Each company needs a well-established online presence and exposure. Everything starts with a strong SEO strategy that ensures organic discoverability and great ranking positions.
But there is one problem. Many companies around, no matter the industry, aren’t really aware that SEO is an ever-changing field with so many new things to learn and incorporate. The outdated strategies of stuffing the content with keywords don’t work today for a good reason. That’s why collaborating closely with SEO partners is one of the possible solutions.
That way, there’s no risk of staying behind the trends and recent updates that can indeed break your presence and ruin the whole reputation you have been building for years.
But how do you make the SEO partnership work?
Here are some tips on choosing the perfect SEO partner for your business, ensuring the collaboration brings the expected results:
Table of Contents
Set Your Business Goals
Before starting your search for SEO partners, stop for a moment and think about what you want and expect from them. What do you want to achieve? How do you determine your SEO goals?
Start with the simple goals like:
- Increase website traffic
- Enhance brand awareness
- Generate more leads that convert
- Organic ranking for specific targeted keywords
These goals will help you spot the right people to collaborate with. Once you’re clear about what you want and expect, the right potential partners will propose a partnership with their custom offer.
Finding the Right SEO Partner
As you define your goals, it’s time to explore potential SEO partnerships. You can take a look at the SEO agencies or individuals who offer optimization services within your industry.
Still, there are quite a few things to pay attention to, like:
- Industry Expertise – Look for agencies or companies who are already experienced in your industry. That way, you ensure they understand your target audience, competition, and relevant SEO approaches.
- Success Track Records – Check on their website or ask for some case studies to estimate their past achievements. That way, you can see if their approach aligns with your goals and brand values.
- White Hat Practices – Ensure the SEO partner company uses ethical and sustainable SEO practices (i.e., white hat SEO). Avoid companies that promise quick fixes or unethical tactics, which can harm your website in the long run.
- Transparency and Communication – Choose an SEO partner company that prioritizes clear communication. They should explain their strategies, why they are taking specific steps, and regularly provide reports on your website’s performance.
SEO Partnership Beyond the Basics
While we mentioned all the basic criteria when it comes to partnerships with SEO agencies and experts, there are some crucial things beyond that surface. If you’re ready to explore it, let’s see what else it takes to have a successful SEO partnership.
- Company Culture – Find a partner company that maintains similar culture as yours, or that you find appropriate for collaboration. When companies ‘click’ with each other, successful partnership is guaranteed.
- Budget Concerns – Determine your budget to ensure you negotiate with the right SEO partner company. SEO companies and agencies offer different packages and rates, so ensure you communicate the budget first, so no one wastes each other’s time.
- Location – While location doesn’t matter in the digital age, some companies prefer local SEO partners due to mutual understanding and a well-known approach.
Getting Started with Your SEO Partner
We hope that the previous tips helped you find the right partner. So, the question is how to start that partnership and make the most out of it. Here are some practical tips on how to manage the collaboration and get the deserved results.
- Clear Communication – Clearly outline your goals and expectations from the partner. Encourage them to do the same, so you can both estimate if you’re the right match.
- Data-Driven Approach – The best SEO partner companies rely on data to establish their strategies and make them work. Give them access to relevant data about your website and target audience, like Google Search Console or any tool you use to track SEO progress.
- Regular Reporting – Schedule regular meetings to report progress and discuss adjustments to the SEO strategy.
Why SEO Partnerships?
Having an SEO partner gives you convenience in tracking the right keywords, creating exceptional content, and improving the existing pieces, too. But the real reasons go beyond that, and here are some of them:
You Create SEO Friendships, not Just Partnerships
The longer you work with your SEO partner, you’re getting to know their methods better. Both sides are getting confident to communicate the potential issues, and even to share ideas for improvement.
The search engine optimization partners will handle difficult tasks for you, while incorporating knowledge and skills to accomplish the promised results. Also, no one would ever expect overnight success, but both of you will enjoy each month’s progress, celebrating bigger and smaller milestones.
The more the partnership lasts, the more shared knowledge and expertise results from the collaboration. For example, you’re getting more and more aware of their knowledge and how they manage to accomplish those results for you.
On the other hand, as the SEO partner learns more about your company, values, and vision, they’re getting better in executing the SEO strategy. The shared knowledge is a bonus. And maybe one day they’ll need the very same service like yours, so you’ll be the first to come to their mind.
Increasing the Profits
SEO partners won’t promise overnight success. Just the opposite, they advise you to be patient and trust the process. It’s important to remember that SEO is not a quick fix, but an ongoing effort that requires dedication and invested time and skills.
Once the results come, the profits will grow, too. So, if you manage to grab the best SEO partners around, you’ll be able to have them more focused on your product or company – ultimately resulting in ongoing business growth for you.
Proactive and ROI-Driven Strategy
As SEO is evolving, your business needs a proactive approach based on data, performance, and return on investment. Initiate a discovery call to learn more about what the potential SEO partner has to offer and see if it fits your budget. After that, you can decide based on exact information, not just conclusions.
How to Ensure My SEO Partnership Works?
While the results are the main indicator that something works well, there are many other factors that may contribute to the partnership quality. When it comes to SEO, probably the number 1 position on search engines is the ultimate proof. Still, since it doesn’t come overnight, there are plenty of indicators to show you the partnership works besides the Google rankings, including:
- Clear Expectations – As both sides are transparent at the beginning, everyone is aware that SEO requires consistency and patience, and the expected results won’t come overnight.
- Understandable Process – A true SEO partner can explain the processes in simple words. They should be able to respond to all your whys, whats, and hows, without using too technical jargon.
- Accountable and Transparent – Each measured progress should have an explanation. Traffic growth alone means nothing without a context like ROI or sales. So, ensure all the reports the SEO partner provides make sense in the means of business, not just numbers.
Where to Find the Best SEO Partner?
While we explained what it means to hire an SEO partner and what the partnership should look like, we didn’t really cover the most important part – how and where to find these people or agencies.
So, here are some practical tips on that:
Don’t Fall for “Top SEO Partners” Lists
It’s great to be listed in a top-list article, but does it really reflect the actual situation? For example, for local SEO partners, you can easily find lists like “Top SEO partners in Chicago” or any other location. But you can’t rely on it 100% because of two reasons:
- They may have paid to be placed there
- The publisher wants to establish a local authority
So, your research must be more extensive than the top lists you can find on Google. It doesn’t matter whether you are searching for an SEO expert, a local SEO reseller, or an agency. Make sure your research is extensive in order to discover the most suitable SEO partner for your business.
Always go For White Hat Practices
Some SEO partners and agencies may promise instant results overnight by using techniques like spam backlinks or pumping AI-content to hyperproduce articles. While it may sound promising, you will have to focus on a slower pace, as SEO needs time and dedication to work out.
There will always be companies that offer black hat techniques, and their offer may sound tempting. But it’s up to you to politely decline it, as it’s not worth risking losing your website because of that.
Ask for Recommendations
You probably know some businesses that already have a SEO partner. You can simply ask them for a recommendation, so you can directly contact the potential company or individual for your strategy.
Additionally, if the recommended people aren’t free to take your project, they may recommend you to similar companies. Word of mouth is a great way to spot the best SEO partners around, so don’t underestimate its power.
Don’t Forget to Ask Questions
You’ll surely have a few meetings with different companies before you hire the right SEO partner. So, always ask questions to get a clearer image of how things go and what needs to be done.
Initially, you can ask questions like:
- What activities will you take in the first month?
- What additional resources do you need from my side?
- Who are the people involved in my project?
As well as anything else that may be relevant to your business or project.
Ready for Business Growth with SEO?
Remember, SEO is a valuable strategy that brings many benefits when implemented properly. Finding the right partner is the first step you need to take, to make your SEO efforts come true.
At SmartClick, we specialize in creating bespoke SEO strategies for our clients and partners, based on detailed website audit and transparent reporting in a given period.
Contact us today for a consultation or schedule a meeting to get started.
