
We understand how challenging it is to build a business from the ground up. As a founder, you’d want to keep an eye on every aspect of your business at all times. However, you would eventually need help with growing it and monitoring that growth. And an essential growth tool to have? Search engine optimisation!
But we know there’s this million-dollar question going on in your mind: is it time to hire an SEO agency for your business?
Finding the right timing (and the right agency)
Have you ever wondered when the right time is to step up with your SEO game? For us, developing your SEO strategy is not something that should be prioritised less. If you do, you risk losing both revenue and customers — two critical elements of business success. But for starters, here are a few things to consider before seeking the services of an SEO agency:
- What key metrics matter to you — the SEO agency you will choose should be able to build a strong strategy around your business goals and how you plan to achieve them.
- How much does the digital marketing agency charge and what is your budget.
- The length of time you expect to see significant results
- How the SEO strategy built will be weaved into the overall marketing strategy
The points we mentioned above will help you assess and align with what your outsourced SEO team has in mind. But to further assist you with your assessment, here are telltale signs that you should partner with an SEO agency now!
1. You have poor brand visibility online.
Search engine visibility is an absolute must if you want your business to be recognized and be the go-to name online. People must be able to find out about your products and services by using search engines; a good SEO strategy will land visitors on your website and convert them into paying customers.
If you’re starting to notice that website traffic stops pouring in or your website doesn’t rank well on SERPs, it might be time to hire an SEO agency.
2. You have become too reliant on paid ads.
There’s no denying how powerful paid ads are in garnering online attention for your brand. But certainly, they don’t come without limitations — consistent success through paid ads would only often materialise if you have a large budget.
Should there come a time when your budget won’t be enough to back up your paid ads, the risks will outweigh the benefits. We recommend hiring an SEO agency or consulting with a reputable search engine optimisation specialist if you’re still in the early growth phase.
3. Your content isn’t as stellar as you need it to be.
Sure, you have a website that looks good. Users can navigate through it well. But does it contain quality content that could be helpful for SEO?
High-quality content optimised for SEO is one surefire way to get discovered. Search engine algorithms look for the most relevant content from websites and display the best ones on their first page, helping drive organic traffic. Keywords are a fundamental part of content optimisation — something an SEO specialist can work on.
4. You can’t stay ahead of competitors.
Landing on the most-coveted top spots of SERPs is no easy feat. This is understandable, given that moving up and down spots on page 1 could influence click-through rates. It’s a website-eat-website world out there, and search engine ranking is everything.
That said, being oblivious to competition definitely won’t help.
SEO is something that could help you study competitor behaviour, trends, and techniques for customer acquisition. A number of SEO agencies offer competitor analysis so you can gain insight into these things and see what could be applied to your strategy if your current approach isn’t effective.
5. You either have too much time or don’t have time for SEO.
It’s a bit painful to say that, but it might be true.
With lots of other aspects of your business that you have to monitor, SEO efforts might be taking a backseat even when you’re not fully aware of it. The opposite could also happen — if you’re too fixated on SEO alone, other areas of your business that need utmost attention could be compromised.
Hiring an SEO agency could assist you in striking that balance. Outsourcing SEO services also allow you to focus on other integral parts of your business without neglecting anything. After all, success through SEO is something that can’t be achieved overnight, so you would surely need all the expert help you can get.
So is it time to hire an SEO agency for your business?
The answer to that is yes if you ask us! It is never too early to hire an SEO agency to help you with your optimisation strategy, but it can always be too late.
Do your research, ask the needed questions, and be agile enough to adapt to constant change — something that’s inevitable in the SEO world. And we can’t stress this enough: don’t be afraid to ask for and invest in expert help!