Source an SEO Agency with Confidence
SEO is technical and complex. Duplicate content issues and link penalties are not for the faint of heart! Meanwhile, choosing an SEO partner can be as fun as a trip to the dentist.
TAG can help. We’ve been studying search engine optimization for year’s and we take great pride in showing business owners how to navigate through the morass of self-proclaimed “SEO specialists” and in clearing up all the confusion and misinformation surrounding search engine marketing. In fact, we teach on these very subjects all of the time
Is SEO right for you?
TAG is not an agency. Thus, we have no bias or incentive to talk clients into SEO over other marketing channels. When a brand inquires with us about SEO, one of the first things we assess is whether organic SEO is really the proper channel for them to invest in. Often times, we find that brands are confused about the time it takes to actually influence organic rankings, the investment required and the diversity of skills (and tactics) needed to make it all come together.
As a result, alternative marketing channels will often make for a more prudent investment – at least initially – especially for startups and small businesses.
For example, with content being such a critical component to search engine rankings, a simple blog and social media distribution strategy is all that is often called for. Or, in the commonly occurring situation where client resources are extremely limited and where hot leads are needed immediately, TAG will often recommend pay-per-click advertising as a way to generate immediate traffic and test keyword strategies without investing too heavily.
Choosing the Best SEO Team
As mentioned, the SEO process is extremely multi-facted and thus has several critical, inter-related components. A truly well-rounded SEO team will have a proficiency in technical SEO (things like crawler accessibility and site architecture) while also being extremely good with content creation, link building, social media, conversion rate optimization (CRO) and Analytics. If it sounds like we just rattled off the majority of the digital marketing channel ecosystem, it’s because we did. There are SEO implications in almost every marketing action you take and thus, sourcing a truly well-rounded SEO agency presents quite the challenge for business owners.
The reality of the SEO agency landscape is that agency teams will often have an expertise (or at least a preference – read: bias) toward executing certain aspects of the SEO process. And so, the “right” team for you may largely depend on your needs. Consider factors like:
- Is my project rooted in e-commerce? If so, a team with strong and technical skills is often a better fit.
- Is your business brick and mortar? In that case, a local-SEO specialty team may suit you best.
- Are your SEO goals largely rooted in building page and domain authority? If so, a team with strong public relations prowess and a knack for content is typically best.
Whatever the case may be, brands will often receive the best service by teams that specialize in a given area of the SEO process and with an infrastructure in place to address those specific issues.
Need help knowing which SEO team to hire?
Contact Us for a free consultation and customized agency recommendation.
COMPANIES WE’VE CONNECTED
What they're saying about us
What impresses us the most is the time spent in truly understanding who we are as a company and providing us valuable insight that helps us grow. It's not a "cookie cutter" approach to marketing and his advice and guidance has paid dividends for us!
After one discovery meeting they nailed it; introducing us to an agency who not only had the right skill set but a personality that meshes well with ours. It was a great experience and saved us the time and effort of issuing our own REP and having to pitch meetings with agencies who weren't right for us.
The Agency Guide listened to our needs, learned about our organization, and provided a thoughtful analysis of our marketing goals. They suggested the ideal partner for our goals, including a detailed explanation of why they chose them and how they could help. We were impressed by their responsiveness and willingness to help us every step of the way.
Working with TAG has made our work much easier. TAG very quickly sourced an excellent PR specialist for us who did a terrific job. Our experience is that TAG is responsive, responsible, and very professional. We plan on continuing to working with TAG for the foreseeable future.
TAG has been integral in matching us with the right agency that truly understood our needs and valued our business. TAG has been very transparent and helpful throughout the entire process and I would highly recommend them.
TAG made the process of sourcing a reliable agency extremely simple by helping us clearly define project scope and then finding an agency that was perfectly suited to be our partner.
TAG saved us the extensive time and effort it would have taken to source and SEO agency. They took the time to understand exactly what we needed, so they could nail the agency's recommendations the first time around. This saved us hours of research and the hassle of having to vet each agency we came across. If you're looking to hire a new agency, start with TAG - you won't regret it!