Although Google gives advice on hiring search engine optimization (SEO) professionals, there is little information regarding obtaining the most value after hiring the consultants. There’s a huge amount of resources and information on SEO-based topics for webmasters. However, it is not likely that Google has ever sought the services of an SEO firm and is therefore not in the business of client/vendor relationship advice.
The relationship between an SEO firm and its client must be a win/win. In addition to receiving the expected results, you may want to receive some additional services and support. You might want to outsource all your SEO activities or you might want the consultants to build a case and justify every inbound link or content/code edit.
To hire SEO professionals for the long term, consider the following.
Finding a good team of SEO consultants
Initially, this might seem easy because a majority of firms in the business of marketing, IT consulting, web design, or public relations claims to provide SEO services.
When you work in a certain industry or market for some time, you are likely to develop relationships with a variety of consultants. Often, word-of-mouth referrals are vastly effective in the case of digital marketing or search engine optimization work.
Getting a new project or job that needs outside expertise usually drives the search for consulting services. Having a good network of contacts is therefore important. It saves you considerable time that would have been used employing other search methods. The searching process doesn’t end at recommendations though. You need to have objectives and criteria which you will use to determine if the SEO agency is right for you.
Your relationship with your NYC SEO authority needs to be mutually respectful and open. In addition to holding your intentions and behavior to a higher standard, an effective way of ensuring a good relationship with your SEO agency is having a structured agreement. Put in place a proper project plan and scope of work which defines the roles and expectations of both you and the agency.
Carefully examine your objectives and resources. You might not have a good grasp of the strategies and mechanics of effective social media and SEO programs. That is understandable because that’s why you need to hire the consultants in the first place. Make sure you have clear digital marketing goals in order to get the most out of the agency you engage.
A majority of leading SEO firms certainly have the capability of going through a discovery process with your company to come up with realistic goals. However, keep in mind that great reasons for launching search engine optimization efforts do not include a reaction to competition or a well-articulated pitch by a consultant.
Having clearly defined business goals is integral to an effective search marketing program. Holistic SEO is more than monitoring sales, traffic, and rankings; it can lead to a reduction in costs and an increase in revenue in areas such as public relations, recruiting, and customer support services.