How to work with your SEO agency to drive better results, faster

Hiring an SEO agency can be a game-changer for brands looking to outshine the competition in search results. 

That said, an SEO agency is only as good as its partnership with its clients. That’s when SEO’s true value can be realized. 

What this looks like practically is working together towards shared goals and keeping momentum high. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. 

Here’s what you can do to ensure you get the most from your SEO agency partnership. 

Because when you’re aligned, you make progress faster and, in turn, can better prove ROI.  

Align SEO with what moves the business

Your company sets the business goals, and SEO’s job is to get the traffic to help you reach them. 

The more you align on goals with your agency, the more effective an SEO program will be. 

Before any campaign is launched, the business and the agency need to discuss how to align SEO with your business goals. 

This meeting is even more effective when you can get cross-departmental stakeholders to weigh in. 

Objectives can be anything – for instance, market expansion, revenue, building brand authority, enhancing the customer experience, or something else. When executed well, SEO can support nearly any business goal.  

This is also an excellent time to facilitate SEO training across teams. 

When departments are aligned on the foundational concepts of SEO, they can understand SEO’s function and their role in it. 

Dig deeper: SEO prioritization: How to focus on what moves the needle

Set the agenda for a productive kickoff 

What does a productive kickoff meeting look like? Here are some things that are important to cover:

• Your pain points: Even if you already discussed your SEO pain points during the sales call, it’s important that your SEO team hears it directly from you and has an opportunity to ask questions.
• The ins and outs of your business: Help the SEO team understand your business as best you can. You know your industry better than anyone, and the more the agency knows, the better your SEO program will be.
• The program’s scope: Make sure you understand the scope and everyone’s role in the project. For example, how long is each phase of the project? Who is responsible on the agency side for which tasks? Who will move things forward at the client company? 
• In-house capabilities: Update your SEO team on your current capabilities and resources, such as how many writers, developers or designers you have available for tackling tasks.
• Common roadblocks: Discuss how to prepare for common roadblocks in SEO implementation. Your SEO agency is well-positioned to speak about these kinds of things, so you can be proactive on your end. 
• Communication methods: You will want to know how to communicate with the agency (emails, Slack channels, Zoom meetings, etc.) and how often. The more communication, the better. Both parties benefit from staying top of mind; the last thing…