Questions to Raise When Hiring an SEO Agency in Hong Kong

According to the latest 2020 stats, there are around 340,000 small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong. Each enterprise is vying to attract an audience to its website. Search engine optimization is a modern-day necessity for businesses to stay ahead in the online race. It is ever-evolving as the search engine changes its algorithms. Companies are finding it hard to keep up with the ever-evolving SEO. 

A large number of companies choose to partner with SEO agencies. Hiring an SEO agency in Hong Kong can be a daunting task. The agency should be well aware of the changing digital marketing landscape and follow white hat techniques. To make things easy, we have compiled a list of questions you should ask when hiring an SEO firm in Hong Kong. 

What Philosophy Do You Follow in SEO? 

SEO has a broad scope, and there are so many things to focus on.  It can be divided into user experience, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.

• Off-page SEO refers to SEO practices or techniques performed away from the client’s website. The activities could focus on earning high-quality links, improving content and website popularity through blogging, or strengthening your brand online. 
• Technical SEO refers to SEO practices that improve the functionality of your website. It generally includes improving site speed, optimizing site code and structure to facilitate indexing. It focuses on metrics that have an impact on search traffic. The agency conducts a technical SEO review to ensure there are no 404 errors or system redirects.
• User experience refers to optimizing digital content that comes in direct contact with the user. It is also called on-page SEO.  The agency will analyze and optimize all user-facing facets like keyword optimization, navigation, or content. 

How Would You Adapt SEO Strategy to My Business Niche?

SEO is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The underlying technology might be the same for Google and Baidu. Still, there is a vast difference in how they operate. 

Baidu does not accept webpages in English.  The Chinese search engine gives preferences to websites in the traditional Chinese language. And it gives fewer preferences to websites outside China and Hong Kong.

On the other hand, Google is a global search engine allowing websites in English and regional languages. It has a strong presence in most countries across the world. The agency you select should be able to create and implement SEO tactics on both search engines.

SEO techniques used to attract audiences in the US will be quite different from the techniques used to attract the Chinese audience in Hong Kong.  Experience in your industry becomes a plus point.  It will ensure the agency will shift from a general SEO approach to something specific to connect with the target audience. 

What Metrics Define Your Success?

This can be a tricky question. SEO companies that follow white hat SEO techniques generally have few metrics in mind to assess your strategy’s success. Some of the critical KPIs in SEO are local visibility, organic traffic, click-through rate, organic conversion rate, organic bounce rate, etc.

An SEO firm that follows black hat techniques would guarantee top rankings in search results within 1-2 months. Remember, no SEO agency can assure you top rankings in SERP in a specific time frame. If any firm is making such tall claims, it is a red flag.

How Long Will It Take to Get Measurable Results?

SEO is a lengthy process, and it will take at least six months to see the results. The best agency will always share a timeframe for results. It will have a plan involving different SEO activities and corresponding goals. For example, eliminating technical issues will increase the average time spent by visitors on the website. 

How Do You Target a Mobile Audience?

The 2019 mobile user statistics show around 6.5 million mobile users in Hong Kong, which is expected to rise to 7.21 million by 2025. A large number of users might access your website from their mobile devices which makes it significant to hire an SEO agency in Hong Kong. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you may lose many business opportunities. The agency should have a plan to target the mobile audience.

How Would You Incorporate SEO in Overall Marketing Strategy?

SEO is part of marketing. It should be integrated with the overall marketing plan. It goes  hand in hand with social media marketing, content marketing, and public relations. The SEO partner should be open about collaborative efforts to achieve better results. 

To sum up, these questions will help you determine whether the SEO agency has the expertise and experience needed to successfully develop and implement the optimization strategies.