Tips on How to Hire the Right Link Building Agency

Tips on How to Hire the Right Link Building Agency

The use of links to direct users to a site is a practice that’s become commonplace in search engine optimisation or SEO. However, some don’t realise that it can have the opposite of the intended effect and compromise an online domain’s rankings on the SERPs or search engine results pages if they fail to comply with specific guidelines.  

For this reason, it’s recommended to hire a link building agency like www.ocere.com to do the job on your company’s behalf because it can do your online presence more harm than good if you don’t have a capable in-house team to handle it. To that end, here are a few tips that should help guide you in the direction of the right experts who can meet your needs.

1. Ask for referrals

Any good link building firm must fulfill these criteria:

  • Possesses the experience and knowledge to execute effective strategies.
  • Understands and respects the goals of their clients.

These requirements can easily be checked, and you can start by asking for referrals from family, friends, co-workers, business associates, or anyone you know who may have commissioned the job and were pleased with the results. It’s also a good idea to browse the World Wide Web for opinions on the company before you decide. Doing so will give you objective information on the agency and help you make a more informed decision.

Once you have a shortlist of potential candidates, the next step is to set up a meeting so that you can talk about your concerns. It’s also an excellent opportunity to inquire about their strategies and workflow. If they’re open and transparent with their services, it’s a good sign; it means that they likely have nothing to hide. Conversely, those that are hesitant to give information could be using Blackhat techniques that you should avoid.

2. Determine their capability

A link building agency must have the expertise to deliver results to its clients. So, while checking reviews can help, you’ll need to do a little more research to determine the full extent of their capability. For starters, it would be helpful to check how well they rank on the search engines for their targeted keywords by doing a search on your own. If they’re positioned high on the search results, it’s an indicator that they could likely do the same for you.

You need to check their portfolio too during your meeting with the agency. This will give you an insight into how well or poorly they’re doing. And as a result, help you find the right experts while steering clear of the wrong ones. 

3. Ensure ethical practices

Generally speaking, SEO techniques like link building are categorised into two distinct groups – Whitehat and Blackhat strategies. The former focuses on creating and using relevant content, links, references, HTML coding compliance, and natural and organic keywords. On the other hand, the latter relies on auto-generated material, link farming, content spamming, and keyword stuffing. While Blackhat strategies tend to yield immediate results, it also makes it more susceptible to penalties.

Therefore, it’s always better to stick with agencies that only use ethical practices. The approach may not bring quick results. However, it will also mitigate the chances of losing valuable web traffic due to penalties imposed by search engines.

Wrap-up

Link building requires a greater level of expertise than some might think. Moreover, it’s also an ongoing process. It doesn’t stop once you’ve managed to reach the top; it needs continuous work so that you can maintain your position. This is why many choose to let experts shoulder the responsibility, and so should you. Make sure you follow all of these tips to find the best link building agency for your business.