SEO is in many cases complex, and building a solid agency with SEO as a specialty can be even more complex. Today we do both SEO and SEM at a top level, and it’s time to share how we got here.
We are far from the only SEO agency in the country. Sometimes it feels like every sweaty teenager with access to a basement decides to start selling their services as an SEO specialist. That, combined with the old consultant trick of going to the nearest bus stop, picking up whoever is standing there, and the next minute sending them out as senior consultants to unsuspecting clients, has made us choose to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the market. That is one of the secrets behind our progress.
1. SEO expertise is a scarce resource
The first thing we realized when we started the agency was that there is a very limited number of skilled search engine optimizers. I can count on one hand the specialists I would even consider hiring as senior consultants. There are countless people who are happy to call themselves SEO wizards, gurus, or whatever as soon as they’ve learned how to make a 301 redirect or change a title tag. Those with a thorough, in-depth understanding of how search engines actually work are very few, and most of them are unemployable.
The conclusion is that you have to train your own specialists and make sure to retain the ones you’ve trained. I honestly can’t see any other way to secure high quality in delivery today.
I’ve been at places where either you trained people internally but then lost the talent to someone else, or places where management panicked and tried to hire their way to expertise. Both models are unfortunate and seriously harm the delivery quality. Different agencies, of course, have different paths to success—quality may not always be a top priority. For us, however, quality is everything: we live and die by the SEO we deliver. If it’s brilliant, we thrive; if it’s mediocre, we fail. That’s how our agency works.
2. Integrity is our key
Of course, there are as many definitions of integrity as there are people. We have actually worked actively with the entire company to define what it means for us. The reason is that it’s important to us both on a personal level for many of us, and crucial for our business. Our integrity is what keeps our clients with us, and it’s also something that obligates us—not only in SEO or SEM but in everything we do.
In that lies our strong belief in standing up for what we believe is right and proper, both in how we execute search engine optimization and in our company’s role in society. Sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it’s easy. The point with integrity is that it shows the most when times are hard. Above all, it’s important to realize that integrity is not primarily a road to success—it’s what we’re willing to go down with, if necessary.
3. Truly sharp people
The third and final insight is that you must have truly sharp people in order to remain a top-class SEO agency. SEO operates in a space that is constantly changing, a world in perpetual motion, and to handle those waves, you need sailors who can work in the roughest seas. That’s why we put enormous focus on our staff.
The demand on every team member, including leadership, is continuous improvement. We must be better tomorrow than we are today. Stagnation is not an option in a world that changes day by day. Our goal is not to become the next Facit, Kodak, or Nokia, but to be a company that thrives and prospers in the very climate where those giants fall.
What are your fundamentals?
These three fundamentals are deeply rooted at Brath. That doesn’t mean they are the solution for you. The real solution is to sit down and understand what your own fundamentals are—and they don’t have to be the same as ours. Still, I hope you find some value in hearing our thoughts about our company. Maybe you can even borrow a few golden nuggets.
Magnus Bråth
Consultant & Adviser
Magnus is one of the world's most prominent search marketing specialists and primarily works with management and strategy at his agency Brath AB.