Sure, you’ve decided to improve your local SEO ranking to drive more leads and conversions.
But now you face the real mountain to climb…
How do I choose a local SEO agency?
What to look for when hiring a local SEO agency?
Well, we have just the solution for you.
In this article we take you through:
- The must-follow 6-step process to hiring the best possible local SEO agency.
- 3 red flags to watch out for when hiring a local SEO agency.
What to look for when Hiring a Local SEO Agency: 6 Steps to get you There
1. Get Clear About What you Want
Before you set out to hire the best possible local SEO agency for your small business, you need to know what you want.
That means getting clear on your goals and your budget.
Prompts to Identify your Goals for Local SEO:
What are your company’s goals for this quarter, and this year?
Which of these goals can local SEO make an impact on?
What metrics are you going to use to measure success? (Higher search engine ranking, more local leads, higher conversions, improved brand awareness among industry, etc.)
Are there specific platforms or target audiences or locations that you want to focus on?
Get a Sense of your Expected Budget.
To help you understand industry averages for how much it costs to hire a local SEO agency… We’ve got some stats for you.
U.S. local SEO agencies charge an average of $100-$250 an hour
Your monthly local SEO costs with a U.S. agency can range anywhere from $1500 to $10,000/ month.
If you want quality service, but at a lower budget, then consider looking for offshore local SEO agencies.
Overseas SEO agencies charge much lesser, around just $10-$50 an hour.
2. Check out The Team Creds
Before hiring an agency, be sure to talk to the local SEO team they have on board.
Look at their educational background, SEO certifications, and any affiliations they have.
These could be degrees in digital marketing, or online certifications from industry leaders (like Google’s SEO Fundamentals, HubSpot’s SEO Certification, Digital Marketer’s Search Marketing Mastery, etc.)
But above all, check out the number of years of practical experience they have had in handling local SEO.
There is almost nothing that replaces the power of practical experience when it comes to qualifying an SEO expert.
3. Ask Them for Case Studies of Previous Results Achieved
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
So in the initial stages of prospecting, be sure to check out any case studies of the agency’s previous projects.
If you can’t find any case studies or results listed on their website, request them to send over a portfolio of past projects.
(If possible, also ask them to run you through the process they followed to get those results.)
Going through them will give you a clear idea of the agency’s real capabilities and the strategies they use to get there.
While you’re at it, also look into if they have worked with other businesses in your industry. Having some prior industry knowledge will help them do a better job when it comes to your local SEO too.
4. Look into any Testimonials and References
If there was only one thing you had to look for when hiring a local SEO agency, it would be testimonials and reviews.
Nothing gives you a realistic and clear picture of what it’s like to work with the SEO agency as reviews from previous clients.
We’re not talking about the one-line testimonials like “XYZ Agency is great!”.
Look for more in-depth ones that detail out:
- their experience of working with the agency
- the results they achieved
- the process of getting there
- if they’d recommend them to others
If you don’t find any such testimonials, then try and reach out to previous clients of the agency to get first-hand details of the pros and cons of the agency.
5. Consider the Strategies and Level of Service They Offer
If they have just 1-2 cookie-cutter templatized contracts, the agency might not be the best to work with.
Any local SEO services company worth their salt will create custom strategies and contracts based on your unique industry and goals.
But as a local SEO agency, they should be looking to go beyond the standard SEO strategies of keyword ranking for industry terms.
Their game Plan Should also Consist of Strategies for:
- GMB (Google My Business) management. This could include things like regular NAP updates, new feature posting, troubleshooting, etc.
- Getting listed on other relevant, SMB directories (like Yelp, Bing, Thumbtack, Apple Maps, BBB, Home Advisor, etc.)
- Review monitoring and response. They might not respond to all your online reviews, but they should bring negative reviews to your notice and guide you on how to intervene.
Pro tip: You don’t need to be an SEO expert to hire the right local SEO agency. But it greatly helps if you have a basic understanding of local SEO before you go in to evaluate candidates. This will prevent you from getting hoodwinked or overwhelmed with industry strategies or jargon.
The above game plan suggestions should give you a basic idea, but if you want more details then read a couple of blogs to dive deeper.
6. Inquire about Their Communication and Reporting Systems
Outsourcing local SEO is not like a one-off sprint project with a freelancer.
It is a long-term partnership that could go on for months.
And as with any long-term partnership project, clear communication and total transparency are the keys to success.
This is more so for you, as a small business owner, since you will be working with them in close proximity for months on end.
So ensuring that you feel good and comfortable about your relationship, is non-negotiable.
What to look for when hiring a local SEO agency, in terms of communication?
- Ask them what kinds of reporting and monitoring updates you will be receiving.
- Request samples of previous reports. (They should have clear details of what activities were undertaken, the impact of those activities, lessons learned, progress made, and next steps.)
- Ask them if you will be given access to all the real-time analytics and data.
- Observe how quick and consistent they are in responding to your queries.
- Notice if they are candid and detailed in their responses to any questions you ask.
If they give you vague, “nice-sounding” responses when pressed for details about their processes or systems, run in the opposite direction.
What to look for When Hiring a Local SEO Agency: 3 Common red Flags
1. Watch out for Local SEO Agencies that “Guarantee fast Results”
There is no way for even the world’s foremost local SEO expert to guarantee SEO results within a short time span.
So if they’re promising you unrealistic results like “#1 Google ranking in one month”, they’re either bluffing or a total newbie to SEO. Either way, you should take your money and run.
Instead, look for local SEO agencies that are confident, but still honest, realistic, and ethical about the impact of their work.
2. Watch out for Agencies That use Black hat Strategies.
If a local SEO agency says they will be able to guarantee you wins fast, they’re probably using black hat SEO strategies. So look into how they guarantee these results.
If they mention any black hat tactics in their game plan, rule out the agency immediately.
Those strategies might give you an instant boost in rankings but will get your penalized by Google in the long run.
3. Watch out for Agencies that Select keywords solely Based on Traffic
The easiest way to differentiate between the local SEO amateurs and the local SEO experts is with how they select keywords.
So while vetting them, ask the agency how they plan to select keywords for your business.
There is no one right answer for this, and everyone has their own methods.
But there is one wrong answer that clearly identifies amateurs: Choosing keywords based solely on traffic.
An experienced local SEO expert would also consider aspects like relevance, search intent, traffic volumes, and competition level while selecting keywords.
