Every marketing firm in 2023 needs to provide clients access to SEO services. SEO is no longer a clever trick that some companies use to rank higher in search results; it is an essential practice that allows a business to connect with its online audience. SEO complements almost every other digital marketing service, and many clients expect to be able to work with a single provider to achieve all their marketing goals.
Unfortunately, not every marketing agency can maintain an in-house SEO staff. SEO is complicated, and many digital marketers have neither the time nor affinity for learning (and relearning) the skills necessary to complete SEO to success. What’s more, SEO is expensive; because SEO is one of the more complex digital marketing fields, SEO experts demand high salaries that many younger and smaller firms cannot afford.
Thus, many marketing firms opt to acquire SEO services through SEO resellers, who are specialized SEO firms that sell their services through other marketing agencies. There are many benefits to utilizing SEO resellers — such as lower costs and higher scalability — but there are always risks associated with outsourcing services. To avoid those risks, marketers must choose a high-quality SEO partner, and here’s how to do that.
Recognize Reasonable Rates and Fees
There is outstanding variety in SEO rates across the industry — because there is a wide range of quality of SEO services available to marketers and clients. High-quality SEO tends to be costlier, as skilled SEO professionals and the tools they utilize can be expensive to maintain. While marketers can find remarkably cheap SEO services to resell to their clients, rock-bottom rates are usually a sign of exceedingly low-quality SEO practices, which will not provide much benefit to digital marketing strategies. It might be wise for marketers to research current market rates for certain standards of SEO, so they can avoid falling victim to too-good-to-be-true SEO partners.
Look for Real Reviews of SEO Resellers
Reviews posted on SEO resellers’ websites can provide some insight into the satisfaction of their clients, but because these sentiments are hand-selected by the SEO companies themselves, they rarely offer a realistic look at how clients feel about the services provided. Thus, marketers should look on third-party review websites for more information about client experiences with different SEO resellers. Some SEO resellers might be willing to put marketing agencies in contact with current or past clients, as well, so marketers can ask more specific questions about the positives and negatives of different firms.
Consider the Age of the SEO Firm
Generally, older SEO marketing firms have more experience in the SEO field, which means they are more likely to provide high-quality services that positively impact digital marketing campaigns. Because SEO strategies have changed so frequently and quite dramatically through time, older SEO companies have demonstrated their ability to adapt to new SEO practices, continuing to deliver value to their clients. Though age isn’t everything, age of an SEO reseller could be a good indication of whether the agency truly understands SEO and is capable of providing high-quality services into the future.
Pay Attention to Niche Expertise
Many digital marketing firms specialize to attract clients from discrete niches. Often, these companies require specific knowledge and skill in marketing to customers in online spaces, which is why they gravitate toward marketing firms with this expertise. It might be worthwhile for marketing firms operating in small niches to find SEO partners with similar experience, as they might be able to deliver greater value to clients. If an SEO partner’s experience does not align exactly with the niche of a digital marketing agency, any related industry exposure can be of use.
Identify Effective Communication
Communication is by far the most important skill for any individual professional to maintain, and it is critical that any service provider used by a marketing firm display communication preferences that align with the agency’s expectations and needs. Many SEO resellers provide trial periods, where marketers can better understand the type and quality of SEO services they provide. During this period, marketers should also evaluate a potential SEO partner’s communication style. If any aspect of communication is lacking, it might be wise to look for a different SEO reseller with better communication abilities.
SEO is an essential service that digital marketers must provide, and reselling SEO services provided by more specialized SEO firms is a good way to give clients access to high-quality SEO. By thinking critically about what their marketing firm needs in its SEO partner, marketers can achieve the SEO results of their clients’ dreams.
