While it’s important to have open communication with your SEO agency, there are some questions that you may want to avoid asking. Here are a few examples:
- “Can you guarantee that my website will rank #1 on Google?” No SEO agency can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google or any other search engine. Asking an SEO agency to guarantee a #1 ranking on Google is not a realistic expectation and can be a red flag. SEO is a complex and ever-changing field, and search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. While an experienced SEO agency can certainly help improve your website’s rankings, there are no guarantees that you will achieve a #1 ranking or even a first-page ranking. Instead, focus on working collaboratively with your SEO agency to develop a long-term SEO strategy that aligns with your business goals and objectives.
- “Can you show me all of the tactics you’ll use to improve my SEO?” While it’s important to understand the general approach your SEO agency will take, it’s not necessary to know every single tactic they’ll use. Some tactics may be proprietary or may change over time as the search algorithms evolve.
- “Can you get me results within a week?” Asking an SEO agency to deliver results within a week is not a reasonable expectation and can be a red flag. SEO is a long-term strategy that requires patience and persistence. While you may see some improvements in your search rankings in a short amount of time, it’s unrealistic to expect significant results within a week or two. In fact, some SEO tactics may take several months to show their full effect. It’s important to work collaboratively with your SEO agency to develop a realistic timeline for achieving your SEO goals and to monitor progress over time. By focusing on long-term, sustainable SEO strategies, you can achieve lasting improvements in your website’s rankings and traffic.
- “Can you help me get around Google’s guidelines?” It’s never a good idea to try to “game” the search engines by using shady or unethical tactics. Not only can this harm your website’s reputation and rankings, but it can also result in penalties or even a complete ban from the search results.
- “How many backlinks they will create?” While backlinks are an important factor in SEO, it’s generally not a good idea to ask your SEO agency how many backlinks they will create for your website. Here’s why:
- Quality matters more than quantity: It’s not just about how many backlinks you have, but the quality of those backlinks. A few high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites can be more valuable than hundreds of low-quality links.
- Link building is just one aspect of SEO: While link building is an important part of SEO, it’s not the only factor that determines search engine rankings. Your SEO agency should be focusing on a range of tactics, including keyword research, on-page optimization, content creation, and more.
- There is no one-size-fits-all answer: The number of backlinks that is appropriate for your website depends on a variety of factors, including your industry, competition, and target audience. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how many backlinks you should have.
- It can lead to black hat tactics: If you focus too much on the quantity of backlinks, it can lead to black hat tactics such as buying links or using link farms, which can harm your website’s reputation and rankings.
One major SEO factor must be checked to strengthen your link-building process:
“If they have a guest blogger network” Yes, you can certainly ask your SEO agency if they have a guest blogger network. Guest blogging can be a valuable SEO tactic for building backlinks and driving traffic to your website. However, it’s important to make sure that any guest blogging activities are done ethically and in accordance with search engine guidelines. If your SEO agency does have a guest blogger network, ask for more information about their criteria for selecting bloggers, their process for reviewing and approving guest posts, and how they ensure that guest posts are high-quality and relevant to your business. You may also want to ask for examples of successful guest blogging campaigns they have run in the past, and how they measure the success of these campaigns in terms of SEO impact and other metrics. By asking these questions, you can ensure that any guest blogging activities are aligned with your overall SEO strategy and that they are being executed in a way that maximizes their benefits while minimizing any potential risks.
