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Jul 30, 2021
Since 78% of local searches on mobile result in an offline purchase, building a local SEO Miami strategy is more crucial than ever.
Putting your company on the map and at the top of local search results whenever potential customers search for a business like yours is easier said than done.
If you want to truly succeed in this area, it’s best to work with an expert. Don’t hesitate to hire a local SEO agency in Miami.
However, we do want to remind you that SEO is a long-term strategy and it does take quite a while before you start seeing results. So, don’t go into a contract thinking that you’ll start getting more leads right away.
Form a partnership with a local SEO agency with a long-term relationship as your goal, instead of quick wins on specific metrics.
Because truth be told, the best SEO agency for your local business is one that will be there for you through the hard times and the good times, and for the many years to come.
In this article, we will share with you tips on how you can find the best local SEO agency for your business, what your responsibilities are to them, and things you can do to make sure both of you are satisfied in your partnership.
Without any more delays, let’s get started!
As with any other business relationship, working with a local SEO agency in Miami requires both of you to do your ends of the deal to see results.
Just because you hire them, doesn’t mean that they’re going to do all the work. You can’t expect to see progress if one of you isn’t cooperating. So, to make things clear, here are your responsibilities to the local SEO agency you employ:
You’re probably wondering why you need to read through the guidelines for representing your business on Google when you already have a local SEO Miami to do that for you.
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Well, it’s important to know what Google’s rules are in terms of what you can and cannot do on the platform. If you don’t, then you might just ask your agency to do something that’s against the rules and get penalized. Worse, your agency might be using black hat SEO tactics to boost your local ranking and you didn’t know about it.
Violating Google’s rules and using black hat SEO tactics can put your business at risk of suspension, reputation damage, and listing removal. In other words, you will no longer appear every time a potential customer searches for a business like yours online.
Can you imagine how much potential leads and sales that would cost you, just because you didn’t read Google’s guidelines?
And, you know what they say, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one.” So, you can’t appeal to Google, and neither can you put the blame solely on the agency you hire.
It’s good to have an idea even just about the basics so you can make smarter marketing decisions and set the right expectations with your local SEO agency.
Rather than telling them, “You take charge, we just want to see results,” you must actively collaborate with them to make it happen.
Before hiring a local SEO agency in Miami, it’s important to communicate what you expect to come out from your partnership - specifically your expectations from them.
Being open and honest about your expectations is important, so they can tell you what’s possible and what’s not based on your case. That way, they can also be open and honest in discussing their expectations of you.
Setting the right expectations can help eliminate any future misunderstandings and make sure that the both of you meet eye to eye.
If you remembered asking your employees to leave a review on your Google My Business page, or any action considered a violation according to Google’s guidelines, you should tell your SEO agency about it.
It’s crucial to be honest about your past mistakes so your agency can fix them and make sure they don’t affect your SEO’s future performance.
We know how you feel. Stuff like this can be embarrassing to admit, but unless you let them know about them, they won’t be able to help you.
What’s worse is, if left unaddressed, these past mistakes will continue to weaken your SEO efforts no matter how strong your tactics may be.
As a local SEO agency in Miami having worked with hundreds of businesses from different industries, one of the barriers that would prevent us from completing our work is when a client fails to meet the due date for a deliverable.
A local SEO agency cannot work without your input or data. Any delays from your end also mean delays on their output, which can affect your results.
This can seriously strain business relationships.
As much as possible, when the agreed date comes for you to provide certain materials -whether it’s content, photos, business information, or access permissions - always do your best to hand them over on time.
However, we do understand that local business owners are among the busiest people on earth. And, we can’t always meet deadlines, so a few occasional delays are acceptable.
On the other hand, if it’s something that happens all the time, then you may need to investigate why it’s happening. It could be because you need to hire someone to do content for you.
Once you’ve figured it all out and have hired a copywriter, for example, then you can begin moving ahead without any more delays.
If there’s anything you need to know before you hire a local SEO in Miami, it’s the fact that Google’s algorithm changes regularly.
What does this mean?
It means that your business could rank at the 6th position on the first page of local search results today and then be moved to the 5th page of local SERPs tomorrow. Or, you could be getting hundreds of calls every day for a week, and then experience a drop in calls, traffic, visibility, or reviews the next.
While it may be very volatile, there’s no need to get discouraged. As long as you and your agency are following SEO best practices, your agency can develop a list of actions to resolve the problem. Just a little patience from you and you’ll be on the right track.
Before hiring a local SEO agency in Miami, you want to look them up first online and check their reputation.
Take note of reviews, ratings, and recommendations. See what their former and present clients have to say about them.
Also, check if they have a blog, contribute to industry blogs, if they host conferences, or they have any proof that tells you they’re involved and active in the local SEO industry.
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To determine if the local SEO agency is the perfect match for you, be sure to ask them the following questions:
A good local SEO is well-versed with the following guidelines and strictly follows them to protect its clients from getting penalized:
To identify whether an agency’s SEO practices are consistent with all of Google’s guides, ask them a hypothetical question. Make sure to take note of their answer and then match their solution with the guidelines.
For example, if you ask the agency if you can get your business listed even though you don’t have a physical store, their answer should be a “no” and explain why that is, based on the guidelines.
If they tell you “no” but suggest you can get away with it, it’s a sign to start looking for another agency. It’s not worth compromising your reputation for.
Some agencies oversell just to get the job.
To make sure you hire the right partner to build a solid SEO strategy for you and provide you concrete results, give them a clear and specific list of goals that you want to achieve, like how many more sales or leads you to want within a set period. Then, ask them what they think.
A competitive local SEO agency will have done their research about your business and its market before meeting you. So, what you want to hear from them is if your goals are achievable or not, based on the information they’ve gathered from their research.
If they promise you the world right off the bat, then maybe you should reconsider.
Ask them for a sample client report so you have an idea of how they’ll present data to you.
Sometimes, reports can get overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking at.
Some clients like a very detailed presentation style, while others prefer to see only high-level data with action items.
Feel free to ask if they offer customization when it comes to reporting and let them know how you want them to present their data to you.
Don’t hesitate to ask them about the tools and software they use. You might also want to research about them just to be sure that you can fully rely on them.
Remember, the right local SEO agency for your business will be honest with you.
Information like this may need to be anonymized because of client privacy and NDA. However, if they keep a public roster of their clients, ask if you can be put in touch with one of them.
You want to get a recommendation or a go signal that you can trust the agency.
If they can’t provide you anything or if they present you with vague metrics, then it’s time to look for another agency.
It’s good to know what the agency expects from you so you have an idea about your role and how you can participate and support each other in this journey.
You also want to tackle communication, pricing, your budget, and of course, your goals.
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If some things aren’t clear for you, don’t hesitate to ask your local SEO agency in Miami for clarifications.
SEO terms can be very confusing, so make sure to ask whenever there are jargons you don’t understand, like SERPS, backlink building, etc.
Be honest with your agency if something isn’t meeting your standards. It’s the only way they can serve you better.
If you stay quiet about it, they’ll never know that you aren’t happy with their performance and they won’t be able to improve. Plus, the resentment will slowly build up until you can’t take it anymore.
On the flip side, it’s also important to express your satisfaction, especially when a goal is met. Let them know that you’re impressed or very happy about their performance.
While it’s true that local SEO agencies are experts when it comes to everything SEO, they don’t really know your business or your community the way you do.
To further strengthen your SEO strategy and guarantee its success, you have to work hand in hand with your agency.
However, you’ll only be able to contribute if you continue learning about local SEO best practices, trends, and industry updates. You don’t need to have very detailed knowledge about it, just an idea of what’s going on.
Again, just like any other business relationship, working with a local SEO agency in Miami is a partnership. Both of you need to do your part, openly communicate, and set the right expectations for your relationship to work.
At Digital Resource, we can help you with everything digital, from SEO and paid ads to social media marketing. Allow us to provide you the professional help you need to succeed online!
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