Choosing an SEO Firm: Reports and Communication
Once you've determined how much you can reasonably expect to pay, you need to ask the firm how much you can expect to get paid. What will the return on investment be and how does the company plan to track it?
'They should give you updates and reports, because if they're not, they may be doing stuff that Google doesn't approve of that may have a short-term gain, but a long-term loss,' Lehmann-Haupt says.
Once you've determined how much you can reasonably expect to pay, you need to ask the firm how much you can expect to get paid. What will the return on investment be and how does the company plan to track it?
'They should give you updates and reports, because if they're not, they may be doing stuff that Google doesn't approve of that may have a short-term gain, but a long-term loss,' Lehmann-Haupt says.
Discuss the techniques the firm plans on implementing. Some basic steps they should be taking to optimize your search ranking include, keyword optimization, headline and link evaluation and link-building from other sites.
'You have to dive into what their techniques are,' Lehmann-Haupt says, 'and if they're not going to tell you what their techniques are, you have to assume the worst.'
Ask them how often you'll receive progress reports and what tracking processes they'll have in place to prove your ROI. Osmeloski says some of those tracking techniques may include monitoring the number of e-mail requests, newsletter sign-ups and phone calls you receive.
Make sure these measurements are clearly spelled out from the beginning and you have a communication plan in place before moving forward and asking for references.
Dig Deeper: How to Hire an SEO Consultant
Choosing an SEO Firm: Performing a Background Check
Most SEO firms will have testimonials on their website, but they're not the referrals you're interested in, since they're likely the company's biggest success stories. You want to hear from run-of-the-mill customers to see how the SEO firm performs across the board. Ask for the names and numbers of at least three companies for an honest opinion.
Ask their clients how long it was before they saw an increase in search engine-related business. Find out if they were satisfied with the level of communication the company gave them. Did they follow through on all the promises they made from the start?
If the client you're speaking with has been particularly successful, ask them how much they paid to achieve that success and how much it has cost them to maintain it.
Also check out the Better Business Bureau and Ripoff Report to make sure the firm you're considering has a clean reputation. It might also be worth checking the firm's own page ranking to see how well it handles its own SEO. While this could be something you want to take into consideration, you don't put too much weight on the results.
'A lot of SEO agencies are so busy, they don't have time to work on their own site,' Osmeloski says. 'It's the old adage about the shoemaker's children.
Lehmann-Haupt agrees: 'Only ten companies can be in the top ten results, so that's not necessarily a fair judgment� If I ran an SEO firm, I probably wouldn't even try to have my own firm in the top ten, because the cost and effort ratio isn't worth it sometimes.'
Googling the firm's name should give you a good number of reviews that will, at the very least, alert you as to whether or not the company uses any underhanded methods.
Dig Deeper: 10 Tips to Avoid the Biggest SEO Mistakes
Choosing an SEO Firm: Master DIY SEO
If you go through the vetting process and find that you're either unable to afford an SEO firm or think you could do it yourself, why not give it a try?
Lehmann-Haupt learned the skills he needed to be successful by researching SEO techniques using sites like SEO Chat and Digital Point forums.
"Read up on it," he suggests. "There is a very large community of people who do this on the Internet, and there''s a lot of information out there.'
Osmeloski says, depending on how small your business is, and how regionally specific it is, you may not even need to worry about your keywords and links. Sometimes updating your directory listings can bring in that search-related business. And the basics are easy to do yourself.
"Make sure your listings are in Google Places. Bing offers a similar service," she says. "Make sure they have your local phone number, and put it on Yellow Pages as well. That maybe takes a couple hours worth of work, and for a mom and pop shop, that would solve a large number of issues."
Whatever path you choose, make sure you're reevaluating your search strategies every six-to-12 months. Search engines will continue to morph, shift, and become more sophisticated. If you want to be successful for the long haul, you'll need to change, too.
