Choosing an SEO company can be a daunting task. There are many companies out there and each one approaches SEO in a different way. Since SEO is a relatively new industry, customers are still feeling their way around and testing the waters before they dive in. These tips below can help you choose a professional SEO company.
Do they have proof, results and skills to backup their claims?
Let's be honest, anyone can make claims about what they can do in any industry. Ask a potential company to provide references and some sort of proof of their skills. If they cannot provide case studies or some sort of proof about their skills or if they become evasive when asked to provide proof or references, do not waste any more time with them. Any SEO company who can backup their claims will be more than happy to show previous work to a potential client.
What is their communication/project support line like?
Communication is essential and is the lifeline of a successful SEO campaign. Depending on how much money you spend with the SEO company or depending on what package you are on may dictate how much communication and support you will receive during an SEO project. Any project that lacks sufficient communication by one or both parties is doomed to fail.
Does the SEO company track your website traffic?
Ask the company if they plan on tracking your website traffic. This is also another essential component of an SEO campaign as it is the only way to determine whether or not the SEO strategy is actually working. Do they plan on sending you some sort of traffic report? Do they use Google analytics to track the traffic? If the company does not offer traffic reports or even use some sort of tracking code, do not do business with this company. Tracking your website traffic is the only way to determine whether or not your campaign is working.
An SEO company CANNOT guarantee a #1 ranking, or any other type of ranking.
Many companies will abide by the mantra "anything to make a sale". Straight from Google's help center, Google itself clearly states here - http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35291 that nobody can guarantee a #1 search engine ranking. Ok, so what does an SEO company do exactly? We probably took the words right out of your mouth. What a company does is optimize your site for the best search engine ranking possible. And continues to work to achieve the highest ranking possible. But since search engine's algorithms are constantly changing and search engines, especially Google, do not divulge their information, a company's job is to optimize your website for best results. SEO companies do not control the search engines, not does anyone else, therefore cannot guarantee a specific ranking.
If an SEO company is offering you free SEO services, stay away.
The phrase "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" applies perfectly here. If an SEO company or website design company is offering you free SEO, chances are they will rank you for keywords that won't generate any traffic. Like your company name for example. Since SEO is a long process requiring planning, research, analysis and technical labor, there is absolutely no way any reputable, professional SEO company can offer SEO services free of charge. It is simply not possible. In the end, like anything else, you get what you pay for. Always and forever.
