Clint's Web Marketing Blog

I was at my aunts 4th of July BBQ last month and met a great lady working for a nonprofit organization dedicated to K-9’s. We started talking and she told me how she has been working with an SEO firm and wasn’t seeing results after working with them for a year and spending lots of money with them. So that got me thinking of all the other times I have had practices come to me saying the same thing. They are skeptical of SEO and question if anyone can really provide results that are measurable. If I was in their shoes, I would feel the same way so, I put together some questions to ask a potential SEO firm that you may be considering.

How long they have been doing SEO?
This is a not a huge qualifier. It doesn’t take years of experience to know effective, honest SEO tactics, but it does take a deep knowledge of the Internet and search engines, and you don’t want to be their first project.

Can you show me three clients who you have positioned on first-page results?
They should always be able to provide current clients that are consistently at the top of the search engines. Also, look for testimonials. These are things every firm and practice should have, including yours. These are very powerful in the eyes of the visitors.

Can you illustrate any significant traffic boosts or conversion boosts?
They should be able to provide you with clients’ results before and after working with them, showing where they were before they started helping, and where they are now. This is a very important metric that should be tracked and recorded.

How do you optimize websites, and how does it differ from other SEO firms?
Any good firm will have no problem explaining how they get results. We want our clients to understand what we are doing. It helps us build trust with our clients and they know we aren’t hiding anything from them. If they seem to be hiding things this should raise a red flag to you.

Do they understand your Industry?
Your website marketing firm should understand the economics of your business as it relates to the Web. I only work in a few industries and I know those industries very well. Knowing the ins and outs of their practice is critical. I know how their consumers shop and what they look for when buying. So ask them questions about your business. See how well they know it and if they have worked with people with in your industry before.

What are your criteria for choosing keyword phrases?
There are many tools out there to see how many people search for certain terms a month. We select our keyword phrases through many years of doing this and working with select professional service industries. We understand your business and how consumers research your services.

Do you have any guarantees of your work?
Most top SEO firms work off their reputation and some even offer guarantees. The firm should clearly explain why they do not have guarantees or what their guarantees are. Make sure you understand exactly what keyword phrases, search engines, and time frame they guarantee.

I hope this helps and if you would like to talk more about making sure you have found a great SEO firm, I would love to speak with you.