10 Questions to Ask When Partnering With a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Agency

You don’t have to perform search engine optimization (SEO) in-house. Maybe you lack the time to optimize your own website, or perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the latest trends and tactics. Rather than performing it in-house, you can outsource it to an SEO agency.

SEO agencies are business-to-business (B2B) providers that specialize in optimizing websites for higher search engine rankings. Like with other B2B providers, though, the quality of their services can vary. When partnering with an SEO agency, you should ask the following questions to determine if they are the right for your website.

1) Can You Provide Case Studies?

Reputable SEO agencies will typically create case studies attesting to their ability to achieve higher search engine rankings for their clients. As they optimize their clients’ websites, they’ll record the results. Case studies include real-world examples of SEO agencies’ services and how they help their clients. By reviewing them, you’ll know what to expect when partnering with an SEO agency.

2) What Certifications Do You Have?

You should inquire about an SEO agency’s certifications. Certifications project expertise. SEO agencies with a long list of relevant certifications will probably offer more valuable, effective services than those with few or no certifications. SEO agencies must complete training courses to earn certifications.

Common certifications to look for include:

• Content Marketing Institute (CMI) Certification
• HubSpot Academy Certification
• Moz SEO Essentials Certification
• Yoast SEO Certification
• SEMRush Academy Certification
• Google Ads Certification

3) What Metrics Do You Use to Measure Success?

Different SEO agencies use different metrics to measure success. Not surprisingly, most of them use search engine rankings as a success metric. But SEO agencies typically use other success metrics as well, such as organic traffic, number of indexed pages and total conversions. You should choose an SEO agency with success metrics that are aligned with your goals.

4) How Will You Build Backlinks?

Before partnering with an SEO agency, inquire about its backlink-building methods. Backlinks are an essential part of an SEO strategy. To improve your website’s search engine rankings, the SEO agency will likely have to build backlinks to it. Make sure the SEO agency uses safe, white-hat methods to build these backlinks. White-hat methods are allowed by search engines.

If the SEO agency purchases backlinks or engages in spam to build them, your website may receive a ranking penalty. Purchasing backlinks and using spam to build backlinks are classified as black-hat methods. Black-hat methods are prohibited by search engines. Even if they are performed by a third-party SEO agency, black-hat backlink-building methods can make your website a target for a ranking penalty.

5) Have You Worked on Similar Websites?

You should partner with an SEO agency that’s worked on similar websites in the past. There’s no universal SEO strategy that works for all types of websites. If you have an e-commerce website, the SEO agency may focus on optimizing your site’s product pages and building backlinks to them. If you operate a local business website, the SEO agency may focus on building citations and creating local landing pages.

6) What Tools Do You Use?

Nearly all SEO agencies use tools to perform their respective SEO services. Some of them may use a social media management tool like Sprout Social or Buffer to post content to their clients’ social media profiles. Others may use a backlink research tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush to track their clients’ backlinks. If an SEO agency doesn’t use any tools, it’s a red flag. Look for an SEO agency that uses some of the industry-leading tools, instead.

7) How Long Will It Take to See the Results?

Don’t forget to ask how long it will take to see the results of the SEO agency’s services. You probably won’t notice any improvement overnight. As the SEO agency optimizes your website, it may take weeks or months for search engines to reflect these changes. SEO agencies should be honest when explaining how long it will take to see the results of their services.

If an SEO agency promises to rank your website at the top of Google in just a few days, you should choose a different agency. It’s a gimmick that’s designed to attract clients. SEO agencies that promise fast rankings will usually come up with excuses regarding why their clients’ websites aren’t ranking.

8) What Forms of Access Will You Need?

The SEO agency that you choose to partner with will probably need access to your website. SEO agencies can typically perform off-page SEO without accessing your website. For on-page SEO, though, they’ll need access to your website.

You may need to provide the SEO agency with File Transfer Protocol (FTP) access so that they can upload and modify files on your server. If there’s a content management system (CMS) installed on your website, you may need to provide the SEO agency with access to it as well. With that said, no SEO agency should ask you to transfer your website’s domain to them. A domain transfer means you’ll lose ownership of your website.

9) Are There Any Ongoing Costs?

Depending on which SEO agency you partner with, you may incur ongoing costs. Some of them charge monthly fees. To partner with an SEO agency, you may have to subscribe to a monthly service. Monthly services can include content creation, backlink building, social media marketing, website audit and more. You may still have to pay an initial fee, but you’ll also have to pay a monthly fee. Otherwise, the SEO agency may stop working on your website.

10) What Contact Methods Do You Support?

Ask the SEO agency what contact methods it supports. You may have questions about the services, or you may simply want an update. Multiple methods of contact will allow you to reach the SEO agency for an answer or an update. SEO agencies that only support email as a method of contact are difficult to reach. And if they only allow clients to contact them by email, they may use questionable tactics for their services.

Partnering with an SEO agency is a big decision. It will determine the fate of your website in the search results. Partnering with an experienced, trustworthy SEO agency will lead to higher rankings and greater success for your website.