Looking for SEO services in Austin? Any business located in Austin, Texas, knows how big of a competitive market the place is! After all, it stands fourth on the list of largest metro areas within the country! It is growing fast too. Therefore, wanting to gain an edge on the competition in both the offline and online fields is a good goal to aspire to. However, if you know what SEO techniques can do for your business, then you might also know how important it is. You can’t hire just any SEO Company without considering their skills, abilities, and various other factors. So, what are these aspects that you should be making sure of before you hire an SEO firm?

For instance, by now you must have wised up to the following behavior displayed by certain SEO companies as warning signs:

• Using recent grads instead of experienced SEO consultants

Companies where inexperienced employees masquerade as SEO experts are to be avoided at all costs. One way these so-called professionals give themselves away is when they walk in and tell businesses how much money they’d need to invest in SEO. Without waiting to see said company’s aspirations and goals, these experts get them to shell out cash to meet their own quotas!

• Promising results in mere weeks

It takes even the best SEO professionals some time to achieve results. If someone is promising to deliver within a week or more, you should be concerned about the validity of their claims. If they are taking shortcuts, they may be doing so using black hat SEO. This could affect your company’s reputation in the long run! Moreover, search engines are now more discerning when it comes to black hat techniques!

Besides these obvious alarming practices of SEO companies, there are other things you should look out for. Mentioned ahead is a list of four most important things that any business should consider before handing their company’s digital future over to someone else!

• Local search result

If you are running a local business that is trying to outsmart its competitors, you’d want to be more visible to your customers. SEO can help you do that! Imagine someone who needs a product/service like yours; they will use a search engine like Google. Based on the keyword they enter, Google will direct them to businesses located in the surrounding area. A capable SEO company can help your business rank high in search results via local SEO. For businesses, showing up in search for a certain area can lead to an increase in organic traffic. Experts who know how to make SEO work in their favor will target local clients. This is where choosing an Austin SEO Company will pay off and help you dominate the local SERPs.

An Austin-based firm will have a better idea of how local denizens think. They will conduct research for keywords relevant to those people. Techniques used in local SEO are different from the ones that apply to global SEO. Choosing the right keywords can help your business convert those local search users. That is why, an expert would target ones with a high commercial value, monthly search volume, and less competitiveness. This strategy is effective for businesses that fulfill a specific niche in an industry and ones that depend on clients based locally. After all, it isn’t just getting traffic from all over the place that is important. The traffic that will translate into sales for your business is one that leads to good conversion rates. So, less traffic heading your way is completely okay as long as the SEO company ensures that it falls within the range of your businesses service area.

• The company’s background

Before you get into business with an SEO firm, ask them to tell you their story. Such stories will help you discern the real objective of an SEO company. You will be able to see what they consider important, the background they come from, what is a failure for them, and how they define success. It could also help you get an idea of how experienced they are and the kind of work they have done. Also, ask them about their greatest and worst client experiences. The way they handled matters in each situation could assist you to make the right decision.

• No contracts

Your company is growing and evolving continuously. That would mean its SEO needs will also need to be modified accordingly. So, when an SEO company you are about to hire asks you for a long-term contract, take some time to think it over. Why should you make this commitment? What good will their services be, if they aren’t evolving fast enough to help you increase your business? The fact that their marketing programs convince their clients to stick around should be sufficient for an SEO company. If they are any good, they’d provide consistently relevant SEO services to keep earning from your business.

• Customized SEO strategy

Every business is unique. They might vary on the basis of their business models, niche, industry, and a hundred other factors. That means one SEO solution that applies to one business wouldn’t necessarily be as effective for another. Therefore, choose an SEO partner who understands that. Why? Because if they realize this, the next logical step would be for them to provide you with a customized SEO strategy. They should take into account your company’s goals, needs, and the industry it belongs to, for starters. Moreover, SEO that caters specifically to your niche can also be of great help in branding.

So, this is our list of four of the most important factors a business should consider before hiring an SEO company. Has your business gone through this experience? Do you have any tips that are specifically successful for the niche your company fills? Let us know! You may also want to check out this article for other factors that can help you hire the right SEO firm for the job you have in mind!