Actually, I should have called this post “How to disqualify an SEO services provider,” but I prefer an upbeat title.
There are a number of SEO best practices to follow when optimizing a website for search. These have either come straight from Google and Matt Cutts, or they have been deduced by smart, reputable search engine experts over an extended period of time.
Here are a few quick tests you can conduct, when you are considering a particular SEO agency or provider. If the potential SEO company falls short on any of these tests, I would recommend looking elsewhere. Because if they are not implementing SEO best practices on their own website, they are either lacking in expert knowledge, or they are not detail-oriented enough to be a reliable service provider. Let’s get started.
First of all, type in the full domain address of the website in question. The URL structure will look like this fictitious example: www.lazyseo.com.
Now look at the URL. Did it stay the same or change to something else after you hit enter? Perhaps it became www.lazyseo.com/home.php or something similar? If it did change, that’s not a failing grade, but it’s also not ideal. If it didn’t change, read on.
Now click the Home button in the navigation bar. Did the URL now change to something else – like www.seowannabes.com/home.php or www.seowannabes.com/default.htm or anything different than the original root domain URL?
If it did change but the page stays exactly the same, it’s time to look elsewhere for SEO support. Here’s why:
If the exact same page is showing up under two different URL addresses, Google sees that as duplicate content. A mortal sin in basic search engine optimization.
Next test: URL structure. Navigate around the website of the SEO agency under review. Each time you visit a different page, look at the URL. Which does it resemble?:
www.lazyseo.com/services
www.lazyseo.com/en/about
www.lazyseo.com/social-media
If the URLs resemble the above, they pass the test. If they look more like these, that’s an failing grade:
www.lazyseo.com/c-34584.htm
www.lazyseo.com/?page-id=45
Or any other random symbols that do not describe the content of the page.
Descriptive URLs help Google understand the content of web pages and assist users with navigation. Not taking advantage of this important element of SEO is a major oversight.
Okay, the next test is quick and easy. Navigate around the website. Look at the page title at the very top of your browser. It’s fully visible in Firefox but obscured somewhat by the tab in Chrome. As you visit each new page, does the page title stay the same? That’s a fail. Each page should have a unique, descriptive title that contains fewer than 70 characters. Something similar to these examples:
SEO services | LazySEO Inc.
Linkbuilding | LazySEO Inc.
About us | LazySEO Inc.
Unique, optimized page titles are an important marker for search engines. This is a top priority for any serious SEO campaign.
If your potential SEO partner has passed those tests, let’s move to the final challenge. Go to the homepage. Hit ctrl-U (cmd-U for Mac) if you’re using Firefox or shift-ctrl-U (shift-cmd-U) if you’re on Chrome. Or you can navigate in the dropdown menu and select “view page source.”
Hit ctrl-F, and search the page for this tag:
meta-name=”keywords” content=
If the tag does not exist, or there is nothing listed after content=, they pass the test! If there are a few obvious descriptive words like this, that’s also okay: content=”SEO services”. However, if there is a long list of keywords like this, the SEO agency fails the test:
meta-name=”keywords” content=”SEO, search engine optimization, SEO agency, search engine marketing, higher rankings, improve Google rankings, rank higher on Google”.
The reasons for this are twofold. First of all, Google doesn’t crawl the meta-keywords tag, so keywords listed there have absolutely no effect on search engine rankings. Secondly, listing targeted keywords in the meta-tag allows any savvy internet user to see what specific search queries you are targeting for your business. This is internal information and should not be revealed to your competitors with a simple keystroke.
If the search agency under consideration has passed each of these tests, this is a good early indicator that the company is a serious, credible, and competent SEO services provider. Fulfilling these criteria demonstrates an understanding of basic principles of SEO architecture and the ability to implement them.
