- ROAR
- 4 Min Read
- Blog, SEO
What to Ask An SEO Agency (6 Vital Questions)
Should I hire an SEO company? This a question many business owners ask themselves when developing their online presence. In this blog, we provide you with 6 questions you need to ask an SEO agency to determine whether hiring is the right business move for you.
Should I hire an SEO company – things to consider
Hiring an SEO agency can benefit a business and support you by improving your online presence. They can optimise your website and content so you can appear higher on SERPs which can in turn generate more website traffic and potential leads. Additionally, a digital marketing agency can support in areas like PPC, paid social and content creation. All whilst offering local SEO services, Hubspot services and more – all of which are offered by ROAR.
By hiring an SEO agency, you can focus on your business without worrying about the SEO aspect. This is in someone else’s hands which also enables your team to remain focused on their non-SEO-related tasks. SEO specialists will most likely know a lot more about optimisation, strategy and tactics than you. This is because they will have been practising it for a while, which means no tedious learning process for you or your organisation.
For more on the benefits of hiring an SEO company, check out our blog post on the benefits of hiring an SEO agency.
Or alternatively, download the free guide: why hire an SEO agency – the ultimate guide by ROAR.
What to Ask an SEO Agency- 6 questions to ask
- Can you demonstrate previous success with case studies?
Case studies are a fantastic way of discovering how a company performs and what results they often see. By asking to see a business’s case studies, you are put in a position to understand the company a bit more. A good SEO company should have a few case studies they will show you to demonstrate past work.
You should be able to see the client and the problems or goals the company is tackling. And how they approached and tackled them, and finally, the results of the work and or campaign. Most companies you will speak to will have some on hand ready to show you. 62.6% of executives working in marketing say case studies are effective in generating leads for their strategy.
- Do you have prior experience in X industry?
Asking an agency about what industries they have experience working in your industry is hugely beneficial. Doing this will give you a solid indicator of how much they understand your industry already.
An SEO company with prior knowledge about your industry will have some data on your audience already. You will also be able to quiz the company on its results in this industry. Do this to see how well their tactics measure up and understand their successes with similar companies like yours.
- Given our budget and current SEO level, what strategy would you suggest?
This is a great question to ask to see how an agency would judge your business off the bat. They should know what types of services or strategies would be best to implement before you partner up. This is when they can truly start dissecting your business and make justified strategic decisions moving forward. How they answer this question is key to how you decide which agency to pick.
- What costs are involved in making your strategy a success?
When costs are involved in their digital marketing strategy is a completely valid question for you to ask. It’s important as a business owner to know exactly what amount of money you are using for each part of your business. This amount should also match the expectations of any third-party partners. Asking about costs and how they coincide with success gives an idea of how much budget you need to see great results.
- How do you define success?
Asking a professional SEO agency how they define success may just be the solidifying answer as to whether you move forward with them. This question will allow you to understand their company values and the levels of success they have seen in the past.
It’s important that you feel their definitions of success align with your own and your goals if they are the right fit for you. With corresponding goals in terms of success, you can be confident in your SEO agency and its drive to create great results for your business.
- What return on investment (ROI) can I expect?
With their knowledge and experience, the SEO agency should have some figures and estimates of the projected ROI your partnership could see. This is a great way of getting some basic figures in as an estimate for the campaigns.
Whenever you are discussing costs with a company, make sure you fully understand what you are paying for, when and how much. If there is anything you don’t understand, you simply need to ask, and your SEO specialist should explain! You will be relieved when you’re fully aware of the budget you need and what exactly you are paying for. This also means there shouldn’t be any cost surprises down the line.
There is no harm in asking as many questions as you feel are necessary when outsourcing your SEO. After all, it’s your business you’re trusting them with.
If you’re asking yourself the question, should I hire an SEO company? Speak to one of our specialists about how ROAR can support you on your SEO journey.