Checking the effectiveness of your SEO agency

SEO agencies vary in effectiveness, so it’s important to hire the one that can not only provide you with value, but also show you what they are doing to provide value to your company. Here are some things you can do to measure the effectiveness of your SEO agency and see if they are providing real, quantifiable value to your company, or if they are just taking your money without any proof of value being provided back to you.

10 steps to check the effectiveness of an online marketing agency

Specialists should ensure comprehensive search engine optimization of the website. Attention to even the smallest details is the best way to beat industry rivals and become an industry leader. SEO agencies therefore conduct thorough research, during which they evaluate the performance of a given website and analyze the activities of competing brands. The collected information serves as the basis for the development of an effective positioning strategy that supports the development of the company and guarantees an influx of new customers. However, it is worth checking the effectiveness of the actions taken, here are a few elements that you can pay attention to.

What is our return on investment (ROI)?

SEO is a long-term game, and getting measurable results isn’t easy. While you can expect some positive effects fairly quickly, it will take time for you to see traffic increases, conversions and other signs that SEO efforts are working. As a result, you’ll want to know if your investment in SEO is actually paying off. One great way to do that? Calculate your ROI. To figure out what yours should be, use Google Analytics or another analytics tool to determine how much money you spend on SEO each month. Then, calculate how much additional revenue you received from SEO last month (by looking at things like sales figures and conversion rates). Divide those two numbers to get your return on investment percentage. If it’s higher than 10%, keep doing what you’re doing, if not, consider making changes to your strategy.

Cost per lead/click – what is it?

One measurement is cost per lead or click. This can be calculated by dividing CPL (cost per lead) by 1,000 and multiplying it by CTR (click through rate). It can also be calculated in terms of just cost per click (CPC) without dividing by 1,000 or multiplying by CTR. A lower CPL is desirable because it shows that a company is able to sell leads at a low cost. However, many companies have high CPLs but still generate high revenues. The reason for that is they have a higher than average click-through rate on their ads. Therefore, CPC may not be as important as some think. If you are looking for an SEO company then you should look at both metrics when choosing one over another.

Tracking costs

If you have a contract with an SEO firm, make sure you know exactly what they’re charging you for. Tracking costs can be difficult if firms aren’t transparent about their fees, but it’s vital to do so in order to see whether or not they’re effectively ranking your site. If there are charges that seem out of place or potentially fraudulent, consider ending business relations with them immediately.

Measuring leads and ROI

The best way to measure an SEO campaign is by calculating its return on investment (ROI). This means figuring out exactly how much revenue you make after hiring an SEO firm and dividing that figure by how much you spent on their services. It may sound tricky, but it’s actually pretty simple, and free tools like Google Analytics can help.

Ask your agency for their reports

Good SEO agencies will prepare monthly reports that measure your site’s progress and let you know where you stand in terms of ROI. If your SEO company doesn’t offer any reports, it might be time to find a new one. The most transparent agencies will even include keywords and rankings for each month—this is how you can tell whether they are effective or not. Take a look at two or three months’ worth of reports before making a decision.

Any negative press mentions?

If you’re not monitoring your brand in real time, you could be missing any mentions that include even minor negative keywords. It’s crucial to keep an eye on what people are saying about you, so it’s a good idea to have a Google Alert set up for your business name and other relevant keywords, as well as for anyone who is working at your company. Keep track of what is being said by checking in daily to read over any new mentions and respond quickly to correct misinformation.

Make sure they have experience with your industry. How much?

Even if you are only going to hire an SEO company for a specific campaign, make sure they have experience with your industry. You do not want to take a risk with someone who knows nothing about your field or business. An agency should have at least 3 years’ experience within an industry or niche. How many clients? Make sure that there is a good number of clients in their portfolio. The more clients they have worked with and can prove their success on, then the better it is for you as a client.

Conclusion

In order to accurately measure how effective an SEO is, there are certain metrics that need to be taken into consideration. An SEO has two main goals: to increase traffic and conversions, and to decrease a site’s bounce rate. Both of these goals are important. A high bounce rate can mean visitors are leaving your site because they’re not finding what they want or because it doesn’t fit their needs, which could indicate that you need to change something about your site.

However, if your bounce rate is low but you’re still not seeing results in terms of increased traffic and conversions, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate whether or not you should continue working with your current SEO. You should also look at other sites that have worked with them in order to see if they have similar experiences. If you notice a pattern across multiple sites, then it might be time for you to move on as well.