If
you're looking for an SEO firm, we recommend that you weigh 10
factors that can save you trouble down the road.
1.
Check out their experience.
You
shouldn't have to try hard to find samples of their clients or
their SEO performance on individual websites. How competitive
are their search terms that are ranking well on Google? Are the
search terms that are ranking well difficult terms to position--one,
two and three word phrases, or are they easy terms to position
because no one else is using them at all--six, seven and eight
word terms?
2.
Ask for testimonial letters.
Insist
on letterheads from the clients that feature real names, not Fred
from Cleveland or J.T. from New York. Call these references and
ask them questions about the SEO performance of the company you
are considering.
3.
Ask them to document their process.
What
policies and procedures do they follow? Are they consistent? Do
they stay away from unethical procedures that could put your site
in jeopardy with the search engines?
4.
Get staff credentials.
Find
out who is doing the work. You really need a team of people -
no one person can be proficient in every area of server administration,
programming, marketing, writing, link building and more. Get to
know the team a bit.
5.
Be suspicious of money back guarantees.
Unless
it's super-clear, you have to wonder about the details of the
guarantee. If a firm offers one, including Top 10 placement, ask
them to elaborate. Which key words are included? Just one Top
10? Do they plan to achieve Top 10 rankings among natural results
or pay-per-click? Are the Top 10 listings associated with your
web site or a supplemental web site the SEO firm controls?
6.
Get pricing information.
Is
the SEO contract for hourly, monthly or annual services? Get prices
from a few other firms as well, but be aware that the scope of
services may vary greatly from firm to firm. Insist that the firm
you're interested in explain why it charges more for services,
if that's the case.
7.
Ask about reporting. How many keywords will the firm handle? How
many pages?
Find
out whether you'll be able to access the latest data about your
project. How often is it provided? What's included? Some firms
just send a ranking report. What other details can you expect
in terms of the overall strategy, next steps, web site traffic
and conversions?
8.
Determine the firm's ethical standards.
What
are the firm's practices when it comes to ethical standards and
practices? How far will they go? How do they view doorway pages,
cloaking and keyword stuffing?
9.
Know your objectives.
You
need to have some idea of what you want to accomplish when selecting
an SEO firm. Do you simply want to promote your brand? Do you
want to increase visitors and push traffic to retailers? Do you
want to improve online sales? Which categories of products will
matter the most in your campaign?
10.
Come up with a budget.
You
can submit your web site pages (not optimized) for free or through
services that cost well below $100. Optimizing is another matter--It's
going to cost money. Have some flexibility--the level of service
and the firm's expertise will determine whether you pay hundreds
of dollars or well over a $1,000 a month.
Michael
Murray is vice president of Fathom
SEO, a Cleveland, Ohio-based search engine marketing (SEM)
firm. A member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization
(SEMPO), he also authored the white paper, "Search Engine Marketing:
Get in the Game."
mmurray@fathomseo.com
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