickly will I get results?
- • How actively will I have to participate in our SEO projects?
You can frame your questions visiting:
- company’s portfolio
- • website
- • brand guidelines
- • company’s resources
Get SEO audit and strategy summary
Another plus of working with an SEO company is— you have both your hands full— one with SEO strategy summaries and the other with SEO audit results.
Your dedicated account manager will
- • discuss the summary matter
- • offer valuable roadmap
Again, you’re invited to ask questions to dispel any doubt lurking around.
You can expect the selected SEO partner to educate rather than dictate you.
It’s probably one of the reasons why you should partner with value-offering SEO companies like SPINX.
Signs SEO agency cares for your business.
They
- • encourage to speak your mind
- • answer all your questions
- • don’t sound dodgy
- • feel happy to explain strategies
- • don’t beat around the bush
Regular follow-ups
Top SEO companies don’t fold at kick-off and audit meetings.
They also know how concerned you’re for the business to grow.
So they arrange regular follow-up meetings with you.
Meetings don’t necessarily have to be in person.
They can convey their messages and sense of security through:
- • Chats
- • Video calls
Don’t worry! These regular check-ins won’t eat up much of your time.
One hour and you’re loaded up with all the necessary information.
In some cases, you may want to give a completely free hand to your SEO agency.
You don’t want to be stressed for all the wrong reasons.
But we’d suggest you be involved because no one knows your business more than you.
Your
- • input
- • assistance
- • approval
It’s crucial you decide what roles the in-house team will take up and what you’ll leave on your SEO agency.
What SEO services should you expect when you sign on to the SEO company?
So you’ve decided to sign with one of the SEO companies.
But you’re thinking about what they do.
Well, a lot!
Let’s break them down.
- SEO company service #1: They’ll analyze your website structure
- SEO company service #2: They’ll evaluate your content
- SEO company service #3: They’ll work on an off-page SEO checklist
- SEO company service #4: They’ll optimize your code and improve site-structure
- SEO company service #5: They’ll optimize your on-page content
- SEO company service #6: They’ll optimize off-page factors
- SEO company service #7: They’ll carry on with their analysis
SEO company service #1: They’ll analyze your website structure
- HTTP or HTTPS— the SEO firm will check if your website is secure or not? It doesn’t matter if you’re not accepting credit card essentials. Google loves secure websites that protect its users’ interests.
- Analytics setup— the top SEO company will constantly track your existing analytics (if there) and set up new analytics if you don’t have them. The idea is simple— they want hands-on details on leads and sales to make any meaning out of it.
- Robots.txt— after auditing your website, the SEO companies make a list of pages that don’t need search engine crawlers to crawl and index it. They do it with the Robots’ text.
- Site errors— your SEO partner gets rid of all the site errors to secure the level of trustworthiness. Site errors are wrong signals to Google. Errors like 4XX errors, plagiarised title tags, copied page content, broken links, and missing title tags can kill your ranking.
- Indexed status— the SEO company will ensure the web pages are indexed on Google. They’ll check its status regularly! You can think of it as Google robots allotting a specific number to your pages. Non-indexed pages won’t ever rank on Google.
- Sitemap— your hired SEO agency will create an XML sitemap. A sitemap includes the entire list of pages on the website. It works opposite to robots.txt. Sitemap intimidates the pages to be indexed by the crawlers. Robots.txt intimidates the pages not to be indexed.
- Page speed— your SEO company knows what essential user experience is. Because more than Google, you’re creating websites for your users. The SEO agencies make sure the website doesn’t take ages to load. Users leave web pages in 10 seconds. All the more reason why your SEO company will get the value proposition message across the board! [22]
- Meta elements— these elements may not sound important to you, but your SEO company will fix them all. Duplicate title tags, site content, irrelevant meta descriptions, etc., affect your site negatively. You need them optimized to better your discoverability chances on SERPs.
- Conversion rates— traffic is just the 20% battle won. SEO companies see to it that your website converts. They apply different conversion rate optimization techniques to remove the bottlenecks and generate the best result for your business.
SEO company service #2: They’ll evaluate your content
- Voice search compatibility— 41% of adults voice search every day. SEO companies focus on text and image-driven content and look to set up voice search compatibility. You don’t want to miss a chance to rank. [23]
- Poorly targeted keywords— your existing content may have over or under-used keywords. Plus, you may also have been missing largely on related or semantic keywords. SEO agencies, as our mentioned list, fix all the keyword issues.
- Poorly ranking content— don’t be disheartened if your content is not ranking. Apart from creating new content, Top SEO companies also update or make your existing content up to Google’s mark.
- Duplicate content issues— as much as Google is brilliant, it shows general phrases like “this could be one of the methods” plagiarised. Could you believe that? Fortunately, SEO companies have tools like Grammarly and 1text to fix duplicate content.
- Missing pages— your page or site may go missing from Google search. SEO companies troubleshoot and fix the common issue with almost every website.
- NAP inconsistencies— local SEO is essential if you’re looking to target your locality. But you must get your NAP (Name-address-phone number) message across the board consistently. SEO companies ensure you don’t have to live through the local SEO hassle for every page.
SEO company service #3: They’ll work on an off-page SEO checklist
- Content-focused on locality— much of the off-page content includes review sites, online directories, industry blogs, etc. SEO companies cater to locality-based content to gather maximum searches from specific locations.
- Unique meta elements for each product and service— whether you’re listing your products or services on-page or going off-page, SEO companies know the necessity of writing unique meta elements.
- Consistent NAP across every listing— just as the SEO company keeps NAP consistent across the website, they also ensure it stays consistent throughout the off-page listing websites.
- Authentic reviews— SEO companies also encourage authentic reviews. Your know-how reviews and testimonials invoke people into taking action. They also mark the reviews with schema.
- Reputable directory listings— the SEO agency gets your business listed in reputed directory lists. Directories with high traffic get digital footprints diverged to your website.
- A mobile-friendly website— most SEO companies will get this right even when they’re asleep! The mobile version of your website needs to be user-friendly as most of your users spend their time on mobile now.
- Authority building techniques— your SEO firm will also apply authority building techniques like guest posting and backlinking to boost credibility over the internet.
SEO company service #4: They’ll optimize your code and improve site-structure
- Site navigation— the SEO company, will make an easy-to-navigate site. Spread breadcrumbs and page numbers, so the visitors don’t feel lost.
- Clean up— the SEO company will clean up and optimize your site’s code to make it blazing fast.
- Remove errors— Google is smart enough to pick coding errors. The SEO agency makes your website error-free and prevents Google Spiders from crawling the wrong page.
- Silo structure— the SEO company understands what silo structure works the best for internal linking. You want your user journey to be highly fluidic.
SEO company service #5: They’ll optimize your on-page content
- Rewrite/remove— the SEO company will find the plagiarised content and either get them rewritten or removed.
- Keyword placement— keywords are important, but you can’t place them anywhere in the content and get away with it. SEO companies know the exact point where putting keywords makes sense.
- Rich copy— the SEO agency writes thought-provoking copy to get the most out of landing pages.
- Landing pages— the SEO firm also makes deeply-researched and meaningful landing pages to attract more visitors.
- Details— the SEO company takes care of details such as adding images, formatting text and changing color schemes to convert as many visitors.
SEO company service #6: They’ll optimize off-page factors
- Local SEO tactic— the SEO company implements local SEO techniques to rank for local terms.
- Accurate info— the SEO agency will spread accurate information about your business. They do it by finding your business directory, verifying your info, & finally giving the updated info.
- Press release— the SEO company, will announce new products and services your business offers. Expect them to cover it in the most exciting ways such as catchy news pieces.
- Guest posts— the SEO company will write guest posts on non-competitive blogs and get the backlinks in exchange.
SEO company service #7: They’ll carry on with their analysis
- Regular monitoring— the SEO company will monitor site activities as traffic, rankings, and conversions
- Data-use— the SEO agency will use rich data to make informed, effective decisions.
Should you hire an SEO company?
Of all the SEO questions— this must be rolling through your head…
“Should you hire an SEO company?”
Well, there shouldn’t be any if’s and but’s if you:
- 1. want to grow your business manifold at pocket-friendly prices
- 2. are clueless about your websites’ whereabouts and how it’s contributing to your bottom line
- 3. wish to penetrate your products and services in the new market area
- 4. want more people to reach out to you than your nemesis
- 5. need more sales
- 6. desire more leads and conversion
- 7. make a lasting and differentiable impact than your competitors
- 8. long to secure your business’ future
- 9. want to hit the top three of the search results
What is the sign your SEO company is using black hat SEO?
Just travel back ten years, and you’ll realize how manipulative SEO marketing was!
But Google is getting smarter everyday.
Many marketers enjoyed Google’s incompetence in the past to rank their pages— despite having no relevance for the readers.
Yes, you heard it.
You could rank your page without needing to satisfy an SEO checklist (wait, the checklist didn’t exist). :/
Fortunately, the times have changed, but some SEO agencies still use black hat SEO techniques to deliver quick results.
Now, what is black hat SEO?
Well, it’s nothing but any SEO technique that violates Google’s guidelines.
If your SEO agency uses a black hat, you may expect
- • search engine ranking to slip or even disappear from the SERP site entirely
- • short-term, wowie results that change within a few days or weeks
- • annoyed and misled customers (equivalent to poor leads and sales)
The last thing you want to do is to annoy your customers. Right?
Now the question is— how do you know if your SEO partner is using unfair means to rank you higher?
Well, the good news is— we have got you covered here.
You can keep an eye on your SEO agency.
How do you know if your SEO agency is practicing black hat tactics
The SEO company will:
- 1. over-use main target keywords to rank you
- 2. either use automatically generate or duplicate content
- 3. use CSS to hide stuffed keywords (using the font as the background color)
- 4. create pages only to appeal to Google and not users (doorway/gateway pages)
- 5. Cloak content for users and search engines. It serves different content and URLs to both of them (leaving different experiences)
- 6. use link schemes such as
- a. paid links,
- b. blog comment spam,
- c. forum spam
- d. automated link building
- e. sidebar links
- f. spammy directories
- 7. abuse and over-use markups like structured data and rich snippets
- 8. place sneaky redirects to deceive search engines and show content that’s different from what the visitors will see
When should you hire an SEO company?
We already gave you endless benefits to hire an SEO company.
But if you still have second thoughts— answer these questions to yourself:
- • Do you want to grow your business in a competitive niche?
- • Do you wish to expand and support your product launch?
- • Have you thought about sales, revenues, and conversion rates deeply?
- • Do you want to get yourself ranked on search results?
- • Is SEO expertise lagging in your in-house team?
- • Does your team have time constraints?
- • Has your company tried SEO but doesn’t see any result?
26 questions to ask any SEO company before hiring
You don’t go to the battlefield without weapons.
Think of hiring the SEO company as a personal battle.
Now, do you have any weapon to fight this battle?
Of course, preparing yourself to ask them tough questions and not going by every word the SEO company says is your weapon.
You can hammer these questions and measure the water.
- 1. What SEO services do you have expertise in?
- 2. What’s the process of developing search engine optimization strategies?
- 3. What SEO tactics will be most beneficial for my business and why?
- 4. Do you have the SEO tools and resources for the SEO campaign?
- 5. What platform will your agency use?
- 6. Who will I work with? Who’s in your team, and what’s their area of expertise?
- 7. Who will be the point of contact or connect us for SEO queries?
- 8. How often do you arrange meetings and updates?
- 9. Do you take analytics data into account?
- 10. How often do you go through analytics data?
- 11. How often will you give me the progress report?
- 12. How long will the SEO take to give results?
- 13. Can you tell me what’s in my current contact and what it includes?
- 14. When will the contract end?
- 15. Can I cancel the contract in between?
- 16. How do I cancel the contract?
- 17. Will I get access to the website if I end the contract with you?
- 18. How to communicate my SEO message, and how often can I contact you?
- 19. Will you give me complete access to my website and Google Analytics accounts?
- 20. Will I have access to FTP, CMS, and AdWords?
- 21. Will I lose the right to a website if I get a free website built with paid SEO services?
- 22. Can you guarantee me success? (A good SEO company won’t promise you. In fact, anyone promising would be lying)
- 23. Have you worked for similar companies and niches?
- 24. What are your payment options?
- 25. Will SEO services have hidden charges?
- 26. What payment model do you follow?
Why is SPINX digital the right SEO company choice for you?
Though we have short-listed the SEO company for you, and each of them is a thought-leader in their areas— it still doesn’t tell the most crucial question— which one to pick among them.
Hah! We don’t like to self-assert, but SPINX Digital can be an excellent choice to grow your business.
No, we aren’t tooting our horns— we’ll tell you why!
So we took SEO projects for companies like:
• BEGA
Quinn wanted to improve their organic visibility, and BEGA wished for sound SEO strategies.
It was a challenge for our SEO team, but look at these numbers—
BEGA
• +10,908% growth traffic
• -42% bounce rate
• +168% average session duration
• +120% pages per session
• +672% user sessions
You see! We have done well for our clients.
But what about our website?
Have we done enough for ourselves so you can trust us?
Should you trust us?
And if an SEO company can’t help their own website, should you consider them?
Well, take a look at the keywords we rank for.
Here’s some…
Web Design Los Angeles (1)
◦ 1K-10K searches/mo
Web Design Agency (4)
◦ 100-1K searches/mo
Some more…
Digital Agency (3)
◦ 10k-100K searches/mo
Website Development Company (6)
◦ 1K-10K searches/mo
And more…
Best Website Design (3)
◦ 10k-100K searches/mo
These SEO stats didn’t appear out of thin air.
Our:
• SEO experts laid the foundation for optimized content strategies.
• Keyword experts extracted the most relevant answers users were looking for
• Copywriters, content writers, and designers built extremely SEO-friendly content
• Our SEO analysts worked around data to improvise and cater better SEO campaigns
Still not convinced?
We get your concern— it has business and money, and reputation in the line.
Don’t worry! Get in contact with our SEO professionals. Just a call would be enough, although we also work on SOS signals. 😀
Brands that have nailed SEO like a boss
- Amazon uses long-tail keywords to make 57% of sales [24]
- River Pools and Spas garnered over 500,000 visitors a month with holistic SEO strategies [25]
- KISSmetrics receives 142,149 visitors with its extensive long-tail keyword research [26]
- Many SaaS companies better their search rankings by an average of 11.24% and thrive on the agile website with experienced SEO tactics
- WPBeginner shot up their organic traffic by 20% in just 60 days [27]
Footnote
- [1] Source – hubspot
- [2] Source – impactplus
- [3] Source – impactplus
- [4] Source – backlinko
- [5] Source – backlinko
- [6] Source – statista
- [7] Source – contentmarketinginstitute
- [8] Source – contentmarketinginstitute
- [9] Source – impactplus
- [10] Source – impactplus
- [11] Source – ppcprotect
- [12] Source – statista
- [13] Source – mediapost
- [14] Source – searchengineland
- [15] Source – marketingevolution
- [16] Source – komarketing
- [17] Source – brightedge
- [18] Source – hubspot
- [19] Source – smartinsights
- [20] Source – searchengineland
- [21] Source – vocalvideo
- [22] Source – nngroup
- [23] Source – dbswebsite
- [24] Source – business2community
- [25] Source – thesaleslion
- [26] Source – quicksprout
- [27] Source – wpbeginner
Sukesh Jakharia
Contact Us
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COVID-19 UPDATE
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Despite the uncertainty of COVID-19, SPINX Digital will continue to deliver the same level of excellence to our clients that they have come to know. We wish you, your colleagues and family safety, wellness and positivity during these challenging times. If you have any questions or needs, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Really informative article. Looking forward to similar articles. It really helps me in choosing SEO Agency.
That’s great to hear. Thank you for your appreciation.