For any busy business, especially a smaller one, search engine optimisation (SEO) is a foreign language and the people who speak it seem an exotic species.

However, you’ve decided you need some SEO because your competitors have it and you don’t want to be left behind!

You arrange a first meeting with an agency representative, but what do you need to know? What questions should you be asking to make sure you get value for money and SEO that works for you?

Questions you should be asking your SEO agency

As a practitioner, I understand that potential clients are not experts in the field, and I believe that some guidance should be offered for when it comes to the first meeting with an agency or freelancer.  I’ve made a list of the top ten questions that really should be asked if a meeting is to be meaningful for both sides:

When will you make me number one ranking company?

This one sorts the wheat from the chaff. Some people will promise anything to seal the deal. No-one can guarantee a number one ranking because no-one outside Google knows how their search algorithm works. It’s a money-making trade secret, like Colonel Sanders’ recipe, so whoever’s sitting in front of you is unlikely to have the key; and even if they did, the algorithm regularly changes.

How are you going to improve my SEO rankings?

What you want to hear is a methodical approach to the task, not vague promises. You’ll want to hear terms like:

• Technical audit of your website to ensure there are no problems.
• Keyword list analysis.
• On-page optimisation to make your website and content more search engine friendly.
• Off-page strategy for using social and traditional media.
• Building backlinks, an important tool for improving your SEO ranking.

How have you helped other companies?

Your SEO agent shouldn’t be modest. Ask for references and testimonials to prove they aren’t making claims they can’t back up. All the necessary stats should be available for them to show you how they’ve helped other clients.

If you supply new content to my website, will I own it?

Often, an SEO supplier will provide new copy to your pages to raise your ranking. So check that the content is yours to do what you want with and won’t be removed if you part company.

How will you inform us what you’re doing?

Regularly, with reports at least once a month. As well as telling you how your website ranks, an SEO agency’s report should make recommendations for continual improvements.

The internet is very measurable, so make sure you receive understandable and completely transparent reports. SEO is not a black art and you may need this data to inform higher decision making. Ask for an example of a report.

What does success look like?

This is important for expectation management on both sides. If your expectations aren’t met in a short timescale, you’ll feel cheated even if they weren’t realistic. This is also an important question for the SEO firm which can learn what you really want.

How do you measure the success of your SEO campaigns?

To gauge the success of SEO efforts, you must track exactly how much traffic is being sent to your website and where it’s coming from. Consultants should be experienced in using Google Analytics to track improvement in your site’s search engine rankings.

How long will it take to see results?

You hear so many claims about SEO but, in reality, it’s a slow-burner. You need to be patient before you start seeing results, or need to get worried about the lack of them. Set review points.

What ethical standards/best practice do you follow?

I hope you’d want to run an ethical campaign to improve your Google Search ratings. Anything less will be self-defeating in the long-term because Google and your followers will soon suss you out.

SEO professionals follow Google’s best practices because they protect the internet user and offer good advice to the web developer; my favourite is “Remember that your website is for the benefit of readers, not search engines.”

Pricing policy – what’s included?

Different SEO companies use different payment structures; don’t be fobbed off that SEO is a black art and costs are unpredictable. Keep them to a budget. You may wish to pay per project on your website or pay a retainer for their services, whichever suits you best.

And finally…

These questions won’t make you an expert, but if you take notice of the answers, your natural business nose will tell you if you’re dealing with an expert or a cowboy.

After your decision is made and you have onboarded with a quality practitioner, enjoy the ride and ensure you feed them with as much information as possible to guide them in understanding your business and your objectives. SEO and digital marketing is shared knowledge.