What Exactly is Your SEO Firm Doing?
Do you know exactly what your SEO firm is doing for you? What you are paying for each month? During initial meetings with prospects and new clients, we keep hearing a similar story. When we ask what their previous firm did for them, they really aren’t sure. We’ve touched on this topic a few times before but since it keeps happening (!!!) we think it’s worth the reminder. If you’re outsourcing any of your online marketing, whether it’s to an SEO firm, social media management firm, content marketing firm, PR firm, etc. it’s important to know exactly what they are doing for you. Here are a few tips to keep in mind during the outsourcing process:
Get an initial plan in writing
When you first start working with an SEO firm (or any outsourced firm), you’ll likely have an in-person meeting or a phone conversation to kick things off. At this time, the firm should outline their process and all of the plans they have going forward. Ideally, it will be broken down into specific time frames: what will happen during month 1, month 2, etc. After the initial meeting, request to get this information in a document that you can keep on file. A simple email might be adequate, as long as it breaks things down specifically. This lets you see what should be happening and holds the firm accountable.
Ask to receive reports on a regular schedule
Once the work begins, the firm should be providing you with deliverables as the campaign continues to move forward. It should outline all of the work that was completed in a specific timeframe, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly. As you receive this information, you should reach out with any questions you may have to ensure that you are still on the same page in terms of process with the firm.
Schedule phone calls as needed
Email is great for business use, and it will likely be your primary method of communication, but sometimes business still calls for an old-fashioned phone call. During the beginning of the campaign, you can schedule calls regularly to review what’s being done. Calls might not be as necessary as the relationship with the firm strengthens but it’s still a good idea to have them occasionally and certainly whenever anything is new or changing in the business.
Keep an updated master password document
When you sign on with an SEO firm you’re essentially allowing them to help establish your brand identity online. Doing so requires a presence on many touchpoints across the web including online profiles on social websites, niche industry sites, etc. Anytime a profile is created, a master password list that you have access to should be updated. Plenty of website owners that we’ve spoken to have lost access to important profiles because they don’t have the log in information that a prior firm set up for them.
It’s in your best interest to know what your SEO firm is doing at all times. This doesn’t mean that you need to check in constantly or be overbearing. You should be able to step back and let them do their work, but you should also have an understanding (even at a high level) of what that work entails.
Categorized in: SEO
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