The world of e-commerce is booming, with 20.8% of all global retail sales expected to occur on the Internet. And for e-commerce businesses, the Internet is the primary source of their sales. Thus, they need to find effective ways to attract new customers and sell their products.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a huge role in the success of every business, especially an e-commerce business. And when it comes to running an e-commerce business, there is absolutely no doubt that you understand how to increase traffic and are aware of the additional strategies you can employ to attain success.

However, the truth is you don’t really have the internal experts to get the job done.

So, what’s the solution? Hiring an e-commerce SEO agency.

But do you really want to hand over the reins of your business’ online success to any random agency?

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Thus, you want someone who knows SEO like the back of their hand.

There are a large number of agencies out there that are famous for offering incredible SEO services. However, are they really that good?

Well, fear not. This post brings you a checklist you should look for in an e-commerce SEO agency before hiring one.

Your E-commerce SEO agency checklist

The digital marketing landscape of today is flooded with several agencies offering e-commerce SEO services. However, most of these agencies don’t live up to their claims and you will be wasting your time and money by availing their services.

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The SEO agency you hire better has great SEO themselves. Otherwise, they aren’t practicing what they preach.

Thus, to ensure your e-commerce business is in good hands, here is a list of SEO e-commerce agency checklists to follow when searching for that one agency that can fuel your search engine ascent.

Check them out.

1. The authenticity of the agency

It is possible to get fooled about something you aren’t much familiar with. The same thing can happen when it comes to SEO.

You might get easily fooled by an agency into making you think that they are the experts in the field. But you need to understand that just offering SEO services along with a respectable e-commerce website development service doesn’t make anyone an SEO expert.

Thus, consider the following points to understand if your agency is genuine:

• History of the agency

It isn’t wise to work with an agency that doesn’t have an experience of more than 2-3 years. Although it is quite possible that you will be getting a good deal working with them (they might be Michael Jordan in his young years), but there is also a high probability of them using you as a guinea pig in their new business experiment.

If you find such an agency and still get good vibes from them, go through their case studies and portfolio.

• SEO Design

Any agency claiming to offer quality SEO should have fantastic SEO themselves. Also, notice their website. A slow and boring website simply means it was created to take advantage of e-commerce businesses like yours.

• Employee experience

You can ask for the names of the employees the agency has and look for their profiles on LinkedIn to learn about their experience in the field. Now, it is absolutely normal for an agency to have some newcomers working with them. But if a so-called ‘SEO expert’ in their team was selling credit cards door to door a couple of months back, you might want to look for some other agency.

• Contact information

The unavailability of contact information on the website or the lack of any business listing simply proves that the agency is not genuine at all.

2. Range of services

You need to find an SEO agency that offers you a complete range of services. You don’t want one agency to do your technical SEO and another one to write your blogs. To make SEO work its best, you’ll need other services like content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, PPC marketing, and more.

So, you need to check if the e-commerce SEO company you’re considering has a good history of offering you these services.

And it’s crucial to find an e-commerce SEO company known for being fast, doing excellent work, and giving great customer service.

3. Steer clear of SEO tricks

The digital marketing industry is fiercely competitive, making it challenging to secure clients. Consequently, agencies often resort to traditional SEO tactics in their quest to acquire more clients. One of the most effective strategies is to bring in an industry expert and leverage their reputation to attract new clients.

While having an industry expert on your project can be advantageous, it’s essential to ensure that this approach will genuinely benefit your business, rather than the agency simply using it as a marketing ploy.

You should verify that the industry expert will actively contribute to your project. If the likelihood of their meaningful involvement is minimal, then hiring such an agency might not be the wisest choice for your business.

4. Ask questions that matter

It pays to do your homework before you contact an SEO agency. In this way, you can better align your goals and understand what they can offer.

In addition to these questions, you should try to assess the metrics that they track and also how frequently they will report their progress to you.

5. Guaranteed results

Search Engine Optimization is governed by search engine algorithms that are difficult to understand as they are always changing.

Now, some SEO agencies are always optimistic about the results that they can get you but will never guarantee you anything. You may also find some agencies who will very specifically tell you about the results that they can help you get, which is impossible.

This basically acts as a red flag and means that you need to look for some other agency to work with.

The guaranteed results could be about the following:

• Ranking

Ranking is something that no one can be sure about. An agency will perfectly optimize your site but when it comes to the ranking, they will say your site ‘might’ appear on the top of Google SERPs for the keywords targeted. But, if an agency guarantees you anything about the ranking, they are just words you should never buy.

• Traffic

It is acceptable for agencies to tell you that they can increase the traffic on your site by multiple times but if an agency can accurately predict the actual amount of traffic they can get you on your website, well they might be astrologers.

• Conversions

Yes, it is a fact that optimization should lead to an increase in the number of sales but if you find an agency that can tell you the specific number of conversions, you need to run away from them ASAP.

6. Check if your competitors are their clients

It’s a positive sign when an SEO agency has a diverse client portfolio and relevant industry expertise. However, it can be a potential concern if they are currently working with any of your competitors.

For instance, if you and your competitor are both trying to rank for the same set of keywords, it raises questions about how the agency can effectively serve both clients without conflicts of interest.

It’s wise to seek clarification on these matters before committing to a partnership.

Final thoughts

Finding the right e-commerce SEO agency is a pivotal decision for the growth and success of your online business. As you embark on this journey, remember that your choice should align with your unique goals and needs.

With the right partner by your side, you can navigate the complex world of e-commerce SEO with confidence, knowing that your business is poised to thrive in the digital age.

So, choose wisely, invest wisely.

Searching for an Ecommerce agency that embodies expertise and a proven track record?

Look no further than Nico Digital. With a legacy of transforming online businesses into revenue-generating powerhouses, we possess the precise formula your brand needs to thrive in the digital landscape.

Experience the Difference: Partner with Nico Digital Today!