This is a guest post from Tapha. Tapha is the founder of MyAppTemplates.com, a site that provides custom iphone app templates to people who cannot afford to spend $1,000′s on their iphone app design.There's a great article by Bob Hoffman, a veteran ad man and blogger, that highlights what it is that separates the best ad people from everybody else. It's very good. I recommend that you check it out here.
What it says, quite simply, is that the best people, the ones at the top their game, are the ones that seem to NOTICE things better than everybody else.
Here is a passage from the post:
"Then the other night, slithering on hands and knees from the bed to the bathroom, it struck me. There's a much simpler and more satisfying explanation. The attribute that makes people exceptional at advertising is that they're better at noticing things. They're good noticers.
They notice what people really do. They notice what people have in their refrigerators. They notice the little lies that people tell themselves and each other. They notice the contradictions between attitudes and behaviors. They notice the small, seemingly irrelevant things that most people don't notice."
It's a very interesting observation and one that I happen to agree with. The best people, by and large, are the ones that see what other people don't.
This is no more true than for people in SEO. Infact, I'd argue that this trait is even more important to have as an SEO than it is in any other area of online marketing. The SEO space is full of so many moving parts that change constantly, that an enhanced ability to notice things that others may miss is not only an advantage, it's a downright neccessity.
photo credit: Darwin Bell via photo pin cc
So how does this help you to spot the best SEO agency to work with?
The answer is that THEY (the best ones) will have this quality, I'll call it 'good taste'. And it can be spotted.
Here are a few of the key traits that top SEO agencies with 'good taste', show:
1. Their homepage is very well laid out
Example: The Outsourcing company
What they do:
There is a very simple presentation on the site, with very little that distracts you from what they want you to do, which is entering your email address. That is not to say that they lack in information. It's just that their presentation gives you 'just enough' to say 'got it' and decide if you want to proceed with them or not.
What they noticed:
The Outsourcing Company have realized that people don't like to waste their time, and have short attention spans. They know that their prospective client may have mutltipe tabs open and even be looking at multiple agencies at the same time. So they make sure that they keep it short and sweet but still eye catching and interesting, so that they don't waste your time. And more importatly, they get you to a decision much quicker. Because they know that, if they do that, you're more likely to make one.
In short, they have noticed certain things about human behaviour and optimized for them.
This is a LEADING indicator of a firm with good taste.
2. They have high quality backlinks
Example: Majestic SEO Link
What they do:
If you take a loot at some of the backlinks that The Outsourcing Company have accumulated, you will see that they are of a pretty good standard.
Many of them are from high PR sites and have a lot of diversity. i.e. Not on the same domain.
This is another key indicator of good taste as it shows that their link building efforts are organic and not spammy.
It shows that they take real pride in what they do and make a real effort to build their reputation. Without resorting to short term tricks.
What they noticed:
These people have realized that there is no such thing as something for nothing. That in order to have something that is of a high quality, you have to put in the work.
This is probably the clearest sign that you should be looking for. People with good taste rarely resort to short term tricks to get ahead, it's a trait that's just not in their DNA. To them, most of the time, it just doesn't 'feel right'.
3. They respond quickly to emails.
What they do:
No example here, but I can say with confidence that of all the people I have worked with personally. Almost all of the ones that responded to my emails within a short time frame, were much better, in general, at what they did, then those that didn't.
What they noticed:
These kinds of people have realized that the world has gotten faster. People's expectations now are that they will get something sooner rather than later. And that the most effective people in the 21st century will also be the fastest.
There are many more examples of good taste that great firms and individuals exhibit. The list is literally endless. But once you understand what 'good taste' means for an industry, then you will be able to better select the best individuals and firms to work with.
Good taste, in my opinion, cannot be taught but it can be understood. So if you percieve that you may not have it, then look for recommendations from people who you believe do.
At the end of the day, the success or failure of your business, hinges on the quality of the work you do. That includes marketing. So bear in mind that, whoever you deal with, will embody traits that will transfer over into your business. That could be very good or very bad, depending on the choices you make.
The importance of this cannot be stressed enough.
In conclusion, I would say that it all comes down to this:
If you want something good then find out what good taste means in your industry and then look for the people who have it.
This surefire method has worked for me many times in the past and I have no doubt that it will work for you.
Have you had similar experiences, or just want to share your views? Let me know in the comments!
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