Would you buy a house without checking out the neighborhood and schools first? Or a car without researching its reliability and safety ratings? Of course you wouldn't, unless you enjoy throwing caution to the wind (and in that case, you can stop reading).
Search Engine Optimization is - or at least should be - all about seeing improved results on your website. That's why it's crucial to ask to see an SEO company's case study information before selecting them for your SEO efforts. While you're at it, ask to meet the SEO staff who will be optimizing your site.
Sound a little over the top? Maybe, but here's the thing: it's really fashionable for businesses to jump on the SEO bandwagon right now, regardless of whether or not they actually know how to do SEO. Many of these companies don't even have dedicated SEO staff; they simply outsource the work. Ad agencies, for instance, desperate to make themselves more relevant, are some of the worst offenders - they often claim to do SEO despite not actually having a single SEO person on staff.
What can you really learn from a SEO case study?
An SEO case study can provide a treasure trove of information, including answers to the following questions:
How does a firm approach SEO? Case studies provide a perfect opportunity for an SEO firm to show off their strengths, strategies and results, giving you a good idea of what they can do for your business. You can see what they're most focused on: search engine rankings, link popularity, conversions, or all of the above. It may be possible for you to determine if they use ethical "white hat" strategies, or more risky tactics that could end up hurting your efforts in the long run.
Do they track and compare key statistics? You can see how thoroughly they track and compare data. And you may even be able to get a glimpse through graphs and screenshots of the kinds of tools and analytics programs the firm uses. Accurate tracking is obviously critical to your SEO efforts; if a firm can't tell you where you are and where you've been, how can you trust them with where you're going?
What industries do they serve? Or are they a generalist? You can find out if a firm specializes in certain industries, which is excellent information to know when determining if they are a good fit for your business. Maybe you have a manufacturing site and are looking for an SEO firm with experience successfully optimizing similar websites. Or perhaps you're a local business and are looking for a firm who knows your local market inside and out.
What if a company won't supply SEO case study data?
If an SEO company won't supply case study data, then generally speaking that should send up a red flag. Here are some likely scenarios as to why an SEO firm might avoid providing case study data, none of which are good:
not actually having any clients to document
not actually doing the SEO work themselves thereby not having access to data
not being able to produce good enough data to document
not properly tracking data (making before-and-after comparisons a challenge)
not wanting to divulge their clients
not using SEO methods on the "up and up" (i.e., unethical or Black Hat strategies)
What should a good SEO case study include?
Let's break it down a little further: a good SEO case study should give you a well-rounded picture of the challenges facing both the client and the SEO firm, as well as the strategies and results used during the optimization process:
Background/Challenges: This part of the case study may include client history, as well as details regarding the challenges facing both the client and SEO company. These challenges might include being in an ultra-competitive industry, having a totally un-optimized site, having previously been banned by the search engines, etc.
Strategy: Next, a good SEO case study should lay out how the company approached the challenges and what they did to improve the site's rankings, traffic and conversions.
Results: A good case study will lay out documented results in key areas like search engine saturation, link popularity, search engine rankings, etc. And, of course, since SEO is ultimately results-focused, a case study should include sales and conversion information if available.
Conclusion
SEO case studies should be one of a company's best marketing tools. That's because if they are able to produce good, documentable results using proven SEO strategies, they'll want to show off those results to secure new clients. The proof's in the pudding, right?
Collyn Floyd http://www.tkg.com/collyn-floyd is a marketing and public relations specialist with The Karcher Group, a web development and search engine marketing firm based in North Canton, OH. She is passionate about helping The Karcher Group's clients achieve greater online traffic, leads and sales through search engine optimization and marketing.
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