Selecting a good digital marketing agency among thousands out there is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s very important to choose the right partner because that agency will be controlling how people recognise your brands and how much they trust you.
The Australian SMEs rely more than ever on Digital Performance, and the Australian Digital Landscape is still a mystery to many. They are unsure of how to get started, what to look for and how to determine if an agency is delivering value for the dollars spent.
Partnering with an experienced SEO link-building agency can give your business the strategic support it needs to grow sustainably. One such example is Premium Links, which is Australia’s leading SEO agency helping businesses worldwide to scale smoothly in the competitive market. Using their guides, we’ve compiled everything you must consider while evaluating the agencies.
Know Your Needs
We’ve seen hundreds of small businesses burn thousands of dollars on digital agencies without seeing the growth they expected. Most of the time, it’s because the businesses themselves don’t know what they need.
Some brands want to improve search engine rankings for important search terms while others need more qualified leads to improve their revenue stream or want to become industry leaders. Ask yourself what you want for your business?
What To Look For In An Agency
Experience and Understanding of your Market
A good agency should be able to show and explain to you their knowledge and experience in your industry. They should be aware of your market trends, competitors, behaviour of customers, and also the local search trends. If an agency just tells you they did this or that for someone, ask for case studies because it’s the best way to figure out where they stand.
Transparent Methods
Transparency is one of the best traits of a reliable partner. A good agency should be able to explain what they’ll do for you, along with explaining the logic behind it, and how they will assess the results. Using lots of technical terms to discuss things in roundabout ways while avoiding the actual point is a big red flag. You should feel more educated and not clouded in confusion after meetings.
Customised Strategies
Every business needs a unique set of strategies. If you are provided the same standard package that all clients receive, run. A custom approach means they’re thinking about the performance of your website, your market competitors, your customer personas, the commercial positioning of your brand, and, of course, the budget. More likely than not, agencies that invest time in analysing your particular restrictive situation best are the ones that will deliver a positive outcome.
White Hat Business Practices
White Hat practices focus on sustainable results, not quick wins. Best agencies stick to Google’s guidelines and focus on long-term growth through technical improvements and building authority the right way.
Necessary Questions to Ask Before Signing With An Agency
Once you know your needs and which agencies you should consider, it’s time to ask the right questions to evaluate which agency deserves your attention.
Approach and Strategy
Always ask about what strategies they will implement for your business. If they elaborate on how they will assess your business, assess its challenges, and determine where to focus, without throwing a general template at you, you’re in luck. You should also ask how they deal with emergencies, Google updates, and sudden changes in your industry.
Experience and Results
Ask questions regarding their experience and achieved results for other businesses in your market, e.g:
Can you share case studies or examples of past results?
How do you stay up-to-date with algorithm changes?
Do you work with any of our direct competitors?
How they answer will make it clear to you if they are the right fit or not.
Communication and Reporting
Setting communication parameters early on will save you the frustration later on. It will be in your best interest to know how often you will be provided reports and what is included. It is also essential to know the main channel of day-to-day conversations.
Practical and Financial Terms
Besides the strategic inquiries, you must also decide beforehand on the practical and financial terms. The questions below help you clear out any confusion so that you sign the contract on the right terms.
What is your pricing model, and what’s the total expected cost?
What is the contract length, and can we exit early if needed?
What will you need from us to deliver results?
Will you need administrative access to our website, and for what purpose?
Red Flags to Look Out For
Guaranteed Ranking Promises
If an agency promises you first-page rankings within a month, that means they are either taking risks, are straight-up lying, or both. A good agency always tells you straight up about what you should realistically expect. They should discuss terms like outcomes and timelines based on how competitive your space is and how healthy your website is.
Suspiciously Low Prices
Prices that are lower than the competitive average usually mean that an agency is cutting corners. From using automated tools and low quality backlinks, to cheap and inexperienced writers, there are a lot of ways that an agency can undercut the competition.
No Clear Strategy or Reporting
If an agency can’t build a clear plan with expected outcomes or share reports on time, this is a huge red flag.
PBNs or Low Quality Sites
Private Blog Networks and low quality backlinks can increase your ranking for a short while. However, one single Google update and those rankings sink down steeply and risk other penalties. Beware of agencies that resort to these measures.
Pushy Upsells
Upselling isn’t a bad thing, but it is a red flag if the agency keeps trying to add on other expensive upgrades and add-ons without justifying their benefits. It only shows that the agency wants to make sales, not provide results.
Expected SEO Pricing for Australian Businesses
Pricing is going to be different for every business based on variables such as goals, the level of competition in the industry, and the agency’s expertise. In Australia, some of the expected price ranges are as follows:
- SEO retainers are about $1,200 to $5,000 per month on average.
- Link-building services are charged per link, and for reputable sites, it’s usually $150 to $600 per placement.
- For one-time audits, the average is from $800 to $3,000.
- Content creation ranges $150 to $500 per article, depending on how long it is and how quality the article is.
- Google Business Profile Management $400-$1000 a month per location
It’s always best to share your budget with service providers to know how they can work with that without cutting down on quality work.
A good agency can make or break your brand. Therefore, it’s best to do your research before committing to any contract.