We enlisted a professional to manage our law firm's SEO strategies a couple of months back. I presume the company is performing well, but I am uncertain. How can I educate myself enough to start assessing their effectiveness? What criteria should I be using to evaluate their performance? They provide updates, yet I lack the knowledge to determine if they are satisfactory or not.
There are several ways to evaluate your SEO provider’s performance. You can ask for a detailed report that includes data on:
- Website Traffic: Analyze changes in website traffic, particularly organic traffic, to see if it’s increasing. Look at metrics like website visitors, page views, bounce rate, and average session duration.
- Keyword Rankings: Monitor your website’s ranking for relevant keywords in search engine results pages (SERPs). A good SEO provider should improve your website’s ranking for your target keywords.
- Backlinks: Examine the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your website. A strong backlink profile is a key indicator of a healthy SEO strategy.
- Content Marketing: Assess the quality and quantity of the content your SEO provider is creating for your website. Content should be relevant, engaging, and optimized for search engines.
- Technical SEO: Ensure your website is technically optimized for search engines. This includes factors like site speed, mobile responsiveness, and proper indexing.
You can also:
- Compare your website’s performance to industry benchmarks: See how your website’s traffic and rankings stack up against competitors.
- Look for changes in your website’s visibility: Track whether your website is appearing in more search results.
If you’re unsure about interpreting this data, seeking a second opinion from an independent SEO professional can be helpful.