More than ever, your company needs to have a good customer acquisition strategy in place within the digital landscape, and one of the first places to start is with SEO to get that juicy organic traffic from Google and other major search engines.
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In order to have a solid SEO plan in place, unless you are an SEO ninja… and chances are if you’re reading this you most certainly are not, then you need to hire a company that can help your company achieve positive results via the search engines to get new qualified leads into your CRM.
A high-quality SEO company almost becomes an extension of your company’s own core team, and so it’s vital that you take your time to bring on a partner that has excellent experience – ideally in your industry, keeps up on the ever-changing SEO tactics, and you want to work with people who align with your company’s culture.
There are many SEO companies in Ontario but which one, in particular, is right for your company? Below, we look at a few factors that need to be taken into account before hiring an SEO company in Ontario, or elsewhere.
1] Examine SEO Company’s Services
Take a close look at the service page on SEO provider’s websites to see what types of services they offer, and see which ones have done work within your company’s industry. Do they openly provide case studies? Have they won awards? Do their efforts go beyond SEO services in case you want additional marketing services in the future?
2] Read Their Blog and Social Media Posts
Hop onto their blog to see what type of content they create for their own brand to understand their approach to content development as it’s the foundation of a sound SEO strategy. If their blog impresses you, next look at their social media profiles to learn how they navigate social.
Some of the content you read, watch, or listen to will be targeted towards attracting the attention of potential clients like your company, and some content may be to build thought leadership within the SEO industry and go way over your head, but that’s OK too.
3] Look at Their Portfolio
Past SEO work for clients is important to see when researching companies in this space. Look at what companies they have helped with their SEO, what services they received, and how these clients describe their experience with the SEO company.
Portfolios and case studies can be often ignored due to the time investment it can take to vet potential options, but the time is well spent to hire just the right fit.
If you want to see more examples, then be sure to contact the SEO company so they can give you success stories that they should readily have available to share – the more in line with your business and industry, the better.
4] Learn About Their Packages and Costs
Some SEO companies work on an hourly fee, some have standard packages with associated costs and some you can negotiate with for a custom solution.
Learn about what you can expect every month in terms of SEO tasks performed, projected results short and long-term, and how the results benefit your company’s KPIs.
Try to look more at value than price because the lowest cost SEO provider isn’t likely ideal for your company – you get what you pay for.
5] Engage In Conversations
Select your top 3 to 5 SEO companies based on your vetting process and have a conversation with each of them to see if they listen closely to your company’s goals and genuinely want to help, what their typical workflow process consists of, and see if they will offer a complimentary website audit, keyword research and analysis, and competitive research on your behalf before you make your decision.
Once you feel comfortable with an SEO company that you feel like you can trust, rely upon, and get quality results from – then seal the deal and get down to business with your top choice.
