You probably already know that bringing SEO techniques into your marketing campaign can increase the chances of your business appearing on Google’s first page of search results. But do you know exactly how important this positioning is?
In one survey, 75% of consumers who used Google to find a business never bothered to look beyond the first set of listings.
For those reasons, business owners will often find an SEO agency to assist with their campaigns. But not all services have your best interest at heart.
In this guide, you will find 10 red flags that scream “It’s time to fire your SEO specialist.”
Is it Time to Fire Your SEO Specialist?
The job of an SEO specialist is to analyze their clients’ websites for improvements they can implement in order to help bring them to the tops of search engines. Although it may sound like a simple task, it is often time-consuming hard work that involves developing engaging content, completing keyword research, building links, and a ton of other duties.
Click here to learn more about managed SEO services. In the meantime, these are 10 signs your current specialist isn’t working out.
1. Their Content is Subpar
The SEO world is changing because Google is becoming more concerned with ranking high-quality content on the front page of its search results. So, in order to run an effective SEO campaign, the content on your website needs to be informative, helpful, and well written.
If your SEO agency is creating subpar articles for you, it’s time to take your business elsewhere. Sticking around for bad content will hurt your site more than it will help.
2. They Never Change Their Strategy
Because there are frequent changes to search engines, technology, and consumer buying trends, SEO changes pretty often. Good SEO agencies know how to stay on top of these changes in order to implement them into their clients’ SEO campaigns.
With that said, if your agency doesn’t seem to be updating its techniques, leave them for an agency that evolves.
3. Their Turnaround Time Seems Too Good to be True
There are some SEO companies out there that who make ridiculous promises that involve your rankings raising rapidly. But the truth is, improving your overall SEO ranking can take months, not days.
The companies that promise those quick turnarounds often annoy potential customers with mass spam email campaigns and other quick fixes that won’t help you meet your long-term goals.
4. They Employ a One Size Fits All Technique
The SEO techniques that work for one business aren’t always going to be effective for another. That’s because several factors come into play such as:
- The location of the business
- The domain age
- The business’s competition
- The keywords used
If your SEO company only offers pre-made packages without customization, they aren’t completing any type of analysis on your website. In turn, you aren’t getting enough attention for your site to fully thrive.
5. They Don’t Complete a Thorough Consultation
When you start working with an SEO company, the first part of the process should include a consultation. During the consultation, you should be given an opportunity to discuss your goals.
For instance, a company’s goals might include:
The goals will differ from one company to the next. And the goals you have will drive many factors like the keywords your SEO company will use or the way the content strategy will be implemented.
If no one is asking about your conversion goals, they can’t help you meet them.
6. They Don’t Tell Keep You in the Loop
Your SEO agency should always be 100% transparent about what they are doing for your website. And if they don’t tell you what’s going on, they are probably trying to hide something shady.
After all, there is no secret formula for improving your SEO.
In addition to hiding its methods from you, a bad SEO company will often lack clarity. If your contact or account rep speaks with vague language, confuses you with fancy industry jargon, or is often late when responding to your inquiries, you should do business with another.
7. You Aren’t Receiving Reports
A good SEO agency will make progress reports available for you to review regularly. The reports should contain accurate information based on your goals.
Additionally, the information on the reports should match up with the responses you are receiving on your website.
8. They Claim to Have a Connection with Google
There are tons of SEO companies out there that scam unsuspecting clients. Believe it or not, a common scam is to pretend to have an inside connection to Google or a claim that they know the algorithm.
If you really want to see an example of how top agencies are standing out and building a great reputation for themselves, follow any of these agencies.
Neither one of those claims is ever true. You can stay safe by making your decisions based on past experience and proven trends.
9. They Don’t Have Much Happening on Social Media
Good SEO agencies have active social media presences where they keep their followers engaged. A strong social media presence is also a good sign that the company is going to be around for a while.
If a company doesn’t set up any social media accounts, they are probably trying to stay under the radar.
This is another common scam. A company will collect as much money as it can before it disappears and pops up again under a different name with a new website.
10. They’re Building Bad Links
Link building is one of the hardest, yet most important parts about improving your SEO. And in order to see great results, the quality and legitimacy of the have to be high.
A good link is appropriate to the context and it is presented in well-written content that has been properly researched and published on relevant domains. On the other hand, bad links appear in poorly written content on irrelevant domains.
Follow These Tips to Learn More
Whether you choose to work with an SEO specialist or you want to manage your own SEO campaign, our blogging tips can help you drive more traffic to your website and increase your sales. For additional resources, follow us today.