Have you ever made an online search for “grocery stores near me?” What about for a local doctor or nail salon? The businesses you see listed from these queries are a result of local SEO.Local SEO is a search engine optimization strategy that gets your business in front of nearby prospects’ eyes. For businesses whose services rely on customers coming into their physical location, local SEO is a must.
So how do you find a trustworthy agency for outsourcing your local SEO efforts? Use these tips to help determine whether a marketing company is worthwhile:
Look Around
The first local SEO agency you speak to isn’t necessarily going to be the best fit for your needs. You don’t want your search engine optimizations to be lazy, so you can’t be lazy in finding the right partner. Take the time to consult with multiple marketing providers to find one whose abilities you feel confident in.
Get Proof
Many marketing agencies make big claims about their results, but how can you tell if they’re the real deal? A good way to assess the true success of a local SEO company’s efforts is by looking into their current and previous work.
Before signing on with a search engine optimization partner, check out some of their case studies to see examples of their campaigns in action. Don’t be shy about asking questions, either. The more you know before going into a business partnership, the better.
Learn their Game Plan
It’s hard to put blind trust into an agency, and you shouldn’t have to. A quality inbound marketing partner will be eager to share the details on what strategies they implement to help clients reach their goals. The only way to know how in-depth a local SEO company’s efforts go is to ask!
To get a better picture of what exactly a search engine optimization marketing company does, consider asking the following questions:
- What platforms do you utilize in your local SEO strategies? Will you be taking care of review sites such as Google or do you only work with website optimizations?
- Which SEO tools do you have at your disposal and how will they improve my business’s SERP rankings?
- How do you plan out your keyword strategies?
- Do you provide other marketing services in addition to search engine optimization?
Assess Results
Once you’ve found a local SEO agency, it’s important to continually examine the results of their efforts to see if their strategies are working. Make sure your marketing partner provides detailed reports on ROI and where your current local search engine results rank in comparison to the beginning of their campaigns. While drastic changes in your SERP standing won’t happen overnight, you should be able to see a difference in your online presence within a few months.
Choosing a marketing partner, whether it be for local SEO or other business growth strategies, is not a decision to be taken lightly. Be sure to carefully vet an agency before signing on so that you’ll not only see great results but will feel comfortable working with them.