10 Red Flags That Should Raise Concerns When Assessing SEO Agencies Part 3
Vague Explanations of Their Processes
If an SEO agency is not prepared to give you an explanation of how they operate, then the question that needs asking is ‘What have they got to hide?’.
With a poor agency, the answer is going to be either they do not have any processes and thus the campaign will be a shambles, or they use black hat techniques and do not want to reveal that to you.
Little or Poor Reporting
As part of your research, you should be asking what the reporting from the SEO agency is going to be. Good SEO agencies will have detailed and regular reporting, which is what you want to see.
However, poor agencies who know they are not going to get results will shy away from giving you regular reports, and if that is the case with any prospective agency you are looking at, do not even consider hiring them.
Lack of Analysis
For an SEO campaign to be successful, a fair amount of analysis is necessary in order to determine what strategies need to be employed. Reputable SEO agencies will give you detailed explanations up front and will be happy to share that analysis with you.
On the other hand, agencies that want to cut corners and do as little as possible, will do little or no analysis, in which case any campaign they implement will effectively be done on a wing and a prayer.
No Indication of Planning
Possibly the most important element of any successful business is how well it plans ahead, and that is certainly true of an SEO campaign. An SEO agency that knows what it is doing will provide you with a detailed plan so that you know exactly what to expect as it proceeds.
Disreputable SEO agencies will either have no plan, or it will be vague, which creates at least two problems. One is, you have no idea what the progress is going to be, which makes your planning for your business more difficult.
The second is lack of accountability, whereby, if you do not have in writing what they are going to do, they can simply deny promising to do any specific task when you raise it with them.
Pressuring for a Long-Term Contract
While you can expect any SEO campaign to last at least three months, and more likely six months or more, be extremely cautious about any agency which tries to pressure you into signing a contract for more than twelve months or even longer.
That is not to say that you must not sign any contract for 12 months, but you should only do so when you are 100% happy that the SEO agency who are signing up, meets every criterion you are looking for. Also, it is doubtful they would pressure you, with most happy to sign up for a shorter period, which can be extended based on results.
If you missed Parts 1 or 2 of this article, check them out here:
10 Red Flags That Should Raise Concerns When Assessing SEO Agencies Part 1
10 Red Flags That Should Raise Concerns When Assessing SEO Agencies Part 2
