The search for a suitable agency for search engine optimization is often very difficult - because not every service provider is really serious. With our guide we support you on the way to a suitable SEO agency.
The word should have got around to all entrepreneurs by now: The acquisition of visitors via the organic, i.e. unpaid search results from Google is one of the most efficient channels for acquiring new customers on the Internet. But search engine optimization - SEO for short - is complex and requires extremely specific know-how. A good SEO agency can provide support here if the relevant knowledge is lacking internally.
The search engine optimization market, however, is relatively opaque. Finding good and suitable agencies is difficult because there are many black sheep out there. We therefore give you seven tips below to help you find a reputable SEO company.
Tip 1: Beware of false promises
An SEO agency that guarantees you success should be viewed with skepticism. The background is simple: Google changes its algorithm every day and nobody knows the secret of search engine optimization in detail. An agency that advertises with page 1 placements (or even worse: place 1 guarantees) should therefore be examined more closely.
The same applies to promises to be able to achieve good positions in Google within a very short time. Search engine optimization is a process that takes time. Ranking successes within a few weeks are the exception - as a rule, you have to reckon with months or even one to two years in order to achieve greater traffic growth.
Tip 2: SEO costs more than just 1,000 euros
Even if you might not want to hear it: Search engine optimization involves certain investments. One-time SEO for 500 to 1,000 euros usually does not achieve the goal. If you want to do sustainable SEO, you should expect start-up costs of 2,000 to 3,000 euros and invest at least 1,000 euros in the following months. If you want to dig deeper into SEO costs, I recommend this article :
Offers from service providers that are significantly cheaper or only expect a one-time investment are usually not serious and will not improve your Google rankings.
Tip 3: check reviews
Even if the search engine optimization market is relatively intransparent, there are various ways of obtaining ratings from SEO service providers. The first point of contact is a look at the Google ratings of the selected agency. Here, however, it is important to differentiate between real reviews and fake reviews, as many SEO agencies also actively provide 5-star reviews here.
Tip 4: Be careful with fixed price offers
Every website is different, every industry is different from the other. Search engine optimization at a fixed price is therefore usually not a sign of serious SEO work. Before preparing an offer, a good SEO service provider will deal with the company and its goals, ask you questions and find out about your previous online marketing.
If, on the other hand, fixed-price offers like “SEO for 1,499 euros” are advertised on the agency website, one should become suspicious and question the agency's work.
Tip 5: get references
An agency that does not provide references should not be hired. Point. Certainly it may happen that references are not shown on the agency website due to data protection - but at the latest on request, an SEO service provider should be able to name the successes of former customers. If this is not the case, it says: Next.
Tip 6: Beware of black hat methods
Not every SEO measure is welcomed by Google. Violating the Google Webmaster Guidelines can result in penalties that can threaten the very existence of some companies. If a company is completely excluded from the Google index at the latest, it is quickly facing ruin.
Dubious agencies like to fall back on such so-called black hat methods, because they bring relatively quick successes, but in the medium to long term in most cases lead to Google penalties. You should quickly distance yourself from SEO service providers who, when talking to you, for example, recommend buying backlinks or using private blog networks (PBN) as the most important SEO measure.
Tip 7: A transparent approach and reporting is a must
A good search engine optimization agency should communicate openly and honestly to their customers what approach is planned and what the next steps will be. After all, as a client you pay a lot of money to the SEO service provider and can therefore expect a certain degree of transparency.
This applies in particular to the ongoing reporting, which gives the customer an overview of the goals achieved: Are the Google rankings of the defined keywords improving? Does the traffic increase through the organic search results? Serious SEO agencies offer their customers reports that answer exactly these questions and, of course, ultimately also prove whether the measures carried out are actually having an effect.
Conclusion: Be careful when choosing an SEO service provider
SEO isn't cheap, but it's worth it if you find the right service provider. So don't waste your money by choosing the wrong SEO agency. Examine potential providers using the list above and take your time with the final decision. Search engine optimization is only really fun if you can observe the increasing number of visitors in your analytics software on a daily basis.
The word should have got around to all entrepreneurs by now: The acquisition of visitors via the organic, i.e. unpaid search results from Google is one of the most efficient channels for acquiring new customers on the Internet. But search engine optimization - SEO for short - is complex and requires extremely specific know-how. A good SEO agency can provide support here if the relevant knowledge is lacking internally.
The search engine optimization market, however, is relatively opaque. Finding good and suitable agencies is difficult because there are many black sheep out there. We therefore give you seven tips below to help you find a reputable SEO company.
Tip 1: Beware of false promises
An SEO agency that guarantees you success should be viewed with skepticism. The background is simple: Google changes its algorithm every day and nobody knows the secret of search engine optimization in detail. An agency that advertises with page 1 placements (or even worse: place 1 guarantees) should therefore be examined more closely.
The same applies to promises to be able to achieve good positions in Google within a very short time. Search engine optimization is a process that takes time. Ranking successes within a few weeks are the exception - as a rule, you have to reckon with months or even one to two years in order to achieve greater traffic growth.
Tip 2: SEO costs more than just 1,000 euros
Even if you might not want to hear it: Search engine optimization involves certain investments. One-time SEO for 500 to 1,000 euros usually does not achieve the goal. If you want to do sustainable SEO, you should expect start-up costs of 2,000 to 3,000 euros and invest at least 1,000 euros in the following months. If you want to dig deeper into SEO costs, I recommend this article :
Offers from service providers that are significantly cheaper or only expect a one-time investment are usually not serious and will not improve your Google rankings.
Tip 3: check reviews
Even if the search engine optimization market is relatively intransparent, there are various ways of obtaining ratings from SEO service providers. The first point of contact is a look at the Google ratings of the selected agency. Here, however, it is important to differentiate between real reviews and fake reviews, as many SEO agencies also actively provide 5-star reviews here.
Tip 4: Be careful with fixed price offers
Every website is different, every industry is different from the other. Search engine optimization at a fixed price is therefore usually not a sign of serious SEO work. Before preparing an offer, a good SEO service provider will deal with the company and its goals, ask you questions and find out about your previous online marketing.
If, on the other hand, fixed-price offers like “SEO for 1,499 euros” are advertised on the agency website, one should become suspicious and question the agency's work.
Tip 5: get references
An agency that does not provide references should not be hired. Point. Certainly it may happen that references are not shown on the agency website due to data protection - but at the latest on request, an SEO service provider should be able to name the successes of former customers. If this is not the case, it says: Next.
Tip 6: Beware of black hat methods
Not every SEO measure is welcomed by Google. Violating the Google Webmaster Guidelines can result in penalties that can threaten the very existence of some companies. If a company is completely excluded from the Google index at the latest, it is quickly facing ruin.
Dubious agencies like to fall back on such so-called black hat methods, because they bring relatively quick successes, but in the medium to long term in most cases lead to Google penalties. You should quickly distance yourself from SEO service providers who, when talking to you, for example, recommend buying backlinks or using private blog networks (PBN) as the most important SEO measure.
Tip 7: A transparent approach and reporting is a must
A good search engine optimization agency should communicate openly and honestly to their customers what approach is planned and what the next steps will be. After all, as a client you pay a lot of money to the SEO service provider and can therefore expect a certain degree of transparency.
This applies in particular to the ongoing reporting, which gives the customer an overview of the goals achieved: Are the Google rankings of the defined keywords improving? Does the traffic increase through the organic search results? Serious SEO agencies offer their customers reports that answer exactly these questions and, of course, ultimately also prove whether the measures carried out are actually having an effect.
Conclusion: Be careful when choosing an SEO service provider
SEO isn't cheap, but it's worth it if you find the right service provider. So don't waste your money by choosing the wrong SEO agency. Examine potential providers using the list above and take your time with the final decision. Search engine optimization is only really fun if you can observe the increasing number of visitors in your analytics software on a daily basis.
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