Artificial intelligence has substantially helped many companies substantially improve their business models. AI technology is very helpful for marketing. Companies spent nearly $16 billion on AI marketing in 2021 and that figure is growing by the year.
One of the most overlooked advantages is that AI can help companies select the best SEO agency. We are going to talk about the importance of choosing the right SEO company. Then we will cover some of the benefits of using AI to choose the right SEO providers.
Ways that AI Can Help Businesses Avoid Low-Quality SEO Companies
We have talked about some of the ways that big data can help with technical SEO. However, you may not realize that it can also help your company choose the best SEO consultant.
Finding an SEO agency to work with should not be easy. When there are countless thousands of would-be experts out there, settling on one who you can confidently invest in requires your due diligence.
We understand the desire to move as quickly as possible so you can start making more money through your website. However, get this wrong and you’ll not only lose money, but precious time as well.
The good news is that AI technology can help you avoid hiring a company that is going to do a poor job handling your SEO. So, with that in mind, here are 5 signs that an SEO agency is absolutely NOT worthy of your time or money. Let’s get stuck in…
1. AI helps you avoid companies that promise or guarantee results that they are unlikely to deliver
Even the best SEO agencies in the world who could arguably promise results with quiet confidence and get away with it will not.
There are no guarantees in SEO.
Yes, reputable and well-established agencies with a proven track record can certainly promise movement, but when it comes to specific rankings (e.g., “Sure, we guarantee you #1 rankings for all your focus keywords!”) – you should run a mile.
Someone is telling porkies.
The good news is that AI can help you determine if any projections they make are legitimate. AI-powered ranking systems can evaluate SEO agencies based on predefined criteria or user preferences. By considering factors like industry experience, track record, client satisfaction, and the effectiveness of their strategies, AI can generate a list of recommended agencies that align with the specific requirements of a business.
Some of the predictive analytics tools that can help you assess an SEO agency’s performance include Looker, Improvado and Domo.
2. You Can Identify Agencies with Fake Social Proof
If you come across a prospective SEO agency and they have very little reviews – or indeed their feedback isn’t overwhelmingly positive, then it may be worth looking elsewhere.
Yes, it could be that they are a young agency and are more than capable of delivering quality results, however, you are under no obligation to take that chance.
Instead, look for an SEO agency that has loads of positive 5-star reviews. That way, you can confidently put your faith in their abilities to deliver a quality service.
Unfortunately, you have to realize that some SEO agencies use fake followers to create the illusion that they have social proof backing their company. This can be detected with AI.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it is using AI to crack down on fake reviews. Many other platforms are doing the same. If you are checking reviews on a platform that doesn’t use AI, you can use your own AI tools to vet the reviews. You can probably create a machine learning application in Python to determine whether the reviews seem legitimate or not.
3. AI can help vet their process
As a business owner looking to invest a lot of money in an SEO agency, you have every right to know what’s happening with your money.
- What strategies will you use?
- How can you help bolster my backlink profile?
- What do you need from me to get started?
- How do you measure success?
- Have you any experience with clients in my industry?
- Do you write your own content or do you rely on AI?
- How do you know I am a viable client for you?
Press your prospective SEO agency and ask them uncomfortable questions. The best SEO company will happily come back to you with clear and concise information – whatever you need to know.
Those who either have no idea what they are doing or are less than savory will dodge your questions or come back with vague ‘fluff’ with unnecessary jargon.
Once you have evaluated their processes, you can use AI technology to get a sense of whether it seems reasonable or not. There are a lot of predictive analytics tools that can help you determine the expected outcome of a given SEO strategy. You may want to look at some of the tools that HubSpot has talked about.
4. AI can improve poor communication
You can tell a lot about an SEO agency and their worth by how your initial communication goes. The reality is, they should be jumping through hoops and falling hand over foot to accommodate you. However, if you are being passed from pillar to post, struggling to get clear answers, and having to wait a long time to hear back from them – it could be a sign of what’s to come if you take the proverbial plunge.
It doesn’t matter how good an SEO agency is – or thinks they are – performance is not enough.
There are a lot of great AI tools that can help streamline communication. You will want to work with an SEO company that uses them to their advantage.
5. Make sure the company uses AI to perform SEO audits
Another tell-tale sign that an SEO agency is not worth your time and money is if there is no mention of an SEO audit.
The reality is, the very first thing that any reputable SEO agency will want to do is audit your website. Not only because it is common practice, but because it can also help them to determine whether or not you are a viable client for them.
There are a lot of powerful AI tools that help conduct SEO audits. These include SEMRush and a number of other popular platforms.
AI technology is invaluable for helping brands identify low quality SEO companies
There are many benefits of AI in marketing. One of the many benefits is that it can help companies choose the right service providers.
The solution is to be ruthless in your search for an SEO agency. AI technology can help brands choose the right SEO agency. If you want the greatest chance at receiving game-changing results and achieving a sustainable ROI, you need to hold your SEO agency to an exceptional standard. You will want to use the right predictive analytics tools to accomplish this.