7 Things I Learned Running SEO at a Digital Marketing Agency

7 Things I Learned Running SEO at a Digital Marketing Agency
10 min read
29 October 2022

SEO Digital Marketing Agency

Being the seo digital marketing agency or even establishing an agency on your own is not without risk. Here are a few tips to guide you.

Prior to co-founding my company I was the leader of the SEO team of a digital marketing firm catering for SMB clients over six years.

I had no previous experience managing a department or even a business.

Naturally, I've made many rookie's mistakes. 

In this post, you'll discover the top seven things I've learned about running SEO in an agencysomething I wish someone would have told me earlier.

1. Choose Your Services Carefully

We Ruling Ranks promoted ourselves as a full-service digital marketing company but , in retrospect we're not.

By a long way.

We didn't have the expertise or personnel to be experts at all things.

Even if we done all that and more, I (now) consider myself to be a firm believer that you must choose your field with care and then become a master at it.

We weren't an agency that could provide full-service digital marketing. In truth, we weren't that great in all the different SEO services either.

We were awestruck in terms of the technical SEO, keyword research and strategy, but we were not as successful in creating material, creating links, and conducting digital PR.

Therefore the recommendations we made often didn't meet their full potential when they were implemented just because our recommendations' content weren't high quality enough, and the links were not there.

This did not only negatively affect the impression of the SEO work however, it also impacted web design as well as the other services we provided.

It is interesting to note that the clients who really smashed it were those who were well-informed and content-oriented.

Together, through a symbiotic relationship, we came up with amazing content, while also gaining links and PR all built on a solid technological base.

2. Don't Go All Out With Every Prospect to Win the Contract

If you don't have a huge sales force, and you're after an enterprise deal where you're required to be all-in and spend a lot of time with each prospect in order to get their business.

Prospects are likely to ask to conduct lots of free research before they sign. Sometimes, they're trying to find free suggestions.

It is a common occurrence throughout the consulting industry, and has been going on for a long time.

It's shocking to learn that this was happening in SEO as well... What could I possibly say? I was a young, naive person at the time.

At first, we thought of working hard and preparing an elaborate proposal for each prospective client. However, the ROI was far too small.

Sure, we won contracts, but we also lost money, as well.

Sometimes we received an unambiguous "No," but other times we were simply ignored and were aware that the prospect might have just gone off with our plans.

Through the years We have improved our lead-scoring method and made sure to inform the potential buyer about ballpark prices earlier throughout the process.

We created cases studies that explained the process we followed and how we accomplished it, and the results we were able to accomplish for other clients.

When we picked positive signs, we'd give an approximate but specific outline of what the prospective customer would be able to have to expect from us.

If we're still very good, we'd write about the idea in the form of a formal proposal.

At the time we came to this stage we were confident that we had a 80-90 percent probability of winning this contract.

If the buyer would like to receive more suggestions and information through us in the process of selling you'd need to ask them to take a pledge.

There are no exclusions.

If they aren't able to agree to the entire package immediately it's best to start with a small project in order to provide them with an understanding of the experience of working with us. We'll go from there.

3. Don't Write One-Size-Fits-All, Massive Deliverables

The bulky deliverables usually go in the trash, with their suggestions are not implemented. The person you're writing the deliverables to should be your first thought.

If you're a small-scale business owner, does he or she need to know the 40 page Technical SEO audit? Absolutely not.

If you're making recommendations to a developer are they required to know the entire plan of content you've developed? Perhaps not.

Offer them some background, and follow up with suggestions which are relevant to them, for example ways to enhance the structure of internal links.

Make sure you write your documents with an eye on the people who have to respond to them.

If they're in different assignments, make diverse deliverables. Make them short; focus on the most important elements and offer them the chance to explore further and understand how to explain the "why" behind the recommendation.

Naturally, each delivered product should include a list of priorities of what they have to accomplish along with the financial investment needed and the expected results.

SEE ALSO : Why you should invest in SEO today

4. Be Mindful of "Not-Invented-Here" Syndrome

As an SEO specialist, it's essential to keep exploring new techniques building tools for yourself as well as make yourself better, and to enhance your process.

But, you must be aware to be aware of "not-invented-here" syndrome and don't be averse to things you didn't make up by yourself.

This is the case for research and process just as much as it does to tools.

Be open to letting go of your work in the event that a better solution emerges. It could be as simple as re-doing the keyword research process once an employee joins the team or changing to a custom CMS.

We've seen this happen many times while cooperating with one of our customers as development partners. They were still using outdated technology they had built by themselves, when there were better options available for less.

What they believed was their best strength ended up being their Kryptonite.

5. Balance Work on the Business and. In the Business

Life at the agency can be hectic with excitement, chaos, and excitement. It's easy to become lost in the chaos.

I'd always carefully plan my day, but never finish my essentials.

It's difficult to concentrate on your plan when a possible dream client contacts you and asks you to help them with the SEO strategy. Also, when a large client suddenly terminates the contract.

Sometimes, I wasn't able to strike a balance between working on my business and working within the business.

I was the primary SEO and our small team relied on me to constantly improve and improving SEO services. SEO services we provided. In this role I had to commit sufficient time within the company to ensure that things did not fall apart within the SEO department.

Things improved when I employed an SEO expert with years of experience. The balance was restored for me.

6. Performance-Based Deals Are Tricky

Clients who are considering a new business would often ask us if we were willing to making deals that were based on performance. We usually declined, however, when we did say yes we got into deals that only made us any money.

Deals based on performance are difficult because you have to decide the KPIs that will define your performance.

Are they just leads, or are they qualified sales or leads?

What is the amount you're in return during the initial time in which you're investing money and building organic traffic but not seeing any results?

What happens when your client's business is bought by another company?

What if they wish to end their relationship with you or in reverse?

Deals on performance can be an intricate marriage that could quickly go off the rails.

In addition the fact that these inquiries based on performance can be indicative of a struggling companyperhaps even their final chance to survive before they go under.

You do not want to be with them.

Perhaps the people I've talked about these kinds of agreements with haven't found the best method to execute these types of deals. What I can say however is that they aren't easy to navigate.

7. Think Carefully Before Signing Exclusivity Agreements

Customers may request that you sign exclusivity agreements that will prevent your involvement with other businesses similar to theirs.

They don't want competitors to profit from the lessons you've learned while working for them.

Although that's always been a logical conclusion for me be aware that:

  • If you accept this, you'll be losing the business of their opponents.
  • It is important to request enough for what you want to get in return, so that the time spent in exclusivity worthwhile.

We have signed exclusive agreements with various clients and many of them ended up being extremely profitable.

However, in the majority of instances, the exclusivity agreement has cost us more money over the long haul than it generated in the short-term.

Companies and competitors of our clients in similar areas (which were also excluded) were aware of this and contacted us.

To Your Agency's Success!

Every person starts somewhere and are taught a number of hard lessons on the way.

Hope that these seven lessons from me will keep you from making the same mistakes again.

If they are not they could cause you to reconsider signing that performance-based contract or exclusive content.

To your success!

SEE ALSO : seo services

 

7 Best SEO Certifications

 

1. Google's Fundamentals Of Digital Marketing Certification

2. Google Analytics 4 On Skillshop

3. UC Davis Search Engine Optimization Specialization

4. HubSpot's SEO Certification Course

5. Semrush SEO Fundamentals Exam

6. Ahrefs' Complete SEO Course For Beginners

7. Paid Certifications

A ) Moz Academy

B )  Yoast All-Around SEO Training

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Saahil Khan 276
Joined: 3 years ago
Comments (2)
  1. Carmen-Troy

    Certainly! Here are 7 key takeaways I learned while running SEO at a digital marketing agency:

    Keyword Research is Fundamental: Effective SEO starts with in-depth keyword research to target the right audience and phrases.

    Quality Content is King: Creating high-quality, relevant content is crucial for both on-page and off-page SEO efforts.

    Technical SEO Matters: Pay attention to** technical SEO** aspects like site speed, mobile optimization, and structured data.

    Backlinks are Powerful: Building quality backlinks from authoritative sources can significantly boost rankings.

    Analytics and Monitoring: Regularly analyze data and track performance with tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

    Algorithm Updates are Constant: Stay up-to-date with search engine algorithm changes to adapt your strategies accordingly.

    Client Communication is Key: Transparent communication with clients is essential for managing expectations and achieving success.

    These insights can help drive effective SEO campaigns and deliver results for clients at a digital marketing agency.

    7 months ago ·
    0
  2. George Murphy

    Far beyond the simple ability to use social media, digital marketing requires an understanding of consumer habits and motivations, the ability to synthesize analytics, and communicating effectively with clients. Check out what exactly digital marketing is, why it’s important, a day-in-the-life of a digital marketer and how to get into the industry.

    4 months ago ·
    0
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