SEO is not just about setting up meta tags and writing texts. It is a complex work that requires professionalism, experience, and constant monitoring.
An SEO contractor is your partner who is supposed to help you achieve your goals and increase your website revenue. However, not all contractors work honestly and efficiently. How do you know if you've fallen for an incompetent or unscrupulous contractor? There are several criteria by which you can evaluate the quality of an SEO contractor's work and make a decision to change it. We suggest you go through each of them and check the SEO contractor;
1. Lack of a full site audit at the start of work
The first step of any SEO project is a website audit. This is a detailed analysis of all aspects of the site that affect its visibility in search engines: technical, content, usability, competitive, etc. The audit allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the resource, set priorities, and draw up a plan for further action.
If your SEO contractor doesn't conduct a full audit at the start of the work, it means that they don't know where to start and where to go. Such a contractor may miss important mistakes or problems on the website that hinder its promotion. In addition, without an audit, it is impossible to measure performance and monitor results.
2. No reports on the work performed
SEO is a long-term process that requires regular work and tracking of changes. Therefore, it is important to receive reports on the work done and the results achieved from the SEO contractor. The reports should be clear, transparent, and contain specific data: what tasks were completed, what indicators have changed, and in which direction.
If your SEO contractor doesn't provide you with an SEO report or does so irregularly, it may indicate that they are doing nothing or doing it wrong. Such a contractor may be hiding their actions or lack thereof from you, as well as not giving you the opportunity to evaluate their performance and adjust their strategy.
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3. Poor communication
An SEO contractor is not only a contractor but also a consultant. He should be in touch with you, answer your questions, give recommendations and advice on how to improve your website. They should also take into account your wishes, goals, and business specifics.
If your SEO contractor doesn't communicate with you or does so minimally, it may indicate that they are not interested in your success, don't understand your needs, or don't want to share their knowledge. Such a contractor may ignore your requests, disregard your opinions, or mislead you. If you feel that you lack communication, it's time to check your website promotion.
A common reason for poor communication can also be the contractor's lack of time to manage the project well due to the large number of projects already in progress.
At our digital agency, we follow a strict planning system that allows us to distribute the project workload efficiently between specialists and project managers. Thanks to this, our specialists always have enough time to work on each project with high quality, and each project manager has enough time to interact with clients promptly.
4. Unclear spending of budgets
Another sign that you need to check the contractor's SEO is unclear spending of your money. The contractor should be honest and open about the costs of website promotion. He should explain to you what your money is spent on, how it is distributed among different types of work, and how it affects the results. He should also coordinate any changes in the budget with you and justify their necessity.
If your specialist doesn't give you a clear understanding of how budgets are spent or changes them without your consent, it may mean that they are spending your money inefficiently, inappropriately, or negligently.
In our practice, we take a flexible approach to this issue. For some clients, especially those who have already had bad experiences with other contractors, it is easier and more relaxed if they manage all their budgets on their side. For this purpose, such companies have their own accounts in position withdrawal services, exchanges, etc. For the rest of us, it is more convenient if we manage project budgets on our side. At the same time, our specialists keep financial reports on the distribution of budgets for each project, which allows us to provide reports to clients and manage balances for each project.
5. Unrealistic promises and/or complete lack of results
Your specialist should be realistic and honest about the expected results from website promotion. He should give you realistic deadlines and indicators that can be achieved taking into account the competition, niche, site condition, and other factors. They should also show you the growth of traffic, conversions, revenue, and other target metrics.
If a contractor promises you incredible results in a short period of time or guarantees top positions for any queries, it may be a sign that they are deceiving you, using aggressive or prohibited promotion methods that may lead to sanctions from search engines. If your SEO contractor doesn't show you any results over a long period of time, it may be a sign that he doesn't work at all or works poorly. We recommend that you conduct an independent website analysis to understand how effectively your current specialist is working.
Conclusion
An SEO contractor is an important element in the success of your website and business. Therefore, choose them carefully and check their work. If you notice one or more of the above signs, you may need to change your SEO contractor to a more professional and reliable one. We at Idea Digital Agency are ready to offer you quality services and a responsible approach to website promotion. Contact us and we will conduct a free SEO audit of the site and create an individual promotion plan that will take into account your needs.
We have compiled a list of questions that are important to discuss with the contractor before starting work:
- Tell us about your expertise. How long have you been engaged in SEO promotion? How many specialists and what level do you have in your team?
- What niches have you worked with?
- Provide case studies based on the results of your work.
- Provide a sample of a regular report.
- How often do you communicate with your clients? How do you communicate with them?
- Дe and how do you plan the work on the project? How can the client see the planning process?
- What indicators do you focus on?
- How often do you evaluate project results and how do you realize that the current strategy is not working?
- Can you provide examples of successful projects and links to them?
- What tools and analytical data do you use to evaluate performance and track progress?
- Are there any keywords that you will prioritize for the project?
- Will you conduct a technical audit of the site and make recommendations for improvement?
- What technical aspects of the site, such as loading speed, mobile optimization, URL structure, etc., will be optimized?
- What recommendations do you have for improving the content on the website?
- Can you offer a strategy for creating high-quality backlinks to a website?
- What metrics and KPIs will be used to measure the success of the project?
- How often and how will you provide reports on the work done and the results achieved?
- Do you have certifications or accreditations from leading search engines or professional organizations?
