It’s a question we hear all the time…most often from a company that is confused with what their current SEO company is providing in the long run. So here is the question phrased a little differently: is your SEO company bringing you actual value, or just talking about rankings and traffic?

Without sounding too negative, we wanted to take a moment to point out the pattern we’ve noticed with low-cost SEO firms selling advertisers a monthly package to work on rankings or traffic, but failing to address client concerns about leads, revenue and return on investment. So here are a few questions to ask yourself, and then to ask your SEO company:

  • Are our rankings correlated with leads or revenue? Can we prove that?
  • Are we competitive enough to gain rankings and by extension revenue?
  • If rankings and traffic rise, are we seeing a boost in leads and revenue?

On the face of it, these seem like obvious questions which have surely been addressed, right? You’d be surprised how often these points are glossed over, how often the math is fudged or never worked through all the way, and how long a tough conversation can be avoided.

Now is the right time to ask the tough questions, have the (perhaps) uncomfortable conversation and make sure your dollars are being spent wisely. SEO can and does take time, but the bottom line is new business and higher revenue, so if you’ve been working with an SEO firm for three or six months and you’re not seeing the desired result, ask the hard questions and see if perhaps a new tactic should be employed. An online marketing firm that recommends one method for all clients in all situations isn’t spending time working on the right solution to each problem.

If you’re wondering about your current online marketing situation, get in touch, we’d be happy to see if there are red flags to discuss with your SEO or SEM provider.