How to Hire an SEO Company for Your Small Business

Growing a small business can become a critical task, especially if you don’t have a dedicated team of SEO professionals by your side. In today’s competitive world, SEO is one of the major tools that can help you transform the growth of your small business and get exposure from the right people. 

However, SEO only delivers the desired results when the right people are handling your website’s SEO campaign. So, it is always crucial to ensure that you are hiring a professional team to perform SEO for your website. 

Since one single mistake can cause disastrous results, it is a better option to research thoroughly and compare different SEO companies prior to making a final decision. Being a small business, you are less likely to have a fancy budget, as a well-established enterprise. 

So, while hiring an SEO company for your website, make sure to conduct in-depth research and choose the right SEO service provider for your small business. 

To make your SEO-hunt easier, we have compiled a list of tips that’ll help you compare different SEO firms and choose the best company among all. 

So, without waiting any further, let’s start with the list. 

Plan Budget
Before, you type-in ‘best SEO companies’ into the Google search bar, make sure to know how much you are willing to spend on SEO. The truth is SEO can cost anywhere between $200-$2000 per month. 

Obviously, the higher you’ll pay, the better the services you’ll get. But, that doesn’t mean that the price should be the main deciding factor. There are affordable SEO companies that offer extensive expertise and can optimize your website using the best SEO tactics. 

One thing that you must remember, though, is to not fall for ‘cheap prices’. SEO companies whose packages seem too good to be true usually rely on unethical SEO practices. 

They might be able to deliver temporary results, but in the long run, their practices are most likely to harm your website. 

Identify Your Requirements
Why do you need SEO services? Are you looking to drive organic traffic? Do you want to rank in Google Local pack results? Or do you simply need an SEO company for a particular SEO task (mobile optimization, for instance)? 

If you have an answer to these questions, it’ll become much easier to pick the best SEO company for your small business. Although every SEO company has basic SEO expertise, it is important to choose a service provider that specializes in one particular domain. 

For instance, if ranking in Google Local pack is your main goal, it is important to hire SEO professionals who have expertise in performing local SEO. 

Communication
Being a small business owner, hiring an SEO company that rarely communicates is the last thing you’d want. In fact, communication is one of the major factors that ensure everything is on the right track. 

Before hiring the SEO company, make sure to ask them about their reporting format. Ask them whether they’ll share reports on a weekly or monthly basis. A company that doesn’t communicate and doesn’t show any transparency will not be able to achieve the results you want. 

And, even if they do, they are most likely to use black-hat SEO techniques that will do more harm than any good for your site. In any case, make sure to avoid hiring SEO companies that don’t follow transparency in their work. 

Check Portfolio
Going through the past work of the SEO company will help you identify whether it’ll be able to attain the expected results or not. Of course, every company that you see online will claim guaranteed #1 rankings. 

However, if you want to understand the capabilities of an SEO service provider, reaching out to its previous clients is the right solution. Moreover, when you check the company portfolio, it becomes easier to understand whether the SEO professionals have worked on similar projects in the past. 

Since it is always a good strategy to hire companies that have handled similar SEO campaigns earlier, going through the company portfolio can prove to be extremely beneficial. 

Compare Different SEO Agencies
Now, that you have narrowed down the list to 3-4 SEO companies, it’s time to cherry-pick the best option. Compare SEO companies with each other on the basis of pricing, expertise, and services they offer. 

It is also a good strategy to individually communicate with each SEO service provider. Why? Because this will help you understand which SEO company has the expertise in meeting your expectations. 

Conclusion
Hiring an SEO company can get a bit strenuous, especially when you have a limited budget to spend on marketing. In such a scenario, it becomes extremely crucial to hire the right company. The above-mentioned tips will help you compare different SEO companies and choose the best option among all.