What to look for when searching for an SEO Company.
Search engine optimization, better known as SEO, has been around the internet for as long as I can remember yet it's surprising to hear that so many business owners haven't heard anything about it or they've never realized just how powerful it can be to help push their business into the next stratosphere. Think about it? How many times in the last week have you opted to Google something to find results on a particular subject or used it to search for a specific business service?
Chances are you've done it a lot more then you think.
The power of SEO is second to none and having a proper plan in place for your website can be the difference between paying thousands of dollars for a website that doesn't make any money to having something that is generating thousands to tens of thousands monthly. You don't need to sell online to see the return on investment, by just being visible online for your service you can meet hundreds of new customers a month because you're making it easy for them to find you.
The day of the Yellow Pages is over, the future is SEO and here are some tips in what to look for when hiring an SEO expert.
Chances are you've done it a lot more then you think.
The power of SEO is second to none and having a proper plan in place for your website can be the difference between paying thousands of dollars for a website that doesn't make any money to having something that is generating thousands to tens of thousands monthly. You don't need to sell online to see the return on investment, by just being visible online for your service you can meet hundreds of new customers a month because you're making it easy for them to find you.
The day of the Yellow Pages is over, the future is SEO and here are some tips in what to look for when hiring an SEO expert.
Where To Start
So you've been tasked with hiring an SEO agency or expert to help engage your website with better marketing. After going to google and searching for "[your geographic location"] + business niche you managed to find all your competitors while your website was stuck on the third page not generating any traffic, leads, and more importantly....sales. So now you realize you need some marketing done and what better way to stir up some business then get your website listed on the first page.
The problem, which company do you hire?
Just as you searched to try and find your business online when you sought out after an SEO company you found hundreds of options all claiming to do exactly what you need. So you start by contacting the guys at the top and most of them tell you the same thing making you start speculating whether or not this is to good to be true or a scam.
It's not unlikely that you'll hear from a lot of other peers, businesses, or friends that they think SEO is the biggest scam going on the internet today. But truth be told they probably think that because they worked with a bad marketing agency or individual who didn't do a good job. The easy answer to all of this comes down to the fact that some people can deliver results while others cant and in that case choosing or finding the right SEO company to hire makes it all that more difficult.
First and Foremost
Let's clear the air on some common misconceptions.
First, just because you've found a website with a nice design doesn't mean that will result in good SEO skills and sales. I've been doing Grande Prairie web design for quite some time now and I've been able to do both at an effective level. A nice looking website doesn't equate to good SEO and vice-versa. Some of the biggest and baddest agencies available have second rate web design but still dominate their competition by ranking for multiple terms. If you're looking for a beautiful site and good SEO, then find a team that does both.
Secondly don't think for a second that just because a company ranks number one in search for SEO, web design etc that it means results. Search engines have gotten incredibly smart and a lot of stock is put into things like how old the business website is. Some companies have been on the internet since the late 90's which gives them a huge trust and authoritative presence. Same could be said for a lot of SEO's who have been working in the field for over ten years. Some companies take different approaches to how they run SEO campaigns.
Last, just because a company has thousands of employees means they know what they're doing. Case in point the people at places like Network Solutions, YellowPages etc all offer SEO services these days but charge a measly $100 - $200 a month for such a service. Anything at that price should raise a red flag and you can sure as hell bet they are just trying to leverage you into spending money on there own ads instead of actually pushing your website up into the organic rankings. Most of these multi million dollar companies say they do SEO but in the end just have you pay a monthly fee to push your ad up on top of their own platform or website. It will lead to sales...but not nearly the amount you'd expect if your own website was ranking on the first page.
A Plan Of Action
Decide what you need.
There are many faucets to the business of SEO, things like link removal, reputation management, audits, onsite, social media etc. Finding a web design company that can attack your marketing campaign from all angles is a great start. At the end of the day it all comes down to competition and the tougher your niche the more you're going to need. If you are in the insurance or real estate business there's a good chance you're going to need things like link building, proper on site optimization, social media marketing, video marketing and more. The most important thing is to have a goal and communicate that with the companies you're looking to hire. Through those conversations you should be able to get a better idea of which company to choose.
The next step is to get multiple consultations but in doing so you should keep it secret. After you know what you want and have had a few questions answered you should be able to narrow the field down to at most five SEO companies. You'll then want to sit down with a few of these companies face to face or at the very least over the phone or skype. Most reputable SEO companies will gladly offer a free consultation because they know that they have a chance to earn your business. You should be able to lay out what you're looking for in a marketing campaign and after a few days these companies should be able to get back to you and provide a quote for what they charge. At that time you should be able to compare each quote and choose. One thing to keep in mind though is you get what you pay for. Just because one of your companies is significantly less then another it doesn't mean you're saving money. Look at the long term goal and compare the results between the two. Do your research and make calls to their current/existing clients if need be.
Finally make the firm show you some case studies and share some stories of customer success. If they've been in business long enough they should have a good list of companies that have benefited from their services.
By setting clear goals, getting multiple bids, and getting solid information for the future outlook of SEO and hearing stories of other client success you should be able to find the right SEO company for the job. For the last year I've been working with an SEO Digital Marketing Company in Grande Prairie, Alberta and we've helped business, local and national, hit goals of generating more monthly income. SEO certainly is not a scam but it's not what it once used to be, today it takes time and many hours of maintenance to see a real solid return on investment...
Much like any other marketing campaign.