Businesses in Manchester stand to make huge gains from partnering with a competent SEO company. A partnership with search marketing experts can deliver relevant and dedicated traffic, and maximise the likelihood of this traffic converting to customers.
If you’re looking for a professional SEO company in Manchester, there are a few things to consider to make sure you’re getting the best.
This blog will outline the qualities of a good SEO company, so if you’re looking for a professional SEO company in Manchester, read on…
1. Strong Reputation
A good SEO agency won’t need to tell you how good they are.
They’ll have case studies and testimonials on their website that make the case for them: Current and past clients with positive things to say, and enough faith to say them publicly.
There’ll be reviews off-site, too. Head to Google, TrustPilot, or some other review platform, and look for a favourable ratio of good to bad reviews. Take a look at the content of the reviews as well.
Awards and industry mentions are a great indicator of reputation, too.
Conventional wisdom says that an agency should rank highly for local terms like “SEO agency in Manchester,” but you can take this advice with a pinch of salt.
And here’s why:
Agencies with solid credentials often gain new business through word of mouth rather than organic search. In this case, the majority of internal capacity is dedicated to boosting clients’ rankings rather than their own, meaning the agency’s organic visibility may not be indicative of their expertise.
An agency builds its reputation on results delivered for clients, after all. Not for themselves.
2. Demonstrable experience
You want to know that an agency has achieved success for clients in the past, preferably ones with similar needs to your own.
The case studies we mentioned previously should demonstrate knowledge of what effective SEO entails, and that they can implement it well.
Look for variety in case studies, as this proves an agency can work with (and achieve success for) clients in different industries and with different needs.
A B2B SEO company, for example, should have experience in increasing rankings, driving traffic, improving user experience, boosting conversions, and other outcomes relevant to the industry.
3. Results-driven
A good agency tracks and reports on the right SEO metrics.
They will be analytical and data-driven, using insights from key platforms to track the most relevant SEO metrics. The insights from this tracking will underpin ongoing strategy considerations.
They’ll also aim for realistic results. The best SEO companies will not guarantee position 1 rankings for every term you want to rank for - this is snake oil. Instead, they’ll work with you to agree realistic and achievable results that will deliver real value for your business.
4. Consistent
The trajectory of your results should be in a consistently upward direction. Achieving this relies on experience and competence, both hallmarks of a great SEO company.
You should also expect consistency in terms of process. Reports should arrive on time, and they should cover the goals and metrics agreed upon at the outset. They should complete all work should to the agreed deadlines.
If an agency falls behind on these cornerstone campaign components, it may indicate unrealistic expectations or poor internal workload management: Two factors that can have knock-on effects on broader performance.
5. Communicative
An agency should want to keep in touch and tell you what’s happening.
As a company on the receiving end of SEO, it can sometimes feel as if nothing is happening, and an agency knows this is when their clients waver. Scheduled catch-up calls should be booked to give you a rundown of how things are going, even if nothing much has changed.
Communication should be in terms you understand, too. Rather than just reeling off jargon metrics, a good SEO agency will explain how results affect your bottom line. After all, you’re only going to continue the partnership if you feel you’re getting a good return on investment.
Honesty should underpin all communication. If things slide - maybe a deadline is missed, for example - an honest explanation accompanied by a convincing solution can keep things on the right track.
6. Responsive
Any contact from your side should be addressed quickly and adequately. If an agency communicates only on its terms and regularly ignores your communication, that’s a red flag.
Transparency is a significant factor here. If you have questions about what’s happening - and more importantly, why it’s happening - a good SEO agency will have no qualms in answering. It’s in their best interests that you feel fully confident with the service they’re providing.
Also expect them to be responsive to industry developments, and movement in the local search landscape.
For industry developments, an agency should understand and apply the latest techniques. This knowledge should come from keeping abreast with industry voices and publications and should be demonstrated by ongoing tweaks to your strategy to keep it in line with evolving best practices.
With regards to the local search landscape, if rankings experience a sudden shift, a great SEO agency will quickly look to understand why, and make the required changes to your strategy.
7. Flexible
If your priorities change, a great SEO agency will amend its approach to reflect the fact.
But, they will also have the confidence to offer advice and guidance, especially in situations where their expertise indicates that your changing priorities may not be the best course of action.
This ties back to number 5: Effective communication is a core thread of a great SEO company’s playbook.
8. Professionalism
This is the least tangible metric, but with a great SEO agency, you’ll get a strong feeling of professionalism.
You’ll see results that have a noticeable positive impact on your profits. They’ll be consistent and incremental, and attributable to the work being carried out. Any queries and concerns you have will be addressed clearly and convincingly, either face-to-face at regular catch-up meetings or promptly when you pick up the phone or send an email.
When you work with a great SEO agency, you won’t spend much time wondering whether you’re getting your money’s worth. Their activity will speak for itself, and renewing the retainer will be a no-brainer.
Here are some other things that suggest professionalism:
- A team of individuals who are experts in specific fields, rather than a team where everybody pitches in with everything. Great SEO agencies tend not to hire Jacks-of-all-Trades.
- They’ll be members of relevant professional organisations, with membership publicly promoted on their website.
- They may have awards or accolades from industry bodies or publications which, again, they’ll promote proudly on their site.
To conclude
Although the title of ‘best SEO company’ is an impossible one to award, an agency that exhibits all of the traits in this list will be a good bet. A great agency will stake its reputation on each project they carry out and invest itself fully in delivering the best results possible.
If you’re looking for a great SEO company in Manchester, take a look at our SEO services. We’ve delivered success for many businesses in Manchester and beyond, and professionalism is at the core of everything we do.
Or, if you’d rather get straight to it, you can get your free SEO analysis here.
