How good is your SEO agency? If you're like most CMOs I speak with these days, you won't be able to honestly answer that question without relying overtly on your intuition. Hopefully this article can allow you to answer this haunting question with a bit more certainty. We'll review some red flags that may cause concern, and allow you to make an informed decision going forward.
Doorway/cloaked pages
Industry insiders often refer to the difference between "Black Hat" and "White Hat" SEO tactics. While it may sound like something out of "Harry Potter" or "Dungeon & Dragons," it's relatively important to know the difference, at least at a high level. "Black Hat" tactics generally consist of attempts to game the search engines, by utilizing tricks that may artificially raise a particular site or page in the rankings.
One of the most common ways of tricking a search engine algorithm is by the use of "doorway" or "cloaked" pages. This consists of constructing a special page made only for the search engine crawlers. This causes the search engine to see and score one page, while directing the consumer to the actual site. Anytime you hear your search agency talking about these types of activities, it may be time to engage with a more reputable firm that follows the anti-spam guides of the major engines.
"It's a warning sign if the agency hasn't sat down with you to explain the continuum of best practices that range from white hat to black hat and where they recommend your campaign sit on the continuum," says Kevin Lee, chairman and CEO of Did-It, a search marketing agency located in New York.
Myopic focus on rankings
Many SEO agencies, especially in the business development phase, are prone to creating rankings reports that show a client how well (or poorly) their website ranks for a list of keywords. It isn't entirely impossible to see how a CMO or marketing executive would be compelled by this type of data. After all, if your website isn't ranking well for terms that seem applicable to my business, then how well is your site really optimized?
At the end of the day, however, rankings don't translate that well into overall business objectives. Who cares if you're ranking No. 1 at Google for a particular key phrase? Is that how you're being measured as a CMO? Doubt it. What is truly important is the quality of business activity your SEO efforts are driving. Quality traffic is a better measure, while measuring conversions is better still.
Hoarding SEO knowledge
There is no doubt that SEO professionals have spent a good deal of time acquiring knowledge about the search business. That is, after all, why are you paying them. However, I have seen a clear delineation between the types of SEO professionals that hoard that knowledge, and those that freely share it. Too many SEO consultants fear that their contracts may be in jeopardy if the clients learn too much. This type of attitude will not help your entire enterprise get up to speed on thinking through an SEO lens.
Scott Smigler, CEO of Exclusive Concepts, a search agency located outside of Boston, feels the role of the agency is to disseminate the knowledge as the engagement blossoms.
"We've worked with hundreds of growing businesses throughout the years to improve their search engine optimization. We've found that when our clients are engaged in an open dialogue with our internet marketing strategists, and when knowledge is shared freely between the two parties, very strong results follow. I would suggest that companies should fire their SEO agency when SEOs start answering questions with words like, 'trust me,' rather than laying out a strong business case and teaching while doing," he said.
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