Choosing the right SEO Agency
Deciding on the right partner to help you with your SEO can be a real challenge. Not only do you have the issue of identifying a partner that can deliver the kind of results you are looking for, in the time you need them and at a cost that will deliver a decent ROI – you also need to decide on the type of agency and working relationship that is right for you.
Let’s look at some of the options.
Specialist SEO Agency
An agency like this is most likely to be the most technically competent at SEO, they will have the broadest experience and probably a good test base for new developments. They’re also however likely to be a little too preoccupied with SEO alone, have little experience of overall search and as an agency concerned with a large set of clients and maintaining profitability at the cost of customer service.
Specialist SEO Consultancy
Once again a consultancy like this will also be technical competent at SEO, they will probably also have knowledge of other areas of online marketing. You would probably work with more senior individuals that would aim to develop a closer, more personal and dedicated relationship. They are more likely to feel like they have your interests at heart and feel more like part of your team. However they may be less flexible than an agency and possibly more expensive.
In-house SEO supported by a Consultancy or Agency
As SEO is likely to be core to any modern business’s marketing strategy it makes sense that the business eventually takes ownership of the process and employs someone in-house. It can cut down the overall cost of outsourcing, give more control and allow the resource to become immersed in the marketplace. It can mean however that the resource becomes too introspective and not have the experience of the wider market, changes to best practice, new ideas, and opportunities to benefit from exposure to innovative new approaches. This can be overcome, in part by gaining assistance from a consultant or agency.
Web design agency offering SEO
This type of set up would probably be most proficient at the integration of coding with search. The website being the core of your SEO should therefore take centre stage and web development agencies are sometimes best placed to guide you on how to get the most from your site. The right web design agency can make a massive difference in the sites appeal to both search engines and users. However, external factors like understanding keywords and link building may be a weakness for an agency like this.
Online Media Agency
This type of relationship can be beneficial because it gives you the best opportunity to balance various web marketing strategies. The agency handles every channel for you; therefore there is no conflict when recommending which area they believe you should focus your effort and budget. They can however often be more ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. In the long term for most SMEs, SEO can deliver the best return on investment and outperform other channels that may have a more consistent cost profile like PPC and online classifieds. This means that you may prefer to have a specialist working on your SEO to really get you where you need to be as quickly as possible.
Full Integrated Media Agency
This type of relationship is similar to the one above however the overall media opportunities are greater and the focus on SEO smaller. This type of relationship only really works for SEO when there is clear bias or specialism within the agency, or where the agency is very large, handling big brands that demand specialist teams for each media area that have as much expertise as a small SEO only agency.
