{"id":14556,"date":"2021-05-06T11:10:03","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T18:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/?p=14556"},"modified":"2021-05-06T11:10:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-06T18:10:03","slug":"questions-to-ask-when-hiring-an-seo-agency-fc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/questions-to-ask-when-hiring-an-seo-agency-fc\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions to Ask When Hiring an SEO Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asking the right questions before hiring an SEO agency is key to finding a partner that will give you the highest return on your investment. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/how-to-compare-seo-companies-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">choosing an SEO firm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you will be looking for three main characteristics:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Comprehensiveness:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You want technical SEO + keyword research + content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Critical Thinking:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Keywords must map to appropriate page types, and those pages must be written with expertise, targeted-ness, and respect for the reader\u2019s time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Results-Orientation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The focus must be on metrics, KPIs, and goals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this guide, we\u2019ll tell you which questions to ask an SEO agency to evaluate them on each of these characteristics, and what to look for in their answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Critical Questions to Ask an SEO Agency Before Hiring Them<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The table below shows the three most critical questions to ask before <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/how-to-hire-an-seo-agency-or-company-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hiring an SEO agency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It includes the ideal answer to listen for in an agency\u2019s response. It also lists answers to watch out for, as they can be a sign the agency won\u2019t provide the SEO expertise to produce results. We\u2019ve also included follow-up questions to ask if their initial answer is satisfactory.<\/span><\/p>\n<table class=\"fps_table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14593\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Untitled-design-22.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/>Question<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14595\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Untitled-design-20.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/>Ideal Answer<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14598\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Untitled-design-24.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/>Red Flags<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14600\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Untitled-design-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/>Follow-up Questions<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>What services do you provide?<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emphasis on thought leadership\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">content marketing, beginning with technical SEO, keyword research, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/enterprise-content-strategy-framework-guide-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strategic SEO planning<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe only do technical SEO\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe do initial keyword research and write a few blog articles each month\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat are your core services?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat does your agency specialize in?\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>How do you create content?<\/b><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-faqs\/what-to-expect-from-an-seo-agency-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Team of specialists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including an SME, graphic designer, conversion optimizer, and analytics specialist<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have a team of on-staff copywriters who write for all of our clients.\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHow involved will my team\u2019s experts be in the content creation process?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHow do you create and organize your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/advanced-seo\/best-seo-content-plan-the-hub-and-spoke-model-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">content plan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>How do you measure results?<\/b><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/how-to-measure-seo-results-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Main KPI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is either marketing qualified leads (MQLs) or new revenue; secondary KPIs are rankings for commercially valuable keywords and traffic-to-lead <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-conversion-statistics-compendium-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversion rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe measure success based on search ranking positions and organic traffic.\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat kind of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-roi\/average-customer-acquisition-cost-cac-by-industry-b2b-edition-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer acquisition cost (CAC)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> do you aim for in our industry?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHow do you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-automation-a-guide-to-systematizing-your-seo-fc\/#attribution\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">attribute<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> marketing results among SEO and other marketing activities?\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll now look more closely at those questions and why you need answers that align with the ideal responses listed above.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO Agency Question #1: What Services Do You Provide?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14602\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Copy-of-Untitled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"622\" height=\"490\" \/>SEO is a buzzword in the marketing and internet space, so it\u2019s important to understand exactly what SEO means to an agency before hiring them. Many agencies concentrate on the technical side of SEO\u2014things like page speed, mobile optimization, and site health. These are important prerequisites for rankings, but they are not going to produce higher search positions on their own. The same is true of ancillary services, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Web development<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO audits<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PPC\/social media advertising<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email marketing<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, the top agencies provide a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-basics\/seo-agency-deliverables-heres-what-to-expect-fc\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">host of deliverables<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that go way beyond the technical SEO and ancillary services mentioned. These agencies complete the technical fixes at the start and provide the other services throughout the campaign, but they devote the majority of their time and attention to the consistent publication of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/how-to-write-thought-leadership-content-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thought leadership content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thought leadership content is vital to generating leads for your business through SEO because <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/the-google-algorithm-ranking-factors\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google\u2019s algorithm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rewards the best piece of content on the internet with top-ranking positions. To achieve this, your agency must be doing more than providing basic content marketing services like selecting keywords, looking through the first page of search results, and creating a piece of content that models what the first-page articles are already doing. True thought leadership is the result of original and nuanced thinking combined with the highest quality writing. Thought leadership has to be the core competency for an agency to do it right.<\/span>[mk_blockquote font_family=&#8221;none&#8221;]\u201cA piece of thought leadership content is written to be far and away the best piece on the internet for the keyword it is targeting.\u201d[\/mk_blockquote]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asking follow-up questions like \u201cWhat are your core services?\u201d and \u201cWhat does your agency specialize in?\u201d will allow you to learn <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-basics\/seo-agency-scope-of-work-what-to-expect-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where thought leadership truly fits<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in an agency\u2019s expertise and priorities. Having determined that, you are ready to ask about how the content is produced, giving you more indication of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/thought-leadership-marketing-services\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agency\u2019s expertise in thought leadership<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO Agency Question #2: How Do You Produce Content?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14551 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-16-at-2.40.23-PM-e1618609285557-1024x435-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"311\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While what we\u2019re doing is not, as the old saying goes\u2014brain surgery\u2014permit me to use a medical analogy: If you\u2019re having an operation, would you want a general practice doctor or a trained surgical specialist?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many SEO agencies rely on generalist writers to produce content for you. This can create a number of problems, chief among them: accuracy. Especially in highly technical industries, producing accurate content takes special care and special knowledge. If it\u2019s not done properly, beware. It can fall on you, the client, to make corrections. That adds to your time commitment and could produce doubts in your mind about the agency\u2019s competence. And, if somehow that inaccurate content is published, there could be considerable reputational backlash from readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another problem with generalists, particularly in<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/top-seo-industries\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technical B2B industries<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is lack of nuance. A generalist writer is only able to write with a level of authority that isn\u2019t high enough to satisfy the audience and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/improve-google-search-rankings-by-satisfying-search-intent-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">search intent of a keyword<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Thus, the piece won\u2019t rank highly in Google.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To publish the most effective thought leadership content, you need it produced with a subject matter expert (SME). When evaluating SEO agencies, be sure you understand how the agency leverages SMEs and where those SMEs come from. Two points to keep in mind are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, the SME and the agency\u2019s writer are the same person, but in most cases, they are two separate people<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best SME may be someone from within your own organization who is willing to meet with your SEO agency\u2019s team once a month to provide insight into upcoming topics<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An editorial calendar and robust planning process are also essential to the best content production, and these should be completed with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-faqs\/what-to-expect-from-an-seo-agency-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a team of specialists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the helm. The SEO\u00a0 agency should schedule weekly calls to review <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/advanced-seo\/best-seo-content-plan-the-hub-and-spoke-model-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">upcoming content plans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and align on the expertise needed to write for your company. To make the most of your time, they should create a plan to align all content needs upfront, including interviews, graphic elements, and a high-level outline of the piece.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve established that a prospective SEO agency specializes in thought leadership and produces SME-level content, it\u2019s time to move on to the final critical question: How do you measure results?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO Agency Question #3: How Do You Measure Results?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14550 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FPS_SEOConversionStats_v1-1024x692-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"378\" \/>While many SEO agencies point to increased search rankings and organic traffic increases to measure their results, the real impact of an SEO campaign can be measured by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/lead-to-mql-conversion-rate-benchmarks-by-industry-channel-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how many MQLs it produces<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Understanding how an SEO agency sets goals, tracks metrics, and generates reports is fundamental to establishing a successful partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider these points when evaluating an agency\u2019s approach to measuring results:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Client goals should be agreed upon before the contract is signed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Systems for measuring success should be developed during the onboarding phase of your campaign<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reporting should be built into the contractual deliverables. At<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-agency\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">our agency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we report on precursor metrics, such as organic traffic, search ranking positions, and user engagement, on a monthly basis. We provide robust reports detailing conversations and MQLs quarterly<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your SEO agency should be responsible for<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/how-to-measure-seo-results-fc\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increasing organic MQLs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s your job to turn those into revenue, which is why measuring results is often a joint effort.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask the Right Questions to Choose the Best SEO Agency<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having an open dialogue with any partner leads to the best results. We\u2019ve touched on a few of the critical questions to ask an SEO agency here; there are many more:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask about successes and failures (We\u2019ve had both: celebrating the former and learning from the latter)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-roi\/seo-for-saas-companies-a-case-study-fc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">case studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to see how an agency has performed with a similar target audience<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask for references<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I believe that when you\u2019re looking to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/seo-blog\/seo-basics\/hire-seo-company-questions-ask\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hire an SEO agency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you should use the same criteria you would for any long-term relationship: a partnership. To inquire about our agency\u2019s services, contact us <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we discuss the 3 most important questions to ask an SEO agency, and follow-up questions for a more in-depth evaluation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo-blog","category-seo-faqs"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}