SEO is vital.
Of course we’d say that, we’re an Sydney SEO agency after all.
But in all seriousness, it’s a vital part of the marketing strategy of any business.
Developing and maintaining this in-house, however, can be time consuming, costly, and difficult without any expert knowledge.
That’s where an SEO agency comes in!
Today, we’ve put together our guide on how to hire an SEO agency, what to look out for, what to avoid, and so much more.
Buckle in, and let’s get down to business!
What is SEO?
Look, chances are, you already have base-level knowledge on what SEO is. But for those who don’t, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of making improvements and adjustments to your website, resulting in higher ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs) and higher visibility online. SEO also has an impact on your user experience, making it easier for users to navigate your website and complete preferred actions, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
How can I hire an SEO agency?
If you’re planning to hire an SEO agency, we’ve put together some of the key considerations to keep in mind when doing so.
There are no shortcuts
When it comes to SEO, there are no shortcuts or secret tricks that will take your website to number one overnight.
Long-term success comes from consistently applying best practices that make your site both search engine friendly and genuinely easy for people to use. That kind of foundation takes time to build, which is why any reputable SEO agency working with a long-term strategy in mind would never promise instant results.
The upside is that once your website is properly optimised and starts gaining traction, those improvements continue to deliver value over time. SEO compounds. The work you put in today keeps paying off down the track.
On the flip side, agencies that promise quick wins are often relying on black hat SEO tactics. These might produce short-term spikes, but they are almost always temporary and risky. With Google constantly updating its algorithms to crack down on these practices, that approach is ultimately setting your site up to fail.
Be realistic with your SEO budget
As a business owner, your budget may be limited. While choosing a cheaper SEO option can feel like the safer choice financially, it rarely delivers the results you are actually looking for.
A professional SEO agency will typically charge a competitive rate for their time, expertise, and ongoing management of your campaigns. In most cases, you are paying for strategy, execution, and consistent effort over time.
As a general rule, the time required and the cost involved depend on a few key factors: your business goals, the level of competition in your industry, and how quickly you want to see results.
Here are a few important things to keep in mind:
- The faster you want results, the higher the investment required
- Highly competitive keywords and industries usually demand larger budgets
- Long-term SEO success is directly tied to the quality of the work being done
Quality SEO is an investment, not an expense. Cutting corners may save money upfront, but it often leads to wasted spend and slower growth in the long run.
Understand SEO within your wider marketing strategy
The success of SEO depends heavily on how well it fits into your broader marketing strategy. While SEO on its own covers many essential elements related to your website, its impact is far greater when it works alongside channels like social media, email marketing, and paid media.
This is especially true for content marketing. When your SEO agency creates articles or resources for your site, sharing that content across social platforms and including it in EDMs helps extend its reach. Doing this can grow your organic audience, strengthen your SEO efforts, and drive more qualified traffic back to your website.
SEO is not a fix for weak business or marketing foundations. Before engaging an SEO agency, it is worth reviewing your overall marketing strategy and identifying any gaps or areas that need improvement. Strong SEO works best when it supports a solid, well-rounded marketing approach.
Ask about previous clients and experiences
When researching an SEO agency, it’s important to take into account their experience working with specific businesses. Ask for case studies, look at testimonial videos, and talk to the potential agency about other similar clients they’ve done work for. Because the landscape is constantly changing, it’s also important to show that your SEO agency has an understanding of current trends, as well as committing to ongoing learning.
Know that amazing rankings aren’t guaranteed
A reputable SEO agency will never guarantee top search engine rankings. It is simply not possible to predict exactly how or when a site will rank, and even Google advises businesses to be cautious of providers who make bold promises like this.
While rankings are a useful metric for tracking progress, they should not be the sole focus of your SEO efforts. Obsessing over position alone can be misleading and does not always reflect real business impact.
Ultimately, the real goals of SEO should be to drive relevant, targeted traffic to your website, build brand awareness, and generate a strong return on investment. When SEO is done properly, rankings improve as a by-product of creating genuine value, not as the only objective.
Measure your SEO activity
One of the biggest advantages of SEO is the ability to measure performance and collect meaningful data about how people interact with your website, then use those insights to inform smarter business decisions.
Your SEO provider will use tools like Google Analytics to understand who is visiting your site, how long they stay, which pages they engage with, and what actions they take. This data helps paint a clear picture of what is working and where improvements can be made.
It is important to work closely with your SEO provider to define which actions truly matter to your business, whether that is form submissions, purchases, phone calls, or other key conversions. Regular reporting then allows you to clearly see which SEO activities are delivering the most value.
It is also reasonable to expect consistent reporting from your SEO agency. For example, we provide monthly reports so you always know where your investment is going and how your SEO is performing, without any guesswork.
Content marketing & SEO go hand in hand
There are many different techniques an SEO agency can use to strengthen your online presence and help you achieve your business goals.
One of the most important is content marketing. This involves creating useful, engaging, and high quality content that attracts the right audience, drives traffic to your website, and encourages users to take action.
Strong content plays a key role in any successful online marketing strategy. It helps build trust, supports keyword targeting, earns backlinks, and improves user engagement across your site.
When content marketing is properly integrated into your SEO efforts, it becomes far more effective. Together, they work to increase visibility, attract qualified traffic, and support long term, sustainable growth for your business.
So, how will you choose your SEO agency?
At the end of the day, the right SEO agency is one that understands your business, works closely with you to achieve your goals, and sets clear, realistic expectations from the outset.
It is not about chasing shortcuts or overpromising results. It is about building a sustainable strategy that delivers real value over time.
And without tooting our own horn too much, that is exactly what we do. We are a team of digital strategists and conversion specialists focused on helping businesses grow online in a way that actually makes sense.
Get a free proposal with Local Digital today and see what we bring to the table.
