When you start a web based business the next step is to hire an SEO company that will help your business get noticed by the search engines and potential customers. You may have searched for “SEO services in India” and hired the company that popped up on top of SERP. But is your business flourishing? Are you getting the organic traffic you have expected? If you are suspicious that you may have hired the wrong SEO company for your website optimization, then let me clear your doubts. Here are 5 red flags that prove your SEO agency selection was wrong.
You have been promised particular keyword ranking: Nobody can promise you top rank for any specific keyword without market research and competitor analysis. Suppose you sell phones and tablets, and someone tells you that he will bring your site among top 3 results for “buy cell phone”. Avoid that SEO service provider immediately because he is making false claims. Highly competitive keywords are always targeted by big brands and it is very difficult to dethrone them. You will find Amazon and eBay for the keyword example given here. The second factor is algorithm updates. Google pushes new updates frequently and thus, your website rank can go up or down anytime.
You don’t get monthly report: Since SEO is a long-term process; it will run for years and cost you thousands of dollars. If you are spending so much money then you have every right to know about the ROI. A good SEO company will provide you monthly report mentioning the work they have done and how your website is performing in terms of organic as well as paid searches.
No transparency regarding strategy: You may not have extensive knowledge about SEO, but that does not mean the SEO company will not discuss their action plan with you. Unless you know how they plan to optimize your website there is a possibility that instead of doing something good they may harm your website’s brand reputation. Always ask for a complete breakdown of the strategy and if the firm declines to share, simply cancel the contract.
Automated software and outdated techniques implemented: It is wise to use automated software for scheduling the social media posts, but if the SEO agency uses software to generate content or links, then your website will be penalized by Google. Also, techniques of search engine optimization need to be refreshed every time a major algorithm update hits the market to maintain ranks.
Keyword ranking is the goal, not the conversions: Don’t ever get fooled by the rank your website is getting for a particular keyword. Top rank for a target keyword doesn’t necessarily translate into sales conversion. After all, what do you prefer most? No 1 rank for a keyword that generates $2000 per month or no 5 rank on SERP for a keyword that generates $5000 per month? I think you know the answer already!
Conclusion
SEO is an integral part of your online marketing strategy and hiring an unethical SEO firm can spoil your brand name as well as ROI forever. If you notice any of the issues discussed above, then cancel the contract immediately and start looking for a trustworthy SEO company.
