You don’t know much about SEO and you’re too busy to figure it out. You’re a business owner and running your business is taking up all of your time.
You made a wise decision in outsourcing to professionals. While you have delegated this task to others, you should still want to know what the firm you hire is going to bring to the table.
This means asking an SEO web design company the right questions.
Today, we’re going to give you the skinny on what you should be asking before you start writing checks.
Questions for an SEO Web Design Company
“What are you going to do for me?” is simply too vague. You are an entrepreneur, so you probably know a thing or two about marketing, analytics, and what it all means. A great firm is going to supply you with this information.
However, there are some particulars that separate the pros from the scrubs. Here are the biggies:
1. What kind of builder are you going to use?
WordPress powers nearly a third of the websites on the internet at this point. There really isn’t an excuse for not building a site on this platform.
If your SEO web design company isn’t making your site on WordPress or doesn’t at least keep WP experts on the payroll, then they should have a great reason as to why. Regardless of the reason, walk away.
If you were to have a falling out with this firm, the new guys need to be able to pick up where they left off. With so many websites currently using WP, most firms keep experts on hand for this very reason.
Mobile is now a massive factor in search engine algorithms. Ask about mobile responsive WordPress themes and how they can make you look better to the search engines.
2. What are you going to do On-Page?
Are you going to start a blog for me? Blogs are a huge part of on page SEO. In fact, they’re the most important part.
When speaking to a potential firm, find out exactly how far they’re willing to go to make your on page SEO a priority. What kind of plugins are they going to put on your website and how many?
Too many plugins will slow your site down. How are they going to ensure that your website loads in two seconds or less?
What kind of keyword testing are they going to do? Make sure they run these keywords and phrases by you for approval.
Without doing so, you risk an SEO firm running with keywords that don’t fit into your business. Worst-case scenario, they use completely irrelevant keyword phrases, Google finds out, and then you’re the one who’s punished.
3. What are you going to do Off-Page?
Are you an SEO web design company that builds links? What kind of relationships do you have with the sites that you post my link to?
Do you outsource your link building? Who do you work with?
Link building is a crucial part of SEO and gray and black hat techniques will hurt you in the long run.
Do you offer social media management? How often will you post a day?
Beware of SEO companies that charge billable hours to social sites that you don’t need or require very little maintenance, such a LinkedIn. If your target demographic is 18 to 25-year-old males, why is your firm wanting to utilize Pinterest?
Having a knowledge of what social media sites will work best for your business will protect you and help your SEO firm do the best work they can for you
4. What are you going to do help with Local SEO?
Are you going to go through all of the directories to make sure my business info is both accurate and up to date?
How about Google my business?
Can you guarantee that I’ll rank first in local SERPs? Realistically, how long will it take to get me to the first page of the SERPs for local searches?
5. How are you going to communicate?
Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned pie chart or line graph? While any SEO firm will likely provide you with these kinds of visual data, you should be looking for some other communication as well.
Meetings? How far in advance will you have to schedule an appointment to meet with your firm?
Will they come to you or do you need to go to them? Stay away from any group that will only communicate with you via phone or email.
The SEO web design company you hire should be happy to help you in any way they can and be willing to accommodate your needs.
We’re talking about your business and its profits. At the very least, they should be willing to participate in monthly video conferences provided they’re unable to meet face to face.
This is one reason why hiring a local firm could be in your best interest.
6. What else do you do behind the scenes?
What do you know about my competition? Are you going to mimic their strategies or find a way to beat them?
Many SEO firms just want to put you on the same tier as your competition. Find a company who is willing to go the extra mile and help to put you in the lead.
That’s what you’re paying for, isn’t it? Do not settle for a bottom-tier service.
Wrapping it Up
We know it feels like there is a lot of work to coming up with the right questions to ask a potential SEO web design company, but these questions can be the difference between success and failure.
Knowing the right questions means hearing the proper answer. If you receive the answers you want but the firm can’t deliver, you can leave guilt free knowing that they were just blowing smoke.
You know who doesn’t blow smoke? Shift Web Solutions.
Not only will we build your website on the WordPress platform, but we’ll teach you and your team on how to use it. Need SEO?
Need SEO?
We’ve got you covered. If you’re in the great Atlanta metro area, we can take charge of your local SEO and put your business in the spotlight. Contact us today.