Search engine optimization (SEO) is a growing and complex industry, but also an important one. Hence, almost every business needs SEO services in today’s digital era, leading to the industry’s exponential growth. According to the market analysis by Research and Markets, the global SEO industry is expected to reach $122.11 billion in 2028.
It’s challenging to know where to begin when looking for the right SEO company and how to find the best one for your business. An SEO request for proposal (RFP) can be a great place to start. The goal of this post is not just about writing an effective RFP but also about what information you should try to share and gather through the SEO RFP for finding and hiring the right SEO agency for your business.
What Is SEO Request for Proposal?
An SEO request for proposal is a document that gives you all the information about the company you’re considering hiring. It’s a formal request asking them to provide their proposal so that you can decide whether or not they’re suitable for your business. The RFP should contain all the details about what they offer and how much it costs, as well as other important information like testimonials and references from past clients.
An SEO RFP also outlines the scope of the SEO project. It typically contains details about the project, such as the goals, timeline, budget, and deliverables. It also outlines the SEO provider’s services, such as keyword research, content optimization, link building, and reporting.
The proposal should also include details about the SEO provider, such as their experience, qualifications, and portfolio. The client can decide which SEO provider to work with by providing this information.
Business Information
The first thing you need to include in your SEO proposal is the request for gathering business information, including the name, address, and phone number. This will help them better understand how they can help you achieve your goals.
Suppose you have one location and no social media accounts. In that case, this section can be briefer than if you have multiple locations or many fans on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In addition to including this information at the top of the proposal, it also helps if there’s a separate section for additional details on these things so that they’re easy to find when needed.
Knowing the information about the business will help conduct proper market research to find the right SEO company. According to an article from the Business News Daily website, market research can help you better position your business in the competitive market. Similarly, in the SEO aspect, analyzing different companies based on their information can help you select the right fit for your needs.
What Is Your Current SEO Strategy?
The first question you need to ask is, “What is your current SEO strategy?” This will help you understand how long the company has been working on it and the project’s scope that you need to request a proposal.
This can also help them determine if they are a good fit for what you are looking for and provide insight into their experience and expertise in this field. Ask respondents to include what SEO strategy they use and why. This will enable you to determine their confidence in their SEO strategy and whether it will work for your particular scenario.
For example, suppose you want to increase your website’s visibility for local customers. In that case, you may need SEO agencies who can focus on local SEO strategies, such as optimizing for local keywords, creating local content, and creating local citations.
On the other hand, if a business wants to increase its visibility on a global scale, it may need to focus on global SEO strategies such as optimizing for global keywords, creating content that appeals to a global audience, and building backlinks from international websites.
Understanding the different use cases and applying the right SEO strategies can help businesses reach their desired goals. Similarly, there’s also white-hat SEO, black-hat SEO, gray-hat SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO, eCommerce SEO, etc. Knowing what SEO strategies the respondent has expertise in can help you make better choices.
How Long Have You Been Working on SEO?
The next question is how long you have been working on SEO. This should be an immediate red flag if the company has only been around for a few months. Longer-established companies will have a much better understanding of what they can do for your website and how long it will take to implement their recommendations.
If the company has been in business for one year or less, it’s best to move on unless there are other solid reasons for choosing them. Companies who’ve been around longer than that might not necessarily be more experienced, so make sure you’re not just taking their word for it.
Knowing how many people are on the team and their experience level is also good. This will help determine if they’re qualified enough to handle your needs with fewer mistakes being made along the way.
What Is the Scope of the SEO Project You Need to Request for Proposal for
Before you can even begin to think about what you need or want, you must ensure everyone is on the same page. This means defining the problem and understanding how it affects your business. Before starting any projects, you must also set goals for yourself and your company. You can’t expect results if there aren’t any benchmarks in place.
SEO can help with multiple things, from increasing organic traffic to monetizing a blog website. Data shows that 68% of online experiences begin with a quick internet search. These searches can be for a product, for finding information, etc.
Setting goals before starting a project cannot be overstated, and it applies equally whether you’re an individual or a team leader. As someone who has been working with SEO for years now, I know that when people don’t have clear objectives in mind from the beginning of an SEO campaign, they often fail miserably at their endeavors.
However, when people have clear objectives from the start, they are much more likely to achieve them and exceed them significantly and impressively fast.
Conclusion
It means that if you’re looking for an SEO agency to work with, there are many things to consider. You can make the process easier by creating a detailed request for a proposal that outlines all your needs and expectations. That way, when you receive responses from potential vendors, you can narrow down the list based on their responses more easily.
