How To Choose An SEO/SEM Company: Your 12 Point Check-List

I am often horrified to hear stories from new clients who come to me with tales of working with other search companies, and the poor results that occur.

I decided to write a checklist of points that you need to check off against any prospective search engine marketing firm you are assessing. The below is the due diligence that you should perform before contracting a search engine marketing firm to handle your own website's search
engine marketing. Make sure you ask these questions of any prospective search engine marketing company:

1. How ethical is your SEO approach?
While ethical search engine optimisation has no hard definition the correct answer is a 100% ethical approach. General guidelines for an ethical approach are provided by Google here:

Google Webmaster Guidelines

An ethical approach gives your web site the best chance of gaining a great reputation with each of the search engines and lessens the risk that your web site may be de-indexed (dropped form the search results completely).

Ask prospective SEO providers what they think of the following:

* "door way" pages generated automatically by software
* IP cloaking
* dummy redirects
* stuffing keywords into pages
* hidden text
* hidden links
* irrelevant words added to pages
* pages containing duplicated content
* mis-spelling of well-known brand names
* linking to/with-in link farms
* or any other methods that try to dupe the search engines

If they don't state that all of the above are strictly off limits, politely end discussions with them because under no circumstance should you do business with them.

2. What past results can you show me?

Existing results attained speak louder than any sales rhetoric, so ask for examples of the results that they have attained for their past and present clients. Examples would be high rankings for relevant search phrases and quantifiable increases in web site traffic and leads/sales.

3. How well is your own web site ranked and/or your own PPC campaigns running?

Does the firm walk its own talk? They should be able to illustrate to you that they have attained their own excellent results using their own approach. Why would you listen to someone who doesn't practice what they preach?

4. What Search Engine Marketing-specific certifications do you have?

Certifications or accreditations can help give you confidence a firm has their approach firmly rooted in best practices, and that they are committed to search engine marketing by undertaking investment in certification.

Make sure they show you relevant documentation to support their claims.

5. What media/advertising/SEM industry association memberships do you have?

Media/advertising/SEM industry association memberships suggest that the company is well embedded in the search industry and national or local commerce in general. This intention to be around for the long haul is important so you can confidently build a long-term relationship.

6. Can you explain to me clearly what I get for my investment in your service?

Insist on a plain English description of what the service offered provides so you can understand what you are getting for your investment, and what that investment goes towards.

7. If you have a guarantee can you explain under what conditions I can use it?

Any guarantees for SEO results should be examined with a fine-tooth comb. The reason is that an SEO firm does not have absolute control over where the search engines rank your web site, as they can only provide what the search engines are looking for in a web site. Therefore, the terms of guarantees should be examined carefully so you can understand under what conditions you exercise your guarantee.

8. What references from past or present clients can you provide?

The firm should be happy for you to contact any of its past or present clients to find out what results were attained and what the experience of working with the firm was like. After all, it's not what you say about yourself that is important, it's most important what others say about you!

9. What performance reporting do you provide?
Ask what type of performance reporting is provided to you and at what intervals. Performance reporting is crucial in determining whether the SEO and/or PPC work is having the desired effect of more traffic, more customers and more profit.

10. What is your minimum contract length and do you provide a break clause?

Ask how long the firm's minimum contract length is because the last thing you want is to be tied in for a long period if things aren't going well. Similarly, check that there is a break clause in the contract and the period of notice that must be given if it is exercised.

11. Is search engine marketing your core business?

Pure search engine marketing companies understand that search is an intensive undertaking and requires specialist skills, knowledge and processes.

Many web design companies and traditional advertising agencies have jumped into search marketing when they saw the demand for search services increase but they may not have what it takes to be most effective for you and your business.

12. Evaluate what their customer service is like during the period of your first contact with them.

What is the quality of their customer service like after you make the initial contact? Are they helpful, polite, prompt and all the other things you look for in a good service provider? If they aren't, it could well be a good reflection of how the rest of a future contract could go.

So, there are a number of questions that you should get answered before you select a search engine marketing firm.

1stPageProphets is happy to answer questions about any of the above points and welcomes the chance to do so.

1stPageProphets provides services to drive hungry, qualified buyers to your web site using natural and paid search engine results.

Find out what is holding your web site back from more buyers by contacting 1stPageProphets now.

1stPageProphets is certified as having Advanced Search Engine Marketing Skills and as a Google AdWords Advertising Professional.

1stPageProphets is a member of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), TopSEOs and I.T. Professionals UK and other industry associations.

This article may be freely reprinted as long as the resource box below remains intact (including the hyperlink) with the article.

___________________________________________________________

Mike Bradley is founder of 1stPageProphets, who provide services to drive hungry, qualified buyers to your web site using natural and paid search engine results and ads. Find out what is holding your web site back from more buyers by going to http://www.1stpageprophets.com now.

___________________________________________________________

Comments

Add New

Write comment

Name:

Email:

Website:

Title:

UBBCode: