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How to Pick an SEO Firm
By Mike Murray | April 13, 2005
By Michael Murray, VP of Fathom SEO
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 the experience of the SEO firm.
You shouldn’t have to try hard to find samples of the SEO firm’s clients or their search engine rankings on individual websites. How competitive are the search terms that the SEO firm has 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 the SEO firm 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
services of the SEO firm you are considering.3. Ask the SEO firm to document their process.
What policies and procedures does the SEO firm follow? Are they consistent? Does the SEO firm stay away from unethical procedures that could put your site in jeopardy with the search engines?
4. Get staff credentials from the SEO firm.
Find out who is doing the work. You really need a team of SEO specialists at a credible, reputable SEO firm - no one person can be proficient in every area of server administration, programming, marketing, writing, link building and more. Get to know the team on the SEO firm a bit.5. Be suspicious of money back guarantees from the SEO firm.
Unless it’s super-clear, you have to wonder about the details of the guarantee. If an SEO firm offers one, including Top 10 placement, ask them to elaborate. Which keywords are included? Just one Top 10? Does the SEO firm 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 from the SEO firm.
Is the SEO firm’s contract for hourly, monthly or annual services? Get prices from a few other SEO firms as well, but be aware that the scope of services may vary greatly from SEO firm to SEO firm. Insist that the SEO firm you’re interested in explain why it charges more for
SEO services, if that’s the case.7. Ask about reporting. How many keywords will the SEO 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 SEO firms just send a ranking report. What other details can you expect in their SEO services and from their consultants in terms of the overall strategy, next steps, web site traffic and conversions?8. Determine the SEO firm’s ethical standards.
What are the
SEO firm’s practices when it comes to ethical standards and practices? How far will the SEO firm go? How does the SEO firm view doorway pages, cloaking and keyword stuffing?9. Know your objectives before choosing an SEO firm.
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. Before selecting an SEO firm, 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 SEO firm’s expertise will determine whether you pay hundreds of dollars or well over a $1,000 a month.SEO firm …
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Fathom SEO
1-866-RANK-YOU (726-5968)
michael@fathomseo.com
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April 14th, 2005 at 3:12 pm
Interesting blog, I’ll be back.
http://www.ptsu.biz/index.php?ref=tappedfull