When a business wants to carry out search engine optimisation there are a number of different routes they can take. Depending on the size of the business and the resources it has available, different options may be more appropriate than others.
Some business owners might attempt to do the work themselves and will need to make time in their schedule for SEO work. Others might try to recruit new staff to fill the role or even give some of the work to an existing marketing team.
Instead of trying to implement SEO work into their own business infrastructure, many will opt to solicit the services of a professional digital agency. This digital agency is made up of industry professionals who provide a cost effective means of achieving SEO outcomes.
An SEO digital agency is able to thrive from clients who wish to outsource their optimisation strategy to professionals who can do the work for them. This has become an increasingly popular choice amongst small businesses that don’t have the time or money to implement SEO in-house.
While hiring a digital agency is a smart move, there are some basic ways in which you should prepare your business so that you can get the most out of their work.
Know where your website stands
Your website is the entire reason you want the services of a digital agency in the first place, so it makes sense to have a good picture of where it’s at. If your website is already going through a major redesign or update then it might be prudent to hold off on hiring outside help.
SEO experts will need to look at and evaluate your website in order to optimise it. If the website is changing rapidly then they won’t have a stable canvas on which to work on. Do some research before they get started to work out how to provide a stable platform to build on.
Understand your audience
A professional digital agency for SEO is able to help increase your visibility in search engines for your target market and promote your online presence. However, they aren’t a traditional marketing team.
According to The Marketing Folks it’s your job to perform market research and understand your target audience. A digital agency can use this information in order to better inform your SEO campaign.
Be available for correspondence
While a main reason for outsourcing SEO is because you don’t have time to do it yourself, you still need to be active in corresponding with the digital agency you have hired. In order for an SEO campaign to thrive there is a lot to discuss on a client level with the firm you have hired.
You need to make sure that you have the appropriate time to speak with the SEO experts you have hired to make sure you are all on the same page.
Streamline your approval process
The best SEO campaigns require the integration of existing marketing efforts as well as public relations and social media management. If you have multiple teams working that all require different levels of supervision and approval this can seriously hinder your working relationship with the digital agency you have hired.
Make sure your business is prepared for working with the SEO experts so that you don’t lose any productivity because of red tape. A good way to do this is to give your SEO agent administrative access to your digital content, including your website, social media profiles and Google Analytics account.
They will also likely create new accounts for you, such as Adwords. While you can take control and get them to run everything past you, it will be far more efficient to just leave the experts to do their thing, and monitor their progress periodically. Remember, time that your consultants spend trying to contact you, explaining how things work and waiting for your approval is time they are not improving your website!
Be prepared for long term growth
SEO rarely ever works overnight. If you are in a highly competitive industry then you need to prepare yourself for a long haul process of generating a sincere and authoritative online reputation.
This means that you should try to predict what the increased online visibility will mean for your business and make the adjustments that are necessary. SEO will take time but when its results become obvious you’ll be happy you invested in it – and invested in the right company.
