(There was a post that I had replied to earlier where someone was asking for a recommendation for a Good SEO Company. I felt that there should be a stand alone topic on this. Other SEO's feel free to add more to this. You may or may not agree with what I have written)
1. One of the best ways it to get personal referrals from people you know. Most of my clients came from previous clients’ word of mouth. Bottom line, you need to see the results of their work first. Ask to call and speak with their current and past clients
2. Ask to see a report from one of their past clients and then verify the information with that client. If a SEO company wants your business, they will gladly do this
3. Don’t be afraid to ask the SEO company what keywords THEY rank for. Run away immediately if an SEO company tell you they don’t worry about ranking their own sites
4. Ask if there is a money back guarantee if they don’t meet their goals. While a SEO company should never guarantee rankings, they can guarantee that is there is NO material improvement then you are entitled to receive some or all of your money back
5. Do not be pressured into signing any long-term contract; ask if there is a trial of some sort where you could try their services without being tied into a long-term contract. Personally, I offer my clients month-to-month cancel anytime; If an SEO company is confident in their service they won’t need to hold you in a contract (personally speaking) 6. Most important: Figure out what each sale or customer is worth to you. Then let the SEO Company know that this has to be a positive ROI (Return on Investment). Basically if they are charging you $1,000 per month, they had BETTER be able to bring you $2,000 worth of business. What’s the point of SEO if you aren’t making money? I often tell my clients that my first priority is to make sure that they are taking in more money than they are paying me. Why? Simply because a happy customer means more referrals. Simple.
Since I run an SEO company, I think I will rate these points one by one:
1. So true. Many of my clients have come through word of mouth. Some are
repeat customers.
2. Indeed. I usually send as sample of sites and rankings to prospects. It is
the very first thing one needs to do, just to demonstrate legitimacy.
3. This is poppycock. SEO takes a lot of time and effort. Just because an SEO
company spends its time working for its clients instead of on its own site
does NOT mean it lacks the skill and capability. I get plenty of leads
through the search engines, but I honestly cannot recall the last time I have
bothered even taking a look at my own rankings.
4. Disagree. There should never be any guarantee, and not a money-back
guarantee. Algorithms change and there are plenty of things an SEO
professional has no control over.
5. Agree. Never sign a long-term contract. Every time I have seen other SEO
companies use long-term contracts it is before ripping someone off. To sum up
4 and 5, there are no guarantees and there should be no strings. That is fair
on both sides.
6. Agreed, although it does take time for SEO to bring results. So there
needs to be some form of calculation. I usually suggest that SEO should cross
into positive ROI after 6-12 months.
Choosing the right company can be very difficult. It's important to choose a
search engine optimization firm that only uses white hat tactics to help your
keywords rank. Anyone who tells you that SEO can be done in a fast process is
lying to you. Do your research before you hire anyone.
Once you have decided on a SEO Company, see where they rank under top keywords for "SEO Companies and "SEO Businesses". If they do not rank on google, yahoo and other search engines, ask yourself if they can't rank their own website.....why not? Also check the history of the domain (how long they have owned or how many times it has switched ownership)
Posted by: Lisa @ www.perfectlybling.com
I suggest to choose a company that has experience. Select the agency that has been in business a long time, and has a proven success. Ask if the SEO is safe for your domain. The agreement is necessary.
I feel that many SEO companies charge an arm and a leg for their seo services. For me, I prefer to personally learn the basics of SEO and then start to work from there.
I think the SEO business has evolved over the years. Before, the hype was all about getting keywords ranked. However, many businesses started to realize that just getting a #1 ranking on Google will not bring in revenue. You want to choose a SEO company that will find the best way to increase sales and improve conversion rates.
vehom | Window Shopper | 4/24/2012 - 3:38 am
*ask for how many clients they have
*how many years they are in business
amabaie | Creator | 4/4/2012 - 2:17 pm
1. So true. Many of my clients have come through word of mouth. Some are
repeat customers.
2. Indeed. I usually send as sample of sites and rankings to prospects. It is
the very first thing one needs to do, just to demonstrate legitimacy.
3. This is poppycock. SEO takes a lot of time and effort. Just because an SEO
company spends its time working for its clients instead of on its own site
does NOT mean it lacks the skill and capability. I get plenty of leads
through the search engines, but I honestly cannot recall the last time I have
bothered even taking a look at my own rankings.
4. Disagree. There should never be any guarantee, and not a money-back
guarantee. Algorithms change and there are plenty of things an SEO
professional has no control over.
5. Agree. Never sign a long-term contract. Every time I have seen other SEO
companies use long-term contracts it is before ripping someone off. To sum up
4 and 5, there are no guarantees and there should be no strings. That is fair
on both sides.
6. Agreed, although it does take time for SEO to bring results. So there
needs to be some form of calculation. I usually suggest that SEO should cross
into positive ROI after 6-12 months.
bobevans21 | Window Shopper | 4/2/2012 - 9:14 pm
search engine optimization firm that only uses white hat tactics to help your
keywords rank. Anyone who tells you that SEO can be done in a fast process is
lying to you. Do your research before you hire anyone.
perfectlybling | Window Shopper | 3/20/2012 - 9:04 pm
herballife products | Window Shopper | 3/19/2012 - 6:22 am
ouidog | Window Shopper | 3/18/2012 - 10:29 pm
andynova | Window Shopper | 3/17/2012 - 5:34 am
chapman | Window Shopper | 3/16/2012 - 2:16 am
manojcool65 | Performer | 3/16/2012 - 1:29 am
RankedZilla | Window Shopper | 3/13/2012 - 5:09 pm
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