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SEO and the ROI Debacle

Protecting Against the Wrong Move

Some businesses simply are afraid of making the wrong move and finding out that search engine optimization is nothing more than a phantom.

It doesn't need to be a waste of money if you're careful about how you proceed. Here are 5 tips and safeguards:

  • Choose an SEO vendor that's esteemed in the industry. If they're widely quoted and asked to speak at national conferences, that's a good sign.
  • Don't just check out their client list. Look at their efforts. Are they getting prized top spots for competitive phrases (how are they pulling that off)?
  • Look for an out clause. It's abnormal for SEO firms to offer "guarantees" (and you have to be suspicious of those who do), but they may give you a chance to test the waters, get to know their process and learn some of their approaches (and how they're interact with your business). Fathom SEO offers a 60-day right-to-cancel policy.
  • Don't bite off too much. Start with a small (but diverse) collection of keywords and work with them. Don't let a search engine optimization company sell you more services than you really need.
  • Ask the consultant to give you some ideas up front (about areas of your website they may need to touch). Will they respect the spirit of your design? Will they plan on an Extreme Makeover?

A recent prospect said it would be great to join the top 10 crowd in rankings, but he's not the least bit optimistic he can achieve it. It's not easy for him to comprehend how a search term that's not even in the top 300 or more can ever move up to the top 10. In other words, he's afraid he'll spend a bunch of money only to advance from #95 to #55.

His choices are limited and include continuing to do nothing, hiring someone in-house and hoping they know what they're doing, or hiring an SEO consultant who achieves high rankings for search terms that didn't even make the top 300 in Google when a program started.

Read excerpts from this SEO study online: