Who is the Best SEO Service Provider and Company in the USA / Canada?

It’s almost impossible to get an honest answer to this question.

You’re talking about an industry full of people and firms that know how to manipulate the system (Google, essentially) to ensure that they are the ones found at the top of the list. They put forth a ton of effort for their clients (presumably) so imagine the amount of effort and expense they go to to boost their own online status? It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It doesn’t really serve you, the business owner, who just wants an answer.

Heck, by me selecting the exact title above I intended to get this article found by you. I knew you’d open Google search and enter a string of words that autocompleted to “who is the best SEO service provider” or some semantic variation of it. I’m guilty.

What I’m not guilty of, is an agenda that refers you to an associate near you that I’ll earn a percentage off of when you fill out their contact form. Nope. I don’t play that game. Instead,  I’m providing you with a guideline of what to look for (and look out for) when attempting to search for the best SEO in the USA, Canada, or wherever you may be. If I’m that person for you, I’m honored. If not, that’s OK too. But please do keep reading.

4 Things That Will Tell You Which SEO Provider is the Best for Your Business

1. The One that Provides You with Full Disclosure on Your Ongoing SEO Plan

Sounds obvious but it’s not. The number one gripe that business owners have when it comes to their existing SEO provider is that they actually have no idea what they (the SEO) does for them on a monthly basis, aside from sending them an invoice. To know what monthly full disclosure looks like, your SEO should provide you with the following:

• Weekly blog updates with titles/topics backed by keyword search volume (all SEO budgets)
• Monthly keyword ranking report (all SEO budgets)
• Monthly Google Analytics report (all SEO budgets)
• Monthly backlink prospecting and acquisition report (larger SEO budgets)

View this article on how to tell if your SEO provider is working. An SEO is not a candidate for “best for you” unless they deliver accordingly.

2. The One that Listens to Your Needs, Takes a Stand, and Compromises

There are two polar problems when it comes to the SEO/client relationship.

On one side, you have SEOs that implement a cookie cutter strategy without learning the ins and outs of your business. They take a plan that worked for company “A” (another client of theirs) and apply it to “B” and “C” and your business too. They insist that they know what’s best, what keywords you should rank for, and which keywords will convert better for you without asking for your input nor considering your vast experience in your industry. The result? Months later you may find that you did not earn one single customer from the keywords your SEO has been insisting upon.

On the other side, you have pushover SEOs that will simply do as you say, even if they keyword targets you are recommending are not reasonable (for conversion) or feasible (given the level of competition and your limited budget). These SEOs are just happy to get your business today (they have bills to pay) without considering the long term repercussions. These SEOs do not have the fortitude to take a stand and do right by you.

The “best” SEO however, understands balance. They will perform a complete audit of your business, ask you questions, consider your thoughts, devise a course of action, and deliver it to you for feedback. You will have some questions and concerns. That’s OK. Expect some disagreement in your relationship, some back and forth dialogue until an optimal solution presents itself. Also expect some trial and error in the early stages of your SEO plan (6 months to a year). It takes time to flesh out the exact combination of keywords, demographic targets, and conversion tactics that equal paying customers. But in the end, this compromise will bring big profits. Be patient with your SEO and understand that they are being patient with you too.

3. The One Who Knows the Both the Underbelly and Up & Up of the SEO World

This is a rarity, but truly separates the best from the average. It’s also controversial, if such a dramatic statement can be made about this profession. Only someone with intimate knowledge of black hat, grey hat, and white hat SEO can truly audit, manage, and protect your website.

If you’ve used an online marketing firm in the past, you will need someone who knows what to look for to determine if the previous company put your site in harms way via link schemes, thin content, and other not-so-obvious black hat tactics. More importantly, you need someone that knows what corrective action needs to be taken. I can tell you right now, most SEOs do not perform this black hat / grey hat audit. Even fewer SEOs know how to take corrective action and put you on the path with a white hat strategy that will keep you safe from any and all algorithm updates to come.

4. The One that Suits Your Budget Without Sacrificing an Inch of Quality

Your online search for the best SEO may very well have unearthed the cream of the crop in both individuals and firms BUT chances are that you will pay a premium for the EXACT same quantity and quality of work that you can secure at a much lower rate. It’s also likely that those SEOs paid big bucks to make the tops of those industry authority lists that claim them to be the best. If they’re shelling out thousands for these accolades, they are passing their costs down to you when quoting their rates. Even if they have earned the laurels, you will still pay an exponential premium. Don’t let your budget get stretched by reputation alone. There are numerous SEOs that may not have rubbed elbows with the right media influencers to get digital street cred but know the business just as well, if not better. If you’re searching for one of the best SEOs in your locale then you mean business for your business, it’s worth doing a little extra homework before making a decision. Comb through their website, read their blog, request examples of client work closest to your industry, and get to know your prospective SEO before signing the digital dotted line.

In the end, remember that the best SEO is the best SEO for YOU. Proceed accordingly.

Follow Marcus Maraih on Google

Follow the MarcusMaraih.Com Page on Google

Like the featured image of this article? You may copy/paste it into your own content as long as you provide linked attribution to the homepage.

Comments

comments