Here are five simple questions to ask when considering using the services of a search engine marketing professional.
1. Ask about their approach/philosophy when it comes to organic search engine results.
This question is designed to help you figure out what the SEO’s (or SEO company’s) approach really is. Compare their answer to the information on Google’s Search Engine Optimization page. But don’t stop there. Another good resource for evaluating the answers of an SEO is to compare them to SEO Code of Ethics (from Bruce Clay, Inc.). Even if an SEO firm has not documented their ethical standards like Bruce Clay, Inc. they should still be able to verbalize them during any conversations you have with them leading up to a proposal or service agreement.
2. Ask to see some successful campaigns and the length of time it took for them to achieve those results.
Be realistic about the information you receive based on this type of a question. No one is going to provide you with a campaign with lackluster results. What you are trying to see in this case is if they have any track record at all.
Also, if the length of time stated in their response is too good to be true, it may be a good idea to take note. SEO is not magic, and quick results are almost always based on black hat or at best gray hat techniques.
3. Ask if they would recommend using any search engine optimization services at all (theirs or otherwise).
This question is meant to reveal their intentions–are they looking to just sign up anyone who is willing to pay or are they looking provide real help.
To illustrate, we recently had a local insurance broker who was interested in our SEO services. He had recently left his employment and was operating as an independent broker. After a couple of phone calls and email, as well as some research into the local market and the search volumes available for keywords relevant to his business, our recommendation was that he spend his marketing dollars on activities that would yield a much quicker ROI. With his situation (i.e. newly established business and very little potential local interest in his services), it would have been unethical to sign him up as a client, knowing that his money would not yield the ROI that he needed in order to help make his business a successful one in the short term.
So be careful if the sales person or SEO that you are speaking to does not take the time to study your needs and is simply looking to quote you a price that he thinks you’ll be willing to pay.
4. Ask if there are any other SEOs they would recommend.
Any business, not only SEOs, should be able to tell a potential clients about other competitors whose work they admire. No one has a monopoly on doing good SEO work (or any work for that matter), so the people you are looking to hire must be able and willing to give you the names of (at least) one or two competitors that they themselves would use or would recommend to friends or family.
5. Ask them to explain the logic in their pricing (how they charge, and why they charge they way they do).
If answered thoroughly, this should help get you more in-depth information about how they conduct their work, and give you a better idea if their pricing is fair (for what they offer) or not. Don’t be dismissive of their answers or get confrontational if you don’t like their responses. Simply absorb the information and use it to make your final decision.
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If you ask these (or similar) questions, and pay attention to the answers then you should be able to pick a reputable SEO provider.