Top 6 Ways to Help Your SEO Firm Help You

Like many companies, SEM firms typically have 2 types of clients: the good and the bad. The 'good' clients tend to follow a few simple rules that make our lives a billion times easier. The 'bad' ones tend to do the opposite.

In order to maximize the investment you've made to gain expert SEO advice, it pays to be 'good'. We've put together the top 6 rules to follow to make your SEO specialist's life a little easier, and ensure that you extract the most value from your SEO program:


#1 – Be Open to Change.

If you are totally in love with your website’s current design, structure, content, etc., then you are going to have a hard time accepting some of the changes the SEO firm will likely suggest. You have to go into an SEO initiative with acceptance in mind that changes will HAVE to be made to the website in order for it to be search engine friendly. If you are not willing to make changes, your SEO firm will not be able to help you rank well. Remember you have hired the SEO expert because they are just that – an expert! Letting them 'do their job' is the best way to help your SEO program – and your bottom line.


#2- Get Educated.

If you know absolutely NOTHING about SEO, you won’t be able to provide the input that is really needed in this process. Your SEO firm will likely ask you for input and approval at various points along the way. If you have no idea what they’re talking about, be sure to do your homework and learn about the area. That being said, your SEO firm should give you some kind of overview on the world of SEO, the project, and how your goals can be achieved at the beginning of the project, and should be happy to answer any questions you have throughout. A firm that is unwilling to divulge information about their methods is probably not the kind you want to work with.


#3 – Be Prepared.

The more you information you can provide your SEO professional on your audience, their behaviour, and their objectives, the better the SEO expert will be able to select the most appropriate keywords. Ask your salespeople how they hear customers talk about the product, ask existing customers how they would describe your product or service, ask your colleagues which search terms they think customers might use. Give this information to your SEO firm – it will make a world of difference in laying the groundwork for effective SEO.


#4 – Dedicate Time.

A strong SEO program requires some level of input and collaboration from the client. You should be involved in or at least aware of the keyword selections and of course any changes that happen to your website. That means allocating time spent reviewing the documentation and strategies provided to you by the SEO expert. The firm should provide a tentative timeline for when to expect deliverables. Schedule in time to do these reviews and approvals, and stick to it. By meeting the agreed-upon turnaround times, you will ensure that the SEO firm can deliver the project in a timely manner.


#5- Keep Your Commitments.

If you have chosen (by virtue of restrictive budgets or otherwise) to undertake some activities in-house – like a link building campaign, for example – be sure to actually honour that commitment. A strategy can only be as good as its implementation. Your SEO firm can give you all of these great ideas and tactics for increasing the inbound links to your site, but if you don't actually FOLLOW any of them, you won't see the results you could have otherwise. Before you point fingers at your firm when those desired rankings don't pan out, take a look inwardly: Did you keep up your side of the bargain?


#6 – Be Patient.

Finally, do not expect results over night. Effective and sustainable SEO takes time, effort, energy, and above all, TIME. If your site started with 5 incoming links and absolutely no rankings, you can't really expect a #1 ranking within a month's time. Again, your SEO firm should help you understand what to expect and when from the campaign. They should be able to give you at least a general understanding of when you might begin to see some results If a firm offers any kind of guarantees, however, be wary as these are virtually impossible in SEO. Past results are the greatest indicator of future results.

By following these 6 simple rules, you too can become a 'good' client and reap the rewards in terms of a better SEO initiative!