If you’ve always wanted to know the top 10 characteristics of the best SEO companies, keep this list handy. It can help you pick a new agency or maximize your investment with your current Internet marketing company. We’ve refined this list from over 15 years of experience in the field, and some of the points collected here might surprise you. They all aren’t digital marketing skills, but each one is vital to your online marketing success.

What you can do:

1) Communication can’t be emphasized enough. This maxim doesn’t just apply to your agency. It applies to you, the client side as well. For example, if you are planning a pop up event, let your agency in on it. Even something really spontaneous like this needs buzz created for it. Don’t shut out your agency on anything you are ready to launch to the public. You can have them sign an NDA too so you can loop them in on not-ready-for-prime-time projects. If they have a heads up they’ll be ready to promote your new venture when the time is right.

2) Make an effort to understand what it is that your agency does. You hire one of the best SEO companies to handle your online marketing, but that doesn’t mean you turn over the keys and walk away. Learn about SEO, social media and other forms of online promotion. The goal isn’t to get in the way of what your agency is doing, but to be able to work with them and follow along with an educated viewpoint as your campaign matures. The best SEO company for you is a true partner in the marketing process.

3) The devil is in the details. Digital marketing is full of details; here are a few you can stay on top of, to help your agency.

1. If your agency asks for logins to your site, your Google Analytics or other accounts, send those over the same day they are requested. These logins are really important for account tracking setup and delays with these can put your campaign behind on its march to your goal.

1. When your agency asks you to review copy they have written, make that a priority internally. If the copy must pass through several hands and your legal department, then initiate this review process the same day your agency contacts you. Google and your audience cannot find your new content and give you credit for it if there are delays posting it to your website.

4) Be accessible. When you agency needs to meet with you, unless you have something terribly pressing, find the time to meet. Today many corporate meetings last 30 minutes or less. Usually agencies are pressed for time themselves so if they request a meeting, it usually will be about a specific topic. If they don’t provide a specific agenda, request one, or make one yourself. Staying on task keeps your campaign moving forward.

5) Read the reports that your agency sends you. It’s not unusual for the events of the day to cause people to fall behind. If you have not read the most recent reports your agency has sent you, make time every week or every month (depending on reporting frequency) to do so. The digital landscape changes daily and your campaign’s progress may look differently if you read last month’s reports three weeks after they were sent.

What your agency should do:

6) The best SEO companies provide their take on the latest digital marketing trends. It’s important for you to receive short position papers and email updates on the latest trends and how they affect your campaign. If you are not receiving these request them on a monthly basis.

7) Reports should be concise and provide actionable data. What’s actionable? That’s the difference between finding out you have 100 new Facebook Likes versus discovering that 65% of women age 20-30 on your email list liked getting the free samples you mailed out last month. Agree on metrics and have your agency report back to you on the results.

8) A top online marketing agency doesn’t have to be reminded. A top agency is always going out of their way to delight you. Anyone can forget from time to time, but the sign of a truly committed agency is their dedication to ensuring your satisfaction; from timely reporting, to informative meetings, to creating new ways to keep your campaign growing.

9) A top digital agency doesn’t give you the hard sell. If you are shopping for a new agency, be wary of the ones that pressure you with phrases like: ‘We have proprietary tools’, ‘You will fall behind if you don’t do it our way’, etc. A really good agency will speak plainly with you, not hide anything in fine print, and give you confidence that you can attain your marketing goals with perseverance and patience.

10) When things go wrong, the best SEO companies shine Top agencies have seen about everything that can happen with an online marketing campaign. When something does go awry, they can step up and put a plan in place to correct the issue. Some things may be out of their control, but they can design a plan to bring your campaign back to its systematic growth pattern. While they do so the very best agencies exhibit self-assurance that leads to a positive outcome.

Hiring one of the best SEO companies is a first step. The best way to summarize our 10 points is to remember that they all don’t fall just to the agency or client side. Each side has a role to play and when everyone is working together great marketing results are sure to follow!