Last month E-Consultncy produced its revised SEO Buyers guide

I was delighted to be asked, as an independent consultant, to contribute to the guide which profiles many of the UK’s leading search agencies such as:

Ambergreen, Barracuda Digital, bigmouthmedia, Browser Media, ClickThrough Marketing, DBD Media, Epiphany Solutions, Equi=Media, Factotum Creative, Fresh Egg, Greenlight, Guava, Harvest Digital, High Position, iCrossing, i-level Search, Latitude, LBi, Leapfrogg, Make It Rain, Optimize, Propellernet, Receptional, Search Laboratory, SEOptimise, SiteVisibility, Steak, Summit Media, Tamar, The Search Works and VCCP Search

As the search agency world fragments it is very important for advertisers to ensure they choose the right agency for the right reasons. Over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to work with some of the Worlds leading search agencies and with many global advertisers on a multitude of SEO and search accounts. I have worked with some of the best and with some of the worst SEO people in the industry. Here are a few, neutral, pointers on SEO agency selection:

1. Research – Research your shortlist of agencies in depth. Ideally have 5 invited to pitch that include pure play SEO, integrated SEO and PPC agencies, and larger digital media houses.

2. Ensure the agencies understand your business needs. Make sure you speak to someone who understands your business first. SEO talk comes later.

3. Don’t be swayed by either a poor salesman or by a commercially unaware technical person. Balance is key. SEO is a sales, marketing and technical discipline. This should be mirrored in agencies approach and pitch throughout the whole selection process..

4. Size isn’t everything – Using a large agency isn’t necessarily the best. Due diligence is essential. Can a specialist with a staff of 50+ give you the attention you need?. If you choose a large digital agency, is your account going to be simply farmed out to a smaller SEO agency anyway?. On the other hand – can a smaller agency give you the economy of scale and integration with other media channels that you need?

5. Be diligent – It sounds obvious, but double-check references, ensure case studies are up to date, check for negative PR and reports. Ask for corporate and team organizational charts, read agency blogs and industry blogs, view peoples CV’s. Ensure the people you meet are actually the people who will work on your account.

There is no right or wrong answer as to vendor selection. Many companies prefer the idea of working with large agencies. Others prefer the scalability and dedication offered by smaller specialist vendors.

To recap….Make sure you the read the E-Consultancy guide and ensure any prospective agencies adhere to the SEO best practices highlighted in the guide.

Ensure any prospective business development team actually understands your market and business need first. They should then facilitate introductions to, and work closely with their SEO specialists who would be working on your account. This is where the real SEO experts truly take over. If you sense internal conflict or lack of synergy between these 2 departments then consider another vendor.

If in doubt – give me a call or drop me an email.