If you’re on the hunt for a Las Vegas SEO company, you certainly have no shortage of options. But not all SEO companies are created equal. Let’s talk about what you should look for and red flags that should send you running for the hills.

3 Things to Look for in a Las Vegas SEO Company

First, consider these signs that you’re dealing with a reputable team of experts.

1. They Willingly Share Testimonials from Happy Clients

You: “What have previous clients said about working with you?”

SEO company: “No.”

Yeah, we’re going to go ahead and call that a red flag.

A Las Vegas SEO company worth its salt will happily share testimonials, case studies, and reviews from brands they’ve worked with in the past.

Want to really put them to the test? Ask them about a client they parted with on not-so-stellar terms. Inquire about what went wrong and how they handled it.

You really see a company’s true colors when things are less than peachy.

2. They Have a Proven Track Record

SEO is a very nebulous concept with a million moving parts. However, it can still be tied to concrete KPIs and numbers, which don’t lie.

Get into the nitty gritty of the analytics with the Las Vegas SEO company you’re considering. Ask to see data and metrics from campaigns they ran. What were their goals? What did they achieve?

When it comes to SEO specifically, here are some questions you might consider asking:

• Have you got any of your clients ranking on page one of Google for relevant terms?
• What sort of traffic increase do you see with your clients?
• How do you monitor our competitors?
• Will you do a backlink audit?
• What tools/software do you use?
• How soon do you see results, generally?

While they might not be able to give 100% definite answers (because SEO is complex), the company you’re considering should still be able to give you at least a rough idea. (Side note: Don’t be surprised if they need a little time to gather metrics to show you. This sometimes requires sifting through spreadsheets and charts!)

3. The Las Vegas SEO Company Has a Specific Process that They Follow

If you don’t know a whole heck of a lot about SEO — which is totally understandable, because it’s complicated! — it’s going to be easier for an SEO company to talk a lot… without really saying anything.

Here’s the thing, though. While the exact steps can and should change from brand to brand, any SEO company you’re considering should be able to lay out at least a general roadmap/plan for how they would go about getting you ranking. This might include:

• Auditing where you currently stand by determining what keywords you’re already ranking for, what pages are performing well, and where you’re falling behind.
• In-depth competitor analysis to reveal where your competitors are outranking you (sometimes referred to as a “content gap”).
• Identifying keywords and pages that matter.

Also, be sure to confirm if this company is also going to be working on your technical SEO, which is usually treated as another thing entirely. This requires a lot more behind-the-scenes work that will likely involve whoever manages your website.

On-page/on-site SEO, on the other hand, involves optimizing web pages to get them ranking higher in search engines. (This is a very watered down definition! Just be sure to ask if they’re doing both, or only on-site SEO.)

Lastly, if you have a brick and mortar business, be sure to ask if the company will also manage your local SEO.

3 Red Flags that Should Catch Your Attention

Now that you know what to look for in a Las Vegas SEO company, let’s talk about three things that commonly pop up that should be cause for concern.

1. The SEO Company You’re Considering Promises Overnight Results

Too many brands fall prey to promises of overnight success. Here’s the thing (and we know that no one wants to hear this): SEO isn’t quick. It’s not a sprint — it’s a marathon.

More often than not, it takes at least a few months to see any real progress. So, if a Las Vegas SEO company is promising to move mountains in a matter of days or weeks, proceed with caution.

2. They Promise… Anything at All

If you ask us, SEO companies shouldn’t make any promises at all. But why?

Remember what we said earlier? SEO involves so many moving parts. Let’s say you hire a company to do your on-site SEO, but your website has a ton of technical problems. Maybe it’s not mobile-optimized and the page speed is terrible (definite signs your website is due for a redesign, by the way).

These elements can negatively impact your rankings!

So, an SEO company can be doing great work, but if other things are out of whack, their SEO efforts could be a moot point.

Something else to think about? Your competitors. How they’re performing absolutely impacts how you rank. But they’re something you can’t control.

Even with a flawless website, no SEO company can promise anything for one simple reason: We can’t control Google and we have no idea what it’s going to do with the content you publish. Period.

3. They Don’t Have Clear KPIs that They’re Tracking

You: “Can we get an update?”

SEO company: “Your traffic is looking good.”

What does that even mean?! (Nothing.)

How have rankings changed over the last month? What about impressions? Click-through rates? Bounce rates? Time spent on site? Have you bumped any competitors for an important keyword? Have any pages gotten worse.

When you ask your SEO company for a progress report, they should be able to offer many concrete details — not vague commentary.

With so many variables to consider, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s where we come in. LSM is a tight-knit group of digital marketing professionals in Las Vegas who have a real soft spot for local businesses. Book a free consultation today and let’s talk about ramping up your SEO efforts.