So, you’re thinking about undertaking some search engine optimisation are you?
Good on you. With so much information research about a brand now occurring online, you simply must guarantee your place in the upper echelons of Google’s search results. As an SEO provider in Melbourne, we help people achieve their goals every day, whether they are to increase visits or drive conversions. Regardless of what you’re looking to do with your search engine optimisation, you first need to choose who’s going to help you get there. While we’re pretty confident you should choose Newpath web, if you are having a look around, you need solid answers to the following questions.
What Does Your Service Look Like?
You have to know what your SEO provider is going to be doing with all your money. SEO is far from an exact science, and you’d expect to find a range of different answers depending on who you speak with. Some people swear by creating and optimising new landing pages for your business, while others might pursue an aggressive content marketing strategy. Regardless, what are they doing to improve your ranks?
Furthermore, the creation of external links is a given when it comes to SEO campaigns. However, you can always find out the form and function of the links being created. Whether we’re talking about a raw number of links or more of a breakdown regarding the different types of links, an SEO provider won’t be giving too many secrets away by explaining these things to you.
What Am I Required to Do?
Far too frequently, clients are caught off guard by the level of involvement required of them throughout a campaign. Again, every SEO provider is different, and while some are able to fully implement and realise the campaign strategy, some providers will need your assistance. While 95% of agencies will know how to implement suggestions, some may not; you need to know this.
Furthermore, some may recommend more wholesale changes (i.e. separate landing pages to target particular keywords, increased uses of call to actions, etc.) without an ability to implement these. Regardless of whether they can actually do these things, if it isn’t a part of their program, and you’re not aware of this, it can cause some number of issues down the line.
How Does Campaign Analysis Work?
No one is asking for a full run down of every single nuance of the business. However, SEO providers should be able to outline what to expect when it comes to reporting results. Whether they use third—party applications to expand on raw metrics, or only use Google Analytics, understanding how your provider’s work translates into web traffic is critical.
Additionally, the reporting on keywords needs to be transparent, consistent and accurate. Highlighting performance not just for the current month, but for months leading up to know is crucial to understand the overarching performance of your program.
Furthermore, accuracy is a delicate issue. Most providers will use a program to pull results, giving something of an average; they need to understand what you’re looking for from an audience. While what they report on and what you can see in Google might not always be the same, having consistency in reporting is critical for long-term success.
When Will I Get To Page One?
Simply put, if anyone gives you any answer other than “I don’t know”, you should think twice before committing. No ranks are guaranteed in organic search. None. Given that there are over 200 different ranking factors in Google’s SEO algorithm (and the original recipe is more closely guarded than the Colonel’s), SEO providers are simply working off of anecdotal evidence that their changes even work. No one has an “in” at Google; no one knows the secret formula. Everyone is just going to have their method that has worked pretty well for them in the past, and anyone that guarantees top ranking in 60 days, doesn’t have a clue.
For example, even if they offered top ranking on a single keyword, if they focused all their energies’ on it, Google may flag the activities as unnatural and give the website a penalty, removing it from search results. Providers work on multiple keywords in a reasonable and appropriate manner; with too much attention on one particular keyword, a single flag can be the end of business, I kid you not.
Hire the Right SEO Provider for Your Business
There is no perfect SEO provider in Melbourne. There can’t be. Each provider will have their own strengths and weaknesses, and their own way of doing things. Sometimes, that might not gel with your perception of what you want. Newpath web offers an exceptional SEO system that consistently delivers terrific results for our clients, so if you want to ask us these questions or anything else, give us a call on (03) 8605 4896 or check out our SEO services page for more.