Nathaniel Fried
Every business dreams of making it to the first page of Google results, even when this is an improbable goal, but there are plenty more benefits a comprehensive and well planned SEO campaign can bring, including an increase in traffic to your website, selling page or app, a higher conversion rate, greater brand awareness, and of course, more profit!
The benefits are there for the taking, but if you don’t have the expertise or the time to put a solid SEO plan into place and then run it you should look at hiring someone who does. There are plenty of SEO specialists across the United States, so choosing one shouldn’t be too difficult, but you have to narrow down the choices somehow – which is why we have put together this handy guide on what you need to know before hiring an SEO Denver Colorado – #1 Firm.
Do they have proven direct experience and success in your field?
Any worthwhile SEO company will be more than happy to show you examples of their previous work, and connect you to the clients who commissioned it. They probably can’t share exact details of the stats which indicate success, to protect client confidentiality, but either them, or perhaps the client themselves, should be able to confirm that the work had a positive end result – measured by such things as a boost in search engine ranking, higher visitor numbers and increased conversion rates.
Can they provide a clear outline of how they would conduct an SEO campaign for you?
This should kick off with some form of site analysis to identify any obvious issues which are holding things back, or causing your site to underperform. You should expect that the work needed will be incorporated into the overall plan, along with further suggestions for strategies which should be productive. If a company cannot do this, (after a reasonable amount of time to prepare it), then they are best avoided as you would have absolutely no idea what they had in mind. At worst they could be simply spinning a line and have no real idea themselves! There should be some reasonable time frames included for achieving the goals set.
Can they provide all the services you need?
Some SEO specialists focus only on website work; others may also prove a wider range of services, such as SEO for social media platform content, press releases, blog content and so on. Large companies may offer various content marketing services, which could be convenient for you. If a company has several SEO experts on board it’s worth checking out their policies for allocating work. In some cases you may find several different people are involved – which works fine for some people, less so for others, or that a junior staff member is routinely given your project to work on.
What’s their attitude to guidelines on good SEO practice?
The absolute worst thing you can do is get involved with SEO consultants who practice what is known as ‘black hat’ techniques. These include things like creating content stuffed with keywords, and reading as anything other than natural. All the big search engines, such as Bing, Google and Yahoo have clear and strictly policed guidelines.
Do they have a realistic attitude to what can be achieved?
Anyone who promises to get your content into the top spot of any search engine is deluded. Even if you were kind enough to think they are overly optimistic rather than out to con you for cash, would you trust that they actually have any skill in this field at all? Seriously, just run and don’t look back!
Can they help with both national and local SEO?
Most companies are happy to deal with national SEO techniques but it is really important to have dedicated local SEO strategies in place too. You may find a locally based company also has extra insight into things like regional words and phrases which could be used in a campaign, along with all the standard techniques or local SEO campaigns.
Will you have the final say on decisions about changes made to your content?
You don’t have to understand everything to make a good decision on suggested changes, it’s just important to have the final say so you retain control.
How do they generally communicate with clients?
There’s no one right way, but what matters is that you work with someone whose style matches your preferences. Some SEO consultants may offer unlimited direct contact, in person if local, or by video chat, others may offer email, text or phone consultations, as and when or on a limited basis. Of course, you can’t expect to have 24/7 access to a consultant, but a reasonable amount of time if you need it, accessed via a method you feel comfortable with is pretty vital for success. You should also check if they send regular updates or you need to request updates.
How much their SEO services will cost you
It is seriously important that you are clear about payment before you sign up to work with a company. Some consultants charge by the hour, others by entire project, with the latter being most common. That may sound straightforward but you still need to have things in writing to explain exactly what is provided for that fee. The other option is to have a company (or individual) on a monthly paid retainer, doing SEO tasks on a steady basis, but again you need to be clear about what you can expect for that fee. When you pay should also be clear and agreed on, as it could be that you pay in advance, or that you invoiced monthly pr pot project, depending on the way charges are calculated.
It may seem like there’s a lot to think about before hiring an SEO specialist, but that’s probably a good thing as you are looking to pay for a service which will add value to your business. Companies are used to potential clients asking these questions so don’t be shy!
