Your SEO is really important to you. In fact, it’s crucial that you get to the top of Google so you can generate leads and sales. So, you engage with a marketing agency who is also looking after your print advertising and graphic design. They say they can look after this for you too. In fact – it says so on their website. And it seems so much easier going through the same person at the same company.But the question is – who is really doing your SEO? If you don’t know, then you should. Think about this. What if your website dropped off the face of Google, what would be

the impact of this to your business?Isn't it important to know who is actually responsible for making changes to your site and implementing your strategy? Recently we have worked with clients where the agencies have outsourced to India. Now, while they can get some pretty good results, and quickly, the strategies they use are usually not approved by Google. And as a result, blacklisting or penalties can occur. It can take over 6 months to get a penalty lifted, and then you are starting again from the beginning like it’s a newly launched site. All that history that you have built up over the years can be wiped out in an instant with black hat techniques.Are the people who are managing your Google Adwords campaign Adwords Professionals accredited by Google? You are investing hundreds if not thousands of dollars per month in Google. Do you really know that this is being managed carefully, with a consideration of your end goals?Now, we are not saying that working with one marketing agency isn’t a good idea. In fact, we often work with agencies behind the scenes to provide our specialist services. This works well when there is a large strategy, and helps to provide a cohesive approach for the client. Just ask the questions so you know who is working behind the scenes.So how do you find out who is actually looking after your SEO and SEM? Here are our top 5 tips:

1. Speak to your Specialist: Ask to speak to the specialist who is working on your campaign. Ask them to explain the SEO and Adwords process to you. It will become quite clear if this individual has experience or not. Don’t be afraid to ask exactly what they will be doing each month, and how this achieves your business objectives.
2. Check the Google Certified Partner status: You need at least one team member passing their Google Adwords exams to achieve partner status. Here at Bang Online, we have 3 qualified individuals. It means going to Google University each year to keep the status current.
3. Check the website: Check the team page on the website. Who are the people working on your account? What are their qualifications and background?
4. Client examples: Ask for some client examples in both SEO and Adwords to show the performance of that client. Ask how long they have been working with that client too – if it’s a long term relationship, then you know the client is happy with the results. Client loyalty speaks for itself.
5. Ask for a reference or recommendations: Ask to speak to a client that they are working with for a verbal reference. Or, check out their LinkedIn business page for recommendations.

Don’t risk your position on Google for a low cost or “easy” solution. Make sure your online marketing agency checks out!