Selecting an SEO Firm…
The question is not should you optimize your website for search engines; but rather, how do you do this with large time constraints as a business owner. The answer is to hire SEO specialists. If you choose the right ones, they should pay for themselves.
Baby Steps… (Educate Yourself)
First, conduct a search on “SEO company” to learn what services are offered and at what prices. Monitor customer review sites, such as TopSEOs.com or SEMCompare.com to learn about the firm’s service quality and proven results. A few hours of initial research could be the difference between a failed and successful SEO campaign.
The next step is to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP), which can easily be done through one of the two review sites or by contacting the firms directly. However, you should be prepared to offer information on monthly budget and service desired. The prior research you have complete beforehand should be referenced in this process.
Beware the Guarantee… (Ranking ≠ Success)
Common practice in the late 1990s has spilled over to today, SEO firms try to guarantee your webpage a better ranking on a search engine’s results page (SERP). This is simply unfounded and irresponsible due to unforeseeable changes in a search engines algorithm as well as competitors’ ongoing SEO efforts. The premise behind the guarantee is flawed, too:
If you attain a #1 ranking in the SERPs, then you will be more successful.
While you may receive more impressions and website traffic that can be useful for branding campaigns, an increase in ranking does not guarantee increased Key Performance Indicators (KPI), unless you define your KPI as a ranking. KPIs should go beyond rankings, dictated by your business goals and are often referred to as conversions. These can include downloads, lead generation, sales, etc.
Optimizing your site for long-tail keywords is also a great way to increase your ranking and conversion rate, but lacks volume of visitors. A wise owl once postulated: if a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around to hear it, did it make a sound? Optimizing for long-tail keywords is yet another way SEO firms can guarantee ranking at your expense.
As a business owner, your interest is your bottom line. Ask the SEO firm what effect their involvement will have on your ROI.
Look for… (Professionalism and Results)
Shared information: helps you monitor progress and enables future do-it-yourself projects
Copy, keyword research and technical prowess: necessary for any website to achieve full optimization
Measurement tools: ROI. You shouldn’t settle for rankings or traffic analytics.
Referrals: ask past clients, Does the firm seem knowledgeable? Were you satisfied with the results? Would you use them again?
Let us know if any questions remain. Have you tried an SEO firm or considered the option? Write a comment and tell us about your thoughts.
It would be best to pick an SEO company that appears in the top 30 results, if they can’t promote their own site then they aren’t going to do well with your either. Its easy to improve your ranking, but not as easy to improve it to a point where it has an effect on your business i.e. get in the top 5.
It makes sense: the best in SEO should be at the top of the SERP because that is their profession. Due to the high search traffic “SEO companies” receives, though, it is a key target for spammers. To ensure a company’s credibility, frequent the SEO reviews and pay attention to the paid advertisers on the SERP. Spammers typically do not invest in PPC.
Great blog, very practical.
Thanks for the comment, Chris. I’m glad you found it to be useful. Let us know what other information you would like to read about.
When i read this blog i learned a lot of things about SEO.Thank you Peter for the big contribution for the I.T company.
Thanks for the feedback and best of luck in your optimizing endeavors. Stay tuned - more about search engines is on the way!
Thanks for this informative post!
I’m not sure its fair to judge an SEO company on whether or not they come top for “seo” etc. Its possible they have focused on variations such as “seo in…” or “small business seo” etc. Although it could say that they aren’t prepared to make big commitments to nailing hard key terms.
I think both of Alison’s point are very valid. While long-tailed keywords tend to convert better in most industries, I think a lot of companies who are not very familiar with search engine optimization would be looking for generic terms such as SEO so agencies should try to rank for that term. Plus what better way to showcase your talent then ranking for such a hard keyword.