Finding the right SEO agency for your business

Many SEO Melbourne agencies have opened up due to the influx of a digital era means half the world is operating online. As a result, any effective marketing strategy would target consumers where they exist in bulk.

In today’s day and age, it is unlikely that one hasn’t come across the term ‘SEO’. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is commonly known as the most effective digital marketing tool for businesses today. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process through which a business’s website, blog post or any related material can rank higher in organic search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

As shown in the illustration above, searching for the Amex card displays the official Twitter account of the company. Since renowned businesses are aware of the popularity of the internet, they are actively trying to enhance their digital presence.

SEO has gained immense importance because search engines are the primary mode of navigation for most internet users. Want to get a clearer idea of just how much? These statistics will blow your mind away. A whopping 6,586,013,574 searches are made on a daily basis worldwide! Out of these, Google reserves 4,464,000,000 searches, Yahoo gets 536,101,505 and Bing finds 873,964,000. Can you fathom the popularity of search engines? In light of this, SEO is an imperative component of digital marketing campaigns today.

Making a choice

Effective SEO services can bring about a number of lucrative benefits for your business. Let’s explore in detail what these are to draft a better idea on what to expect when opting for an SEO agency in Melbourne.

Boosts Visibility

A business might have a solid website up and running but its leads may be obstructed due to lack of awareness about this particular brand. This is a common ordeal that businesses have to face as their website does not appear higher on the search engines when certain keywords are typed to find matching results. As a result, your business might offer just what the customer wants but lack of visibility will hamper sales. The right SEO services will ensure your business finds a top position in the search engines for the customers to see, increasing chances of them clicking on your website.

Lends Credibility

Psychology plays its fair share in purchase decisions. When a business is marked as relevant by search engines like Google, a customer will subconsciously make up their mind that this business must be reliable and authentic, rendering it more likely that they would purchase from there.

 Generates Traffic

When your business is readily visible in search engines, it is likely that there will be a higher number of clicks to your website, generating greater traffic.

 Greater ROI

SEO brings you a greater return on investment. Unlike other means of advertising, you are not taking up unwanted space to enlighten the consumer about your product, interrupting whatever they were doing. Instead, your business pops up when they search for brands like yours. This increases the chance of targeted purchases and consequently greater ROI.

Let’s take a quick look at the following representation of effective SEO strategy. In the image below, searching for SEO services in Melbourne produces about 3010,000 results. Who has the time to look through all of these? No one!

A customer is likely to be drawn towards the options that appear on the top when they search for the keywords ‘SEO services Melbourne’. Your SEO agency in Melbourne might be offering the best SEO services but if it does not rank higher on the search bar, chances are it will lag behind those that do.

Hence, choosing an effective and result oriented SEO service is imperative. Otherwise, you will just waste your money without successful services rendered. Having established that every thriving business needs a solid digital marketing campaign, the next task is a tricky one. Although there is by no means a scarcity of SEO agencies in Melbourne, a bad choice can do your business more harm than good so you need to tread carefully. What are some of the factors to keep an eye for when contracting an SEO company in Melbourne? Before going into detail, let’s explore the effectiveness of some of the reasons cited by Forbes that propel SME’s to opt for a particular SEO agency.

Based on an established relationship

Choosing a service solely because you have well established relations with them is never a smart idea. Keep personal acquaintances aside, always choose an SEO agency that can deliver or your business might end up suffering. Are you willing to risk that?

Based on price

Businesses tend to look for agencies that offer a price lower than those of competitors but is this an effective measure? An agency charging a lower price does not necessarily offer better value. While budgeting is no doubt important, keeping the cost as the sole factor when choosing an SEO agency is not rational. Losing out on leads due to incompetent SEO services might end up costing you more money than you were trying to save!

Based on the agency’s characteristics

Businesses cite that they look for other aspects of an SEO company including its leadership, customer service, and marketing.

These are without a doubt important to consider as good leadership will ensure a smooth running of the processes within the agency.

Customer service should also be judged because the relationship the agency has with its customers in a way serves as a trailer for the relationship it will establish with your customers.

Lastly, the way the agency is pertinent as it gives insight into their digital marketing ability, just the service you’re hiring them for!

Based on the agency’s area of specialisation

You will find many marketing companies that offer all services-in other words, jack of all trades, and master of none! While this may not necessarily be true for every agency, it is likelier that an agency offering just one service will be more focused there, delivering better results. If you’re looking for local SEO services, it would be more sensible of you to opt for a local SEO company rather than one that works beyond geographical bounds.

Based on past performance

Gauging the agency’s previous work is an effective measure of its performance. Most companies list the clients they have worked with. You may reach out to these clients or look for testimonials or do a quick search yourself by simply entering relevant keywords to see if the agency’s client’s website pops up. Simple!

Steps to follow

Every business should follow these practical steps in the search for the right SEO agency in Melbourne. Are you doing this?

1. Do your homework doing research before making a decision of hiring an SEO agency is imperative for a business. First of all, businesses should gain a little insight on what SEO is as well as some of its benefits as mentioned above so they’re equipped to deal with agency professionals. If you’re making a deal while clueless about the subject yourself, you’re more likely to be swayed by whatever you’re being told and that’s not what smart entrepreneurs do!Read an informative article or blog about SEO to tell a well-informed agency from an inexperienced one or remain active on relevant social media to gain the latest news as shown in the tweet above.
2. Plan your budget while cost should not be the lone driving factor, you need to reach a middle ground with your agency partner. Opting for a premium agency out of your budget or choosing an inexperienced one at a lowly cost are both not feasible. Do your working and set aside the maximum budget you’re willing to spend and then proceed.
3. CompareUnless you’ve worked with an SEO agency in Melbourne before and were satisfied with their service, do not make hasty decisions. Since there is a plethora of SEO service providers in Melbourne, you need to compare to decipher which one floats your boat. A great way to make this comparison is through SEO company evaluation tools. Background checks and monitoring reviews on unbiased forums like Yelp can also help. Since bad reviews cannot be altered, you will get a fair idea of the agency’s performance.

Factors to consider

Once you have shortlisted a couple of the best SEO agencies, consider the following attributes to pick the one that will enhance your digital marketing game most effectively as purported by the search engine guru itself: Google!

1. Level of Interest – Choose an agency that asks questions because that reveals its level of interest and commitment in your project over one that remains aloof.A good SEO service provider more vested in your business should ask questions pertaining to your business’s goals, values, unique selling point, competitors, customers, purpose of your website as well as the market you operate in. Not only would this information allow the agency to draft a better strategy, it is indicative of the fact that it is committed to delivering results.
2. Up to date – Choose an SEO agency that is up to date on the changing trends in search engines in Melbourne. Since Google algorithms are regularly changing, choose a service provider that is aware of this or it might end up costing you a penalty! Moreover, an up to date SEO agency will refrain from adopting outdated strategies and deliver relevant and efficient strategies that actually work in the current frame of things.
   An effective SEO service provider will be aware of the related keywords that are most searched by customers in Google search engines as illustrated above.
3. Great Reputation – Choose the SEO agency that has a good reputation in Melbourne. By now you must have segregated the interested providers from the disinterested ones. From the former, it’s time to do a quick background check. Reputation speaks volumes about a company’s service and that is just what you should be looking for. For example, if an agency is known for delaying deadlines, that is a clear red signal. Since you’re nearing the decision process, it’s time to get in touch with some of their clients and ask for how their experience with this particular firm went. If the agency gets impeccable or near perfect referrals, they’re a shoo-in!
4. Satisfactory Audit – Choose the agency that delivers. Before making the official contract, ask the agency for a search and technical audit. You might have to pay for this service, but at least you’ll be sure that you’re choosing the right SEO agency. Since you haven’t yet struck a proper deal, lend the agency limited access to information about your business. The results the agency offer will provide a trailer of the service it will deliver once you hire it. An important factor that will unveil a clear winner is whether the agency differentiates between branded query (including the name of your business) and unbranded queries (generic query without the name of your business) and present solutions to improve both separately. This deciding factor comes from Google, so you can’t go wrong with this verdict! An example of a Branded query, the customer above has searched for this particular SEO agency in Melbourne, mentioning its name. An effective SEO service would work towards providing the most important and relevant content of the website upon this search. An example of an unbranded query, the customer has searched for a digital agency in Melbourne without mentioning any name. Such a customer might be interested in finding out which companies offer this service. An effective SEO agency operating in Melbourne would find out why and try to remedy this.

Factors to avoid

Having established the game plan to find the right SEO service, let’s explore some of the common warning signs of SEO firms that you should steer clear of.

1. They purchase backlinks Stay away from such agencies unless you want to get penalized by Google!
2. They offer poor SEO copywriting SEO copywriting is great, as long as your SEO service provider is not using that as a marketing tool! Stuffing keywords haphazardly in an attempt to score higher on search engines is something you should avoid. Above is an illustration of good SEO copywriting. The keyword ‘cleaning service Melbourne’ is not used forcibly, the content is coherent, striking and the company makes it towards the top of the search engine.
3. They promise immediate results SEO is not a onetime thing. If an agency is making promises and deadlines too good to be true, they are probably more likely to breach Google’s Webmaster guidelines.
4. They ask for long-term contracts Be wary of agencies asking for long term commitments from the start. This might be signal that they want to lock you in so you can’t drop their service in case they don’t deliver.
5. They offer outdated tacticsReject any SEO agency that is not up to date with the latest trends and offers redundant strategies like link farming.

SEO Agencies in Melbourne

There is an array of SEO agencies in Melbourne and choosing the one fit for your business can be a daunting task. You might search online but many SEO agencies will only produce endless results, leaving you stumped. To render things simpler, you can instead look for a ranking of the best SEO Melbourne has to offer!

For local companies, these agencies would be highly effective since any SEO agency in Melbourne would be well aware of the area your business operates in. For starters, you can take a quick look at their pricing, competitors, major clients, retention rate and overall revenue of 2017 and then proceed with the individual evaluations through the steps mentioned above.

SEO can really be a game changer in your digital marketing campaign. Although a daunting task, a thorough research, and comparison will escort you in the direction to choose an SEO agency, Melbourne, that is right for your business. Happy SEO!