As a SEO writer, my marketing efforts often target SEO Companies that help other businesses.
Before contacting these companies, my method is to review their website to see if my writing is a good fit. I look for testimonials from the clients they handle, their rates, where they are located and if they have a writing staff or a call for writers.
While reviewing these sites, I have noticed some things that would make me hesitate to work with them.
However as a business owner, there are 3 red flags that should tell any small business owner to keep going – FAST!
1. No Contact Information
This may seem like a minor issue, but think about it. As a marketer, you want clients to reach you.
Potential clients spend seconds scanning a webpage for what they need, and they move on.
How long will they spend trying to figure out how to contact you?
There are multiple methods to reach a company, such as:
- Social Media Buttons
- Contact Forms
- Live Webchat
- Phone
- Fax
An SEO marketer that doesn’t have at least one contact method on every page doesn’t want your business.
More importantly, they don’t know how to get you business.
The only way you are going to make a visitor become a client is by being reachable. You can use one of the methods above or a call to action with contact information.
But, you need an SEO company that knows and employs it on their website.
2. A Website full of repetitive words or pop-up advertising
Unfortunately, some SEO companies still use “black hat tactics” to get traffic.
Although Google.com is the most popular search engine, it is certainly not the only search engine on the web. Other search engines have their own algorithms that can be tricked into sending non-targeted traffic to your webpage.
A reputable marketing agency will either have staff writers or hire freelancers to provide meaningful themed content. Using themed content helps your visitors and keeps them coming back to your website.
Eventually, you will build enough trust to convert these visitors into paying clients.
However, a website marketer that uses repetitive words or multiple pop-up advertising on their own page is more likely to integrate these tactics on your website.
It doesn’t matter what type of business, potential clients don’t want to be inundated by pop-up advertising.
The pop-ups are going to prevent them from looking at the content they want. They are more likely to click off and seek the information elsewhere.
The consequences for hiring a black hat SEO agency can destroy your business.
Companies like this will get you banned from prominent search engines because these types of pages attract complaints. More importantly, you will lose potential customers who block your webpage or social media posts because they are useless.
3. No New Blog Content (Old Dates)
Even micro-sized SEO companies know the value of consistently blogging.
Part of their marketing plan for your company will be to have a regularly updated page, whether or not it is called a “blog”. Short posts or guest posts are better than no posts.
A company that is thriving will know how to maintain their business blog. It should be a good example for potential customers.
Just as in this post I advised professionals to take the dates off their blog if they are not regularly updating, the online marketing agency you consider should already know this option.
A good SEO marketing agency should know that making visitors think that the page is abandoned hurts your business. It results in poor traffic with quick click outs and fewer visitor-to-client conversions.
An SEO company should be knowledgeable of the tactics to attract traffic, inform potential and current customers and help convert your visitors into paying clients. If they are not demonstrating effective habits on their own website, then you cannot count on them to do it for yours.
As a freelance SEO writer, I know how to write content that your current and future clientele will love. Don’t leave your blog abandoned. Call me today at 404-860-BLOG (2564) or email me at info@chrislynpepper.us. Let me help you start building a profitable blog.