Commonly Asked Questions About SEO Companies

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can seem a bit mysterious at first. This is partially because the SEO industry is in constant flux, and no one truly knows the full “secret sauce” of what all goes into search engine’s algorithms and how the numerous factors and signals are weighted. Additionally, search engines, like Google, are constantly experimenting and rolling out changes to their search engines to improve quality.

As such, there is undeniably a level of mystery within the SEO industry that can cause quite a bit of confusion, as well as potential for frustration. If you are evaluating SEO companies to potentially work with for your business, we recommend you check out our guide on what to look for when hiring an SEO company.

I drafted this article based on my personal experience having one-on-one conversations with hundreds of small business owners for over a decade, as well as the spirited Q&A at my speaking engagements regarding basic and advanced SEO tactics.

Do Web Designers Know Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Though it may seem intuitive that website designers should know latest SEO tactics, this is not typically the case. While there is some overlap, many web designers focus specifically on front-end website design, meaning the overall look and feel of the website and user experience. Other website designers are "back end" developers who create custom systems and applications. They focus on the code going on behind the scenes.

Search Engine Optimizers typically have a blend of skills focused on implementing both technical SEO elements on a web page, as well as focus on comprehensive content and credibility building strategies that extend beyond your website.

In a nutshell, SEO’s, digital marketers, and web designers are not the same.

Are All SEO Tactics Good for SEO?

The short answer is no. For example, Google not only looks for indicators that your site should be ranked highly, but it also looks for spammy or manipulative SEO tactics that violate Google’s policies. Naturally, whenever a site is full of technical and content issues or is missing essential SEO elements, the site will not rank as well as it could.

If Google detects what the industry calls "black hat SEO" techniques that take advantage or manipulate Google's search algorithm, algorithmic or manual penalties can be placed on your website, lowering your overall visibility. Thus, it is especially important to make sure any SEO method abides by Google's search quality guidelines and spam rules.

Can Search Engine Optimization Companies Guarantee Rankings?

Absolutely not! If an SEO company claims that they can get you to the “top of the Google,” be very cautious. If you hear the words, "we can guarantee to get you ranked number 1," you should run!

No person or company can guarantee specific rankings. Google's algorithm is not publicly known, and it also changes very frequently. What an SEO firm can promise is to implement the latest SEO tactics and strategies and provide performance reporting to evaluate success.

How Do I Know If My SEO Is Working?

We definitely understand it can seem difficult to evaluate the success of your search engine optimization efforts since there are so many variables in play and there’s a natural lag effect of implementing an SEO initiative and when you see results.

However, it is critically important to establish reporting that can help you understand SEO’s impact on your business. We recommend establishing three types of reporting for all SEO projects if at all possible.

Keyword Rank Tracking

We recommend that you track your target keywords and phrases to see how they improve/decline on an ongoing basis. You can use keyword rank tracking to see how you perform for your target keywords in a certain city, zip code, or even get hyper specific and see how your rankings change block-by-block within the same target area.

Learn how to setup keyword rank tracking.

Track Your Visitors on Your Website

Understand how your visitors are getting to your website, what are their general demographics, and with what content do they engage.

See the benefits of implementing visitor tracking.

Conversion Tracking

This is arguably the most important tracking that you can implement. Conversion tracking translates visits into action. With advanced conversion tracking, you can track form submissions, phone calls, online chats, bookings, e-commerce transactions, and more. Better yet, you can see what marketing channel led to each conversion (e.g. SEO, social media, etc.).

Discover the best way to implement conversion tracking and simplify marketing attribution.

How Long Should It Take for My SEO Company to Start Showing Results?

There is a natural lag effect of when you implement SEO initiatives and when you will be rewarded for those changes within search engines. Some SEO improvements you might see in a matter of weeks, while others may take months to come to fruition.

As a general rule of thumb, we tell our clients to wait at least six months before evaluating if SEO is working.

After that six-month period, you’ll likely be able to understand if the search engine optimization efforts are working or not. This will allow you to decide whether you should keep investing in SEO to continue to boost your company’s visibility or find a different marketing avenue to pursue.

Do I Need to Hire a Company to Regularly Work on My SEO?

Whether or not you need ongoing SEO services vastly depends on your specific business and how you generate leads. Some businesses rely so heavily on business development and relationship marketing that SEO can seem unnecessary.

However, we are seeing more businesses that traditionally relied only on business development now turning to SEO to either supplement their lead generation or become a primary channel of leads altogether. This is partially because more users are turning to search engines to do “credibility checks” of your company (e.g. looking at reviews, what others say about your website etc.). Additionally, users in traditionally “offline industries” are now turning to search engines to find possible vendors.

Stay Up-To-Date on SEO Tactics and Trends

If you have any other questions about evaluating SEO companies, we recommend checking out our comprehensive guide on picking an SEO company which includes key questions you should ask each SEO company you are interviewing.

Additionally, you should sign up for our monthly newsletter that covers various SEO tactics and tips.