7 Tips for Choosing the Right Local SEO Company

September 30, 2020

11 minute read

Building a solid SEO strategy is essential to generate leads. A local SEO company focuses on strategies to improve your ranking and create more leads for location-based searches. Local SEO strategies are critical to making you visible in the right places. This generates more leads, more conversions, and more sales.

What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a hyper-focused type of search engine optimization. This marketing strategy emphasizes the importance of geographical components. Google reported at least 46% of searches have a local intent behind them. Many people use location-based searches on mobile devices. For example, if you’re looking for pest control, you want someone close to you who can get to you fast.

It’s important to earn a spot in the Google Local Pack. This is the top three locations shown on maps. In 2019, BrightLocal reported 84% of Google My Business views were from general discovery searches. A discovery search is a broad search for a category, product, or service. For example, “urgent care” or “Chinese food near me.” 75% of these views were on the map view. If you are on the map, users are more likely to find you and contact you. If you can’t make the pack, you want to be as high as possible.

Local SEO is also a powerful tool that allows you to communicate with your customers quickly. Your business has to adapt to the ever-changing world. A well-maintained Google My Business profile can quickly provide updates about your business to keep customers informed.

Red Flags to Watch For

When you’re looking for professional help with your local SEO, you have a wealth of options. It can be overwhelming to sort through them all. Who do you trust, and how do you know you can trust them? A few things to watch out for include:

Automated Strategies – Your technology alone isn’t what makes your business successful. It’s your employees! Companies who utilize automation software for SEO create unreliable strategies. With automation, you lose the nuance of what it takes to be successful.
Boasting About Revenue Figures – Seeing how much money a company makes can be intriguing! It may show they are successful, but can you trust they’re accurate if the same company provided them?
One Size Fits All Methods – Your business is unique, so their strategy should be unique. A company that uses the same uniform methods for all clients may not consider your specific needs.
Untracked Leads – What is the benefit of having leads if you don’t know where they’re coming from? Tracking leads helps you know where your success, and equally important your failures, are coming from so you know how to improve.
Guaranteed Results – While we trust SEO best practices, no local SEO expert can predict the future. Promises of a specific ROI or exact number of leads should concern you.

Making an informed decision is key for finding the right SEO company. If something feels off, trust your gut! A trustworthy company will not bombard you with false promises and gimmicks.

How to Choose the Right Local SEO Company

Navigating the search for a reliable local SEO agency may feel daunting. No matter your Internet marketing experience, you may not know what to look for. Choosing the right company considers your goals, your business goals, and the expertise of their staff. Here are some helpful tips to guide you on your decision.

Tip #1: Seek Industry Experts

Just like your customers seek your unique expertise, you should seek SEO experts. However, don’t just take their word for their claims. Industry organizations like BrightLocal and Google provide certifications to verify SEO expertise.

For example, ROAR! Internet Marketing professionals keep up-to-date with the latest certifications so you can trust you’re in good hands. Our SEO certifications include:

BrightLocal Top Orlando SEO Company
Digital Analytics Association
Google Partner
Grow with Google High Impact Partner
Microsoft Partner

Above all, Matt Weber, the president of ROAR!, is a national Google Supported Trainer. This means the same expert who trains on Google’s behalf across the country oversees your local SEO company!

Tip #2: Research Their Track Record

Third party certifications are important, but what about their current clients? Would they recommend the local SEO company? Have they generated successful results for them?

BrightLocal reported 82% of consumers read reviews of local businesses. Reviews are a powerful tool to share personal experiences of working with a business. In addition to checking for Google reviews, check their website for client testimonials and case studies.

A long relationship between a client and a local SEO company is powerful. Not only have the SEO experts helped the business achieve success, but they’ve given them a reason to stay. For example, Vascular Vein Centers has worked with ROAR! for ten years. While trends change, we achieved an 85% year over year increase in local search traffic in the last year.

Tip #3: Talk to the Local SEO Company Before Hiring Them

Finding the right local SEO firm for your needs is a big deal. You don’t want to get in-to business with just anyone. If you wouldn’t marry someone you’ve never met, why would you sign a business contract with someone you’ve never spoken to?

It’s important to talk to a representative from the company. You can gain a better understanding of what they can offer you. This is your chance to voice your concerns, such as:

How is local SEO different from regular SEO? From PPC?
How can they help you achieve your goals?
What goes into your local SEO strategy?
Who owns your data?
Who will you work with directly?
Why should you care about local SEO?
How do I beat my competitors?

When you talk to the right local SEO company, they won’t bombard you with jargon. They will review your options and answer your questions on an even playing field.

Other than the marketing details, a consultation is a chance for you to learn the company’s personality! You want to set yourself up for a successful, enjoyable relationship. The right company for you has the skills and personality to create the best experience and deliver results.

Tip #4: Find Out If They Track Data

Leads are key to your business’s success. However, how can you be sure you’re making the most of your SEO strategy?

Your local SEO company needs to track all of your leads. This highlights where and how people are finding you. As you better understand your current customers, you can discover new ways to maximize successful areas. Effective local SEO strategies precisely track leads with tools like UTM codes, call tracking metrics, and more.

Tip #5: Discuss If They Offer Reports and How They Use Them

SEO reports are an important report card for your local SEO performance. Although it may vary, organizations generally offer reports on a monthly or quarterly basis. These reports highlight critical data from your SEO activity, such as:

Traffic
Clicks
Keyword Rankings
Time on Site
Conversions

This also helps identify any potential changes to your account. While reports are an opportunity to show successes of campaigns, they may also reveal areas that need improvement. For example, your report might indicate a decline in clicks from a specific keyword. You should expect your local SEO agency to investigate the cause.

Report findings should directly influence the future plans your SEO strategists have for your business. Creating a successful SEO strategy is not a one and done process. Professionals should not approach SEO as an experiment, but it does involve some trial. Informed and strategic testing can be effective for finding methods to improve your ranking.

Tip #6: Talk About Your Goals and How They Will Achieve Them

Generally speaking, businesses share the same SEO goal: rank higher. While ranking high is important, defined local SEO goals should answer questions like:

What are you trying to rank for?
Who is the most ideal customer you are trying to reach?
What do you want those customers to do?

An effective local SEO strategy revolves around your specific needs. The professionals at the local SEO company need to develop a specific strategy for you to achieve your goals. They should provide a plan outlining the methods they intend to use in your tailored SEO strategy.

Tip #7: Monitor If They Are Easy to Reach

Local SEO, particularly Google My Business, is a powerful tool to quickly communicate business changes with your audience. Whether need to update your GMB listing or want to discuss a report, the last thing you want is someone who is elusive.

Track the local SEO company’s availability from your first contact with them. Do they answer the phone? How successful are their email responses? Are you sure the chat function on their website is a real person and not a bot?

At ROAR!, we value your time and needs. We strive to follow up on and reply to all requests within 24 hours. Our team stays on top of your marketing needs so you can spend more time running your business.

If you’re curious about local SEO services, reach out to us! Our Internet marketing specialists will happily answer any questions you may have.

What We Offer as Local SEO Professionals

An effective local SEO strategy is the sum of many parts. We develop your tailored strategy plan that utilize tools and techniques like:

Competitor Analysis
Google My Business Management and Optimization
Reputation Management
Technical Audits
Citation Building
Link Earning
Content Curation
Keyword Research

Our SEO experts have direct involvement with your strategy every step of the way. Unlike some of our competitors, we don’t rely on automated systems or software. Real people execute the necessary tasks to improve your local presence. We believe in the advantage trusting human intelligence over artificial intelligence when it comes to your local SEO.

We understand you have unique goals for your business, and we are a results-driven local SEO company. As certified Google Partners, we understand Google’s algorithm is constantly changing. Our professionals stay up-to-date on the latest algorithm updates to ensure we offer you the best service and techniques. We combine SEO best practices and keep on top of the latest trends to employ successful local SEO strategies. These strategies help you generate more money and more leads. Our SEO experts work hard so you don’t have to!

Talk to the Experts at a Local SEO Company

Taking your Internet presence to the next level is just one conversation away. Reach out to us today and speak with an Internet marketing specialist. When you partner with ROAR! Internet Marketing as your local SEO company, you gain a partner who cares about your success. Your goals are important to us, and we have the strategies and skills to achieve them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should You Ask a Local SEO Company?

Before working with a Local SEO Company, talk to them specifically about how they can help you. Ask about who you will work with, their strategy for you to meet your goals, and the plans they offer. Also, make sure to find out if you maintain ownership of your data.

Who Is the Best Local SEO Company?

The best Local SEO Company offers expertise and the reputation to back it up. They don’t make false promises or gimmicks. The best company relies only on tried and true experience and best practices.

Why Should You Hire a Local SEO Company?

Local SEO is critical for you to rank higher and earn one of the top three spots on the map for customers to find you. A Local SEO Company has the expertise to develop the unique strategy for customers to find you, especially through Google My Business.

Why Do You Need a Local SEO Company?

As users increasingly search on mobile devices, local SEO is more important now more than ever. Local SEO helps you improve your ranking so you appear higher on Google. This means more people will see you, generating more leads and more money for you.