Choosing the Right SEO Company and Questions to Ask

 

choosing-the-best-seo-companyThere are many factors to consider when choosing an SEO company. You need to realize the difference between a legitimate SEO campaign proposal and a hoax or a scam. It is also important that you are asking the right questions and making sure they are answering them in an ethical fashion. Throughout this post, I will discuss common questions that are asked about SEO services and the correct response you should get in return. Additionally, I will give you some additional questions to ask a prospective SEO company, as well as common mistakes people make when making the final decision.

 

Common Questions about SEO Services

 

How will the SEO firm determine which keywords will be the target of your optimization efforts?

Research is an extremely important part of a successful campaign. If the company does not have a solid research plan, the campaign will likely be unsuccessful. You need to understand how they plan and if it is reasonable.

 

Will the optimization program include an analysis of your site’s design, navigation, coding, content and incoming links?

A good SEO firm will be able to provide you with recommendations on improving other areas of your site that affect search engine placement or the site’s visitor experience. Proper coding, content and outbound/inbound links especially have an important role is search engine rankings. A good SEO firm will provide you will an SEO website audit with all of these aspects included.

 

Will the SEO firm be writing your content or will they work with existing content?

If the firm does now have someone who specializes in creating content optimized for SEO, look elsewhere.

 

Does the company have a link strategy for your site and the ability to promote your site through its content?

This is important and if they do not have a strategy, they are not a good SEO firm.

 

Ask them to scope out how they would optimize your site, including on-site and off-site.

The best answer to this question is that this will be discussed after the initial strategy session. They cannot really know if they have not done the proper analysis with you and conducted their research.

 

Additional things to ask a Prospective SEO Company

 

  • Ask for references, check them
  • Ask for examples of successful results from previous campaigns for search engines
  • How many pages will they be optimizing for the price they quoted?
  • How will your site be monitored and maintained over time, and how often will they be reporting on these important metrics?
  • What is the Google My Business strategy? If they say it is the same as SEO, they have not done their homework.
  • What strategies beyond SEO does the firm engage in?

 

Common Mistakes People Make When Choosing an SEO Company

 

  • Going with the firm that says they will get you to rank number 1 on the first page.
  • Going with firms that say they will submit your site to the search engines.
  • Selecting a firm that only offers a quick fix to your SEO (not offering adjustments to content and external links).
  • Choosing a firm that uses hidden links or text to boost keyword density. (You can get penalized for this)
  • Choosing one that creates backlinks with sites that are irrelevant to your business or industry.
  • Going with a company that buys paid links as a tactic from sites you know nothing about.
  • Goes with a company that sets unrealistic expectations. SEO does not deliver on a timeline.

 

If you are looking for a great SEO company, ask the above questions and make sure you do not make mistakes when making the final decision.  There are a lot of unethical SEO firms out there that can have you fooled, but in reality they are hurting your rankings rather than helping them.