How To Avoid Being Scamed By SEO Agency

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Everyone in the digital industry knows that search audiences have the strongest intent compared to users coming in from other channels. And the fact that search audiences grow exponentially every year creates a massive interest amongst businesses to start their search marketing campaign.

On search marketing, there are two types of approach, the paid search approach and the organic search approach, people, called it SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Let's talk about SEO; SEO is a series of marketing activities to create, publish, and optimize the most relevant content that answers the search audience's query. The first metric of success is ranking for search queries on the search result page.

Optimization includes the on-website optimization of site architecture, load speed, HTML, and, most importantly, content optimization. As well as off-page optimization, building the online site authority.

Here is a more detailed resource for SEO https://www.google.com/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf

For businesses looking for an SEO agency to work with, here are some of my tips to avoid getting scammed by your agency

  • Ranking Warranty, even Google on their webmaster YouTube channel already explain that no one can guarantee to rank on any keyword. If your SEO agency is offering a warranty on keyword ranking, most of the time, it scam.

    This old video from Matt Cutts explain why ranking can’t be guaranteed.

  • Too much focus on backlink acquisition. It may include some absurd strategy like SEO contest, SEO challenges or things like that. Here's the thing, I think the crucial first focus on SEO should be on the website optimization itself. Content in particular, if your agency didn't show enough credential in content strategy and development, then I don't think they are the right agency for your to work with.

  • Ranking only KPI, while I agree that ranking is the first metric you can measure as a success of your SEO, but ranked on specific keywords is not always translated into value for your business, many other metrics are more important than just ranking. Visitors, engagement or even conversion. And if your agency somehow didn't present that as their KPI, there's no value for you to work with them.

Anything to add? Let me know in the comment box below.

SEORidho Putradi S'Gara