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Tips To Find The Best SEO Agency For Your Business | Hero Marketing Agency

Finding the right experts to help you with SEO requires knowing your options. Here is the complete guide to choosing an SEO agency for your business.

The Complete Guide to Choosing an SEO Agency for Your Business

Nearly 70% of experiences online begin with a search engine. However, only 0.63% of Google users click on options from the second search engine results page (SERP). Without search engine optimization (SEO), consumers might fail to find your website during a search. It can take time to develop an effective SEO marketing strategy, though.

Choosing an SEO agency can help you improve your rankings without wasting time or energy. Not sure which SEO agency to hire? Read on for the qualities you need to prioritize during your search!

Outline Goals and Needs

First, outline your specific business and marketing goals. For example, you might want to:

  • Improve organic rankings
  • Generate website traffic
  • Generate brand awareness and recognition
  • Build brand trust and loyalty
  • Generate quality leads and sales
  • Gain Google Business reviews
  • Post content regularly
  • Improve your ROI

Outlining your goals can help you find SEO or digital marketing agencies capable of accomplishing those goals.

When you begin vetting your options for SEO agencies, the agency should ask about your marketing goals. If they don’t, they won’t customize your SEO marketing strategy based on those goals. Instead, they might choose a cookie-cutter approach.

Your business, customers, and goals are unique. You need a unique SEO marketing strategy to experience success.

Years of Experience

Turn to your professional contacts to build a list of options for SEO agencies. Ask other business owners if they can recommend an agency that offers SEO services. Look for both digital marketing agencies and SEO specialists as you build your list.

If you manage to gather professional referrals, ask questions about each business owner’s experience with the agency. For example:

  • How long has the agency been in business
  • What services do they offer
  • How did the agency accomplish your goals
  • Are you satisfied with the services you receive
  • Have you experienced problems with the agency

Building a list of referrals can help you find a reputable agency. It can also help you gather insights that aren’t available online. Once you have a list of options, you can gather your own research.

Visit each agency’s website. Learn more about their history by visiting their “About Us” page. Consider visiting their Better Business Bureau listing as well.

Determine how long each digital marketing or SEO agency has been in business. Find an agency that’s been established for over 10 years. An established business won’t encounter scheduling, billing, or communications issues a new business likely will.

Consider how long each agency has offered SEO services as well. Find an experienced team that won’t struggle to accomplish your goals. If the company is new to offering SEO as a service, keep searching.

Up-To-Date Expertise

Above all else, it’s important to find an agency that fully understands search engine optimization.

Ask each agency how they plan to improve your organic rankings. They should mention four types of SEO:

  • On-page
  • Off-page
  • Technical
  • Local

On-page SEO involves optimizing your blog content and website pages for search terms. When a consumer searches using a relevant term, your content could appear on the SERP. Ranking for a range of target keywords can help maximize your online reach.

It can also help you appear in front of consumers who already want your offerings, helping you generate more leads and sales.

Off-page SEO involves marketing tactics outside of your website. For example, generating backlinks can improve your rankings. Backlinks appear on other websites and direct consumers to your content.

Technical SEO involves optimizing the backend of your website. For example, following Google’s Core Web Vitals can help you offer a positive user experience (UX). Your website should be fast, mobile-optimized, secure, and user-friendly.

Google uses mobile-first indexing to determine rankings. If your site isn’t mobile optimized, your rankings won’t improve.

Local SEO can help you appear in front of nearby customers or for location-specific searches. Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing is part of your local SEO strategy.

If the SEO agency is unfamiliar with these types of SEO, remove them from your list of options.

SEO Trends

When vetting your options for SEO agencies, make sure they remain apprised of recent SEO marketing trends, too. Google updates its search engine algorithm constantly. If you’re not appealing to the latest trends, your rankings might drop. Meanwhile, your competitors could get ahead.

Ask each SEO agency how they appeal to trends like:

  • Voice searches
  • Featured snippets
  • Google’s Core Web Vitals
  • User experience website design
  • Experience, expertise, authority, trustworthiness (EEAT)
  • Audience-targeted/personalized content
  • Image optimization
  • Long-form content
  • Predictive search
  • Semantically-related keywords
  • Passage indexing
  • Search intent

If the SEO agency is unfamiliar with these trends (and how to implement them), keep searching.

The Right Services

For a successful SEO strategy, you’ll need services beyond SEO.

For example, you’ll need to optimize your website to improve your rankings. Consider requesting website design and development services. Make sure the company can optimize your website following Google’s Core Web Vitals.

Nearly 90% of online shoppers won’t return to a site following a bad user experience. Another 75% will judge your business based on your website’s appearance. Improving your website’s design and development can benefit your SEO strategy while helping improve your reputation.

They should also optimize your website for conversions. Otherwise, you might struggle to generate quality leads through SEO.

You’ll also need to generate backlinks with backlink-building services. An agency that offers backlink-building services can help boost your Domain Authority (DA). A strong DA could help your organic rankings improve.

Meanwhile, reputation management services can benefit your local SEO strategy. Generating reviews regularly will help your local rankings rise.

You’ll need content creation services to publish fresh content for your blog. Graphic design and photography searches can help you appear for more image searches, too.

Hiring a digital marketing agency that offers a range of services (including SEO) can benefit your entire digital marketing strategy. For example, a paid advertising strategy can benefit your SEO efforts. As you attract website traffic through pay-per-click (PPC) ads, your organic search engine rankings can improve.

If the company doesn’t offer other digital marketing services to complement its SEO services, keep searching.

A Glowing Reputation

Look for an agency that already has a strong, glowing reputation by reading online reviews. You can find reviews on the companies:

  • Better Business Bureau listing
  • Google Business profile
  • Website testimonials page

If the company doesn’t have a Google Business profile, they’re not using their own SEO services. Remove these businesses from your list.

Read a few client reviews from each source to get a well-rounded idea of each agency. Look for complaints that repeat between websites. If the agency has a number of serious complaints against them, remove them from your list.

Look for comments about the company’s accountability. It’s important to find an agency you can reach with questions or concerns. The agency should also provide you with updates regarding your SEO strategy.

If they don’t provide regular updates, you won’t know if they’re accomplishing your goals.

In addition to reading online reviews, ask each agency if they can provide case studies. Case studies will allow you to see proof they helped their clients. Ask each agency what key performance ranking factors (KPIs) they track as well.

A Strong Strategy

Narrow down your options and schedule a consultation with three different agencies. Treat each appointment like an interview. Have a list of questions you want to ask the agency prepared ahead of time.

During the consultation, ask each company about their SEO marketing strategy. They should have an efficient plan in place to help you accomplish your goals.

For example, the agency should take the time to gather keywords and audience research. If they don’t, they won’t create content that appeals to your target audience.

They should also take the time to update your website to ensure it’s user-friendly.

Don’t forget to ask the agency if they provide updates as well. How will you communicate? They might provide email, video call, or phone call updates to prove their strategy is working.

Consider what tools the agency uses as well. For example, how do they build a list of target keywords for your SEO strategy?

Confirm the agency isn’t using any black hat SEO tactics (which could get your site penalized by Google).

Ideal Pricing

Corporate SEO spending has reached $47.5 billion, though it could reach $77.6 billion this year as more companies rely on SEO services. Typical SEO projects can cost $1,250 to $6,000 a month. However, pricing can vary based on the services you choose.

Ask each agency to provide an itemized list of all services they offer. Determine what services fall under their SEO packages, too.

Comparing SEO service costs can help you determine the average between agencies. If one agency’s pricing is outrageously higher than the rest, determine why that is.

Don’t choose the cheapest option available, though. Instead, review your notes and choose an SEO agency that can accomplish your goals.

Simplify Choosing an SEO Agency for Your Business Today

We all have certain things we excel at in life. The same is true for digital marketing companies. Some businesses specialize in SEO, while others boast their best skills in web design.

Finding out more about an agency’s special skills will help you understand how they can excel in business. That said, you should be working with a company with well-rounded talents.

Over the years, we’ve developed our skills across the board. We have experts in a range of marketing fields. When you work with us, you’ll get the benefit of this combined expertise.

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Meet the Author

Josh Cates

Chief Executive Officer & Founding Principal

Throughout my 25-year career as a multifaceted and data-driven entrepreneur and senior marketing executive, I have amassed a wealth of business knowledge by starting up five companies, three of which were successfully acquired. In addition, I have consulted in over 70 industries, giving me a unique and multidimensional perspective on business growth and development.

In my current role as Founder and CEO of Hero Marketing Agency, I understand the importance of strong relationships—our agency exists to help companies achieve transformational long-term success. I have a deep passion for working directly with organizations to realize real marketing returns and provide the best and most strategic services available.

I carry a DoD Top Secret Clearance, effective 17 April 2020, received a nomination for the Colorado Springs Advertising ICON award, recipient of multiple ADDY awards, and was honored to be nominated for Businessman of the Year by the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce.

Kurt Cannarella

Director of Paid Media

As veteran of the NYC & Dallas Advertising Agencies, Kurt has managed paid media for many of the top brands within the country including DIRECTV, Charles Schwab, Ralph Lauren, and the NBA.

His focus involves designing a fully integrated paid media strategy tailored to each business’s goals and objectives. After moving on from the larger Ad Agencies, Kurt shifted his focus on aiding small and mid-sized brands craft their integrated paid media strategy. Outside of his paid media interests, Kurt spends his time rooting for his beloved NY Mets as well as traveling with his wife Lauren and two daughters Chloe & Camille.

Our clients at Hero Marketing Agency consistently praise Kurt for his high-touch communication style, thoroughness, integrated media knowledge, and his strategic approach.

Josh Cates

Chief Executive Officer & Founding Principal

Throughout my 25-year career as a multifaceted and data-driven entrepreneur and senior marketing executive, I have amassed a wealth of business knowledge by starting up five companies, three of which were successfully acquired. In addition, I have consulted in over 70 industries, giving me a unique and multidimensional perspective on business growth and development.

In my current role as Founder and CEO of Hero Marketing Agency, I understand the importance of strong relationships—our agency exists to help companies achieve transformational long-term success. I have a deep passion for working directly with organizations to realize real marketing returns and provide the best and most strategic services available.

I carry a DoD Top Secret Clearance, effective 17 April 2020, received a nomination for the Colorado Springs Advertising ICON award, recipient of multiple ADDY awards, and was honored to be nominated for Businessman of the Year by the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce.

Joanna Brown

Creative Director

Joanna is a creative director, an art director, and a designer with 20+ years of experience delivering world-class creative content. Her career has taken her from London (UK) to New York City, then down to the heart of Texas with her family.

She is a creative leader with proven strategic thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, and management knowledge who forges meaningful connections with internal and client teams. In her role with Hero Marketing Agency, Joanna collaborates with brands, content makers, and storytellers to formulate and bring to life the creative vision through compelling human-centered, results-driven user experiences.

Joanna has worked with various startups to global giants, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Google, Unilever, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Heather Short-Davis

Client Strategist

Imagine it’s 2001, and you have a new, yet heavy, phone in your hand with the latest technology— get ready to be in awe — it has a single-color display! Instead of black text on a gray background, you get to look at black text on a blue background.

Yes, it sounds underwhelming, but that’s what level of tech we were excited about. It’s the same year wireless phone providers began to connect networks for text messaging. And it’s the same year Heather entered the marketing workforce.

She has had the benefit of experiencing first-hand the evolution and digitization of marketing tactics. From oil & gas to technology transfer, no industry has been left untouched from the vast increase in data now available at our business fingertips. As a data-driven marketer, Heather has not only an appreciation for, but also a solid understanding of tracking and analyzing data to devise strategies and evaluate performance.

At Hero Marketing Agency Heather collaborates with clients to help them achieve a sound strategy for marketing. First to define and distill their goals. Then to develop strategies for goal achievement, articulating objectives, tactics, and success metrics. Great strategists are dynamic storytellers who have the ability to make the incredibly complex feel simple.

A native Texan, Heather has recently moved back to Texas after 14 years in Northern Indiana. She graduated with a double major in marketing and advertising from Indiana University South Bend with scholarship awards. Her collegiate career began at the University of Texas at Austin, but life and her husband took their adventure north.

She is happy to be back in central Texas where they are close to family and do not need a snow blower in the garage. She enjoys emerging technologies and new consumer electronics. An avid runner, some of her best creative ideas have happened mid-run.

Bob Cates

Chief Financial Officer & Co-Founding Principal

Bob has always been an entrepreneur. He will tell you he has lived the American dream, starting and running his own businesses, which have included oil and natural gas exploration, healthcare, publishing, consumer electronics, e-commerce, franchise operations and marketing agency.

Graduating from the University of North Texas with an accounting degree, Bob received his CPA while an Audit Supervisor for the State of Texas. In 1983 Bob started his first business, an independent oil and gas exploration company, which he operated until 2007.

As the Co-Founder of Hero Marketing Agency, Bob is an invaluable part of the brand, and his talents expand beyond his dynamic abilities with projections and figures. Bob sits on the board and counsels on all matters relating to the brand’s financial well-being, in addition to consulting and handling the business management side for clients of Hero Marketing Agency.

In 2018 Bob added the title Director of Digital Strategy to his name, where his background in auditing and time as a CPA migrate perfectly to crunching data and making clear sense of the ever-changing world of digital strategy for Hero Marketing Agency clients.

Splitting time between Colorado and the Texas Hill Country, Bob is married to his high-school sweetheart of 51 years and loves volunteering in his hometown, where he serves on Boerne’s Planning and Zoning Commission. He also loves exploring the outdoors, bow hunting, cycling, and hiking.

Bob Cates

CFO & Vision Behind Hero Marketing Agency

Bob has always been an entrepreneur. He will tell you he has lived the American dream, starting and running his own businesses, which have included oil and natural gas exploration, healthcare, publishing, consumer electronics, e-commerce, franchise operations and marketing agency.

Graduating from the University of North Texas with an accounting degree, Bob received his CPA while an Audit Supervisor for the State of Texas. In 1983 Bob started his first business, an independent oil and gas exploration company, which he operated until 2007.

As the Co-Founder of Hero Marketing Agency, Bob is an invaluable part of the brand, and his talents expand beyond his dynamic abilities with projections and figures. Bob sits on the board and counsels on all matters relating to the brand’s financial well-being, in addition to consulting and handling the business management side for clients of Hero Marketing Agency.

In 2018 Bob added the title Director of Digital Strategy to his name, where his background in auditing and time as a CPA migrate perfectly to crunching data and making clear sense of the ever-changing world of digital strategy for Hero Marketing Agency clients.

Splitting time between Colorado and the Texas Hill Country, Bob is married to his high-school sweetheart of 51 years and loves volunteering in his hometown, where he serves on Boerne’s Planning and Zoning Commission. He also loves exploring the outdoors, bow hunting, cycling, and hiking.