With tight marketing budgets, it’s all too easy to fall prey to big promises offered by SEO firms: “We guarantee you’ll get on the front page of Google results in one month!” That is a huge RED FLAG.
SEO takes time. Period. Guaranteeing page rank, especially in just a month, is virtually impossible to achieve without resulting to shady tactics. These tactics could land you in hot water with Google, long after your SEO consultant has collected your money and disappeared. Keep these tips in mind when looking or an SEO cnosultant:
- A professional digital strategist will scan your website for problems and then compile a list of these issues into a comprehensive error report. The best strategists will also include an assessment of where your website stands against the competition. Why? Your website needs to be SEO friendly (easy for search engines to read) and you need a plan for staying ahead of the competition.
- A well-rounded SEO strategy will align onsite and offsite elements in order to maximize success. An AdWords campaign can help drive traffic, but if you don’t fix broken site elements first, you won’t be able to capture and convert this traffic.
- It may be unrealistic to expect a top-level account manager to execute all the nitty-gritty details of a strategic SEO plan, but the manager should always be aware of what’s happening each day. The project should be handled by an in-house team.
- If you hire someone to help you get more business, make sure they take all the time YOU need on a call doing a screen share before you make any decisions to hire them. Have them show you their results, and if you want referrals with email addresses and/or phone numbers ask for them. Case studies are great, but at the end of the day, it’s always better to talk to actual satisfied customers about their experience. These customers can provide greater insight into the process and what to expect.
Use these guidelines when interviewing potential SEO consultants and, at the end of the day, go with your gut. If someone makes a promise that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Courtesy of Business
