12 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Local SEO Agency

Hiring a digital marketing agency is exciting. It allows you to stay on top of online trends, amplify your authority, and have a digital expert right by your side. 

The way you approach the hiring process can make or break your online strategy. That’s why the time to develop a critical eye is now. But not to worry—we’re here to get you started. 

Fully prep your team for that upcoming agency meeting by discussing these 12 questions before hiring a local SEO agency. 

4 Questions You Should Ask Yourself

These four questions are meant to help your team understand what you want out of the partnership. Getting this down is pivotal to finding an agency that’s the right fit. 

1. How Knowledgeable Are You on Digital Marketing?

Assess your strengths and weaknesses. The key is, to be honest. It’s fine if you’re a digital marketing newb. The point is that you want to find someone who can provide the level of support you need. 

2. What Are Some Issues You’ve Had with Your Online Strategy?

Layout the issues your team has experienced with your current online strategy. What are some of the key roadblocks? 

Prioritize these issues to ensure you address the main pressure points with your prospective agency. 

3. Who Are Your Competitors? What Are They Doing Right/Wrong?

Looking at your competitors can help further mold and shape your online goals. Consider conducting a competitor analysis to see how their strategies are playing out. 

Understanding how your competitors work may help you address additional issues or goals you want to pursue. 

4. What Are Your Online Goals?

The three questions above should help you map out clear goals. If you’re unsure how to achieve them or what metrics to track, don’t worry because you can discuss these points with your prospective local SEO agency.

Here are some examples of SEO/digital marketing goals for reference: 

• Increase in website traffic 
• More clicks on your product page 
• Generating more revenue via email campaigns
• Creating blog content 

Once you and your team have discussed these areas, be sure to document the information in writing to bring them up in your agency meeting. 

8 Questions to Ask Your Prospective SEO Agency

Here are eight questions to ask your prospective agency to ensure they fit your team and goals. 

1. How Will You Align Your Approach with Our Goals?

Your business and site are not the same as others. Ask the agency how they can help you. 

There are agencies out there that follow a cookie-cutter marketing approach, so you want to make sure they can create strategies tailored to your pain points. 

2. What Kind of Metrics Will You Track?

Choose an agency that makes data-driven decisions. Tracking metrics will help you understand whether your agency’s efforts are actually working. Therefore, ask them for some specific benchmarks they plan to incorporate into your campaign. 

3. Who Are Some Former and Current Clients?

An agency’s roster should give you a good idea of whether they have enough experience in your industry. See if they provide case studies that outline strategies and results. These can give you a good idea of what the agency can achieve for you.

4. What Do You Consider to Be Quality Content?

Content is the butter to the SEO bread. As your campaign may involve content optimization or creation, ask the agency to provide examples of their highest quality content. 

Evaluate their examples, and see if their perception of quality matches yours. 

5. Can You Present Your Strategies in Layman Terms?

If you’re new to digital marketing, this is a good question to ask. 

An agency that can align its communication style with your knowledge level is a good one. It means they are a conscientious team that communicates well. 

After all, communication is the hallmark of any relationship.

6. How Much Work Do You Plan to Outsource to Other Companies?

Depending on how big or small the agency is, they may outsource some projects to other companies. Find out what these areas are and who the company is. 

If parts of your campaign will be outsourced, verify whether your team is comfortable with this.

7. Who Will We Be Working With?

Find out who you’ll be working with and get to know them. How well do you vibe? Do you think you can get along with them for the next few months? 

8. What Project Management and Reporting Tools Do Your Team Use?

It’s a good sign if your agency uses consistent tools for their campaign projects; even better if these tools are the same ones you use. 

Sometimes, the admin/project management side can get a little messy, especially if both parties don’t utilize the same tools. Therefore, it might be helpful to understand what the tools are beforehand to avoid possible delays when your campaign launches. 

Check out this free digital marketing tool kit to familiarize yourself with some of your agency’s common tools. 

The Time to Get It Right Is Now

Give your team the best chance at hiring the right SEO agency. Your bottom line will thank you later. 

For more insights on finding the right match, check out our ultimate guide to hiring the right marketing agency. This thorough guide dives deeper into the right qualities and green and red flags. 

Is Big Leap a great fit for you? Check out our digital marketing services—it’s a great place to start! Either way, don’t forget to stay updated on all things digital by bookmarking the Big Leap blog.