Our reliance on the internet for our daily needs is growing. Need to find an Apple shop to buy a new charger for your phone? Google to find the nearest one. Need to leave your pet cat somewhere for a few days? Ask Google to give you the address of a nearby pet hostel.

SEO’s geographical component is becoming more important with our growing dependence on the internet. Businesses make themselves visible to their target demographic within their target area to maximize sales. This is the magic of local SEO! 

You need to take the help of an SEO company to put you on the map. Otherwise, you will never hit the goals you had set for your business. You want to make it to the Google Local Pack so that your business appears on the top three results and gets shown on the map. 

How do you pick the right company for local SEO? This article is all about vetting several options and deciding on a single agency. So, without further ado, let’s get the ball rolling. 

Are They Good At Their Own SEO?

The simplest way to narrow down your options is to find out the SEO performances of the agencies themselves. If you are looking for SEO agencies in West Palm Beach, Florida, just google SEO services West Palm Beach. Now look at the top three results and compare their offerings, pricing, and track records. 

The smaller details matter too. What does their social media presence tell you? What does their website look like? Is it smooth to navigate, indicating they interact with customers frequently? What do you think of their meta texts? 

Do they feel generic or make you want to know more about them? Consider all these aspects as you assess these agencies.

What Red Flags Should You Keep An Eye Out For?

For each local SEO agency you’re considering, look at their website for examples of local SEO case studies and customer reviews. Many SEO firms have case studies, but how many of those focus on local SEO? Consider this a red flag if they don’t list any.

Don’t let a homepage filled with big shot logos deceive you. It’s possible that they could have worked with an affiliate rather than the actual company. Perhaps they worked for a shoe factory that manufactures shoes for Nike and afterward claimed that they worked for Nike themselves. 

Agencies often use the name of big companies as clients since they know it’s unlikely they will get caught. Never forget to ask for referrals and URLs to sites that they worked on, and then call the clients to verify!

Try to hire a company that relies less on automation and has a team of talented and dedicated employees. Different businesses require a different approach. An automation-heavy strategy will never work like that. Also, stay away from companies that brag about their revenue numbers. It’s a common tactic lackluster agencies resort to for impressing potential clients. 

We must also highlight the fact that it’s impossible to predict the future. You can be the best SEO practitioner in the world. But, there is no way you will be able to guarantee a certain amount of leads after a certain period. If any agency is making such offers, they are probably being fraudulent.

Have A Talk 

Assigning someone to do SEO for your company is more consequential than you might think. It’s a big responsibility, so before trusting an agency with it, you should have a good chat with them. Have a face-to-face talk with a company representative if possible, or talk over the phone or video chat.

Ask all the important questions. What response can you expect from a successful local SEO campaign? What will the company do that makes it better than its competitors? What’s their strategy to top your business rivals? How will they use your data, and who has access to it?

Make sure that they are not feeding you a bunch of jargon that makes zero sense to you. It’s their duty to make you understand and properly relieve you of your concerns. If you leave the meeting with vague answers, you should consult other agencies. 

Also, you should not be the only one with questions. Reliable SEO practitioners will have tons of questions about your business. They will use the information to plot the best strategy for you. If you don’t have to answer too many questions, the agency might adopt an all-purpose SEO approach. It seldom works! 

Final Say 

There is no all-size-fits-all SEO trick that works for all businesses. So, hire a local SEO company that will come up with a plan specifically designed for you. Don’t work with companies that make unverifiable claims and have dodgy track records. Also, make sure they do not come with the red flags we talked about.