If you don’t have the time to learn to use optimizing software and research all the potential companies for link trades, or maybe you’d just rather focus on your core business and pay someone else to market and optimize your site.
In this case you’ll definitely need to hire a professional search optimization company to handle your site marketing needs. Make sure you research all aspects of SEO if possible; being fully informed and educated on SEO makes it much easier to hire a SEO company. Some uninformed clients usually will have unrealistic expectations regarding search engine optimization and we’d have to start their education process from ground zero. Most of our prospective clients who contact KosmosCentral know absolutely nothing regarding web marketing and usually are under the false impression that Meta Tags are all they need to focus on. We’ll explain our services patiently, while informing them that they should educate themselves as much as possible and direct them to our resource articles.
So, who should you hire for your SEO campaign?
You should first look at the cost & choice of services provided by the SEO Company. Eliminate those companies that don’t offer all the services you need and are out of your budget. Second, credibility is key; eliminate those companies that don’t have an established presence in the marketplace. Last but not least, communication, customer and tech support. From the few companies that remain, choose the ones with the best customer service and technical support.
Cost & Choice of Services Since there are huge variations in cost of service for search engine optimization companies trying to figure out which pricing structure is fair could become a daunting task. Paying a lot doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get better results and if the company is too inexpensive then that could be a reason for suspicion. You should research the different pricing models and try to make sense out of what is being offered and only consider those that fit your desired pricing model.
Many companies will charge a setup fee, monthly or annual maintenance fees and others may not charge a setup fee and have a higher maintenance fee. There are also, performance based companies that will charge based on the number of top rankings & quality link exchanges they achieve, or the number of visitors they bring to your site. You’ll have to consider whether you wish to pay a flat fee or pay your SEO Company based on the results. While you may initially think paying for results is the way to go, it may end up being more expensive in the long run. Like paying someone a commission or paying salary, you can sometimes find a very motivated individual if his paycheck will only arrive if he’s producing quality results. But, it’s hard to find quality committed individuals whom are paid on commission only. As soon as a commission paid employee finds a better situation then their gone. Thus a SEO company that is producing poor results for a client may just focus on easier oppor!
tunities and move on.
It’s important when comparing companies that you are comparing apples to apples. When evaluating the suitability of a SEO service and pricing model make sure your comparing the actual services associated with the price. You should also decide which services are absolutely needed in your optimization campaign. Make sure you get all the services you actually need and are not paying for those extra’s you don’t need.
Optimized page quantity How many pages will the company actually optimize? Many companies will just optimize your home page and some will go beyond that. Optimizing a page for your site will improve your ranking, but probably not worth paying thousands of dollars for. The quality of optimization is important and don’t be fooled into thinking that only SEO companies know how to do it properly. Optimization techniques are available to the general public and if you have the time then optimizing your own site wouldn’t be too far fetched.
The main advantage of hiring a professional SEO company is that they will create and maintain many more optimized pages and complete a link campaign than you would even have the time to do by yourself.
Directory listings
Most companies will charge an additional fee for directory listings to recoup their costs for submission. Directories like Yahoo will charge as much as $300 to include your site into their directory, so be prepared for these type’s of fees. If you’re already listed in the major directories then there is no need to pay for resubmission because changing your listing in an existing directory is very difficult to achieve. If the SEO Company is going to achieve additional directory listings that will benefit your company then you may consider paying the added expense.
One way linking
Why is one way linking so important? Webmasters have found ways in the past to manipulate search engine results, thereby improving their ranking in the search engines. Google and other engines have matured over the years and are now penalizing sites that are currently using these old search engine manipulation practices. The latest method of search engine rankings is link popularity. Obtaining quality links from good Websites is not easy. A good Website would only link to you if convinced there are some benefits for his site or his site visitors. Would a large corporation like Nike Corp. link to your site if your product or service is not shoe related? Of course not and search engines are ranking all sites based on this criteria. The more links you have pointed to your site without having to reciprocate will rank higher in the search engines. Please read my articles on one way versus reciprocal linking (http://www.kosmoscentral.com/seo-articles/one-Way-Vs-Recip.html )and on how to obtain one way non-reciprocal links (http://www.kosmoscentral.com/seo-articles/how-2-Create-One-Ways.html )for more detailed information.
Reciprocal Link Popularity
Reciprocal link popularity(http://www.kosmoscentral.com/seo-articles/reciprocal-Link-Popularity.html) is very important in attaining a top search engine ranking. Unless your site already has high link popularity then there is no need to pay for this service. If not, make sure your SEO Company definitely includes a reciprocal link popularity campaign. As you may know there are right ways and wrong ways in going about a reciprocal link popularity campaign. Just make sure your SEO company is going about it the right way. You wouldn’t want to find out that your site inadvertently got banned from an engine because of spamming or because of inclusion to link farms.
Submission Fees Some major search engines and directories will charge submission fees for a quicker inclusion into their programs. These will obviously help your site get listed faster than waiting out the average 3 to 6 weeks for basic inclusion. In some cases paying for inclusion is your only option. As I mentioned earlier Yahoo charges an annual fee of about $300 to be listed within their directory. Most SEO firms will take advantage of these fees if their clients wish to be submitted much faster. Submission fees should always be added to a quote and ideally should easily be itemized separately from all other costs.
Bid Management Bid Management refers to managing your bids on pay-per-click search engines. Many SEO firms will offer bid management as an optional service. You’ll have to provide the company with your specific parameters, such as desired ranking for your keyphrases and the maximum amount you’re willing to spend per visitor. The SEO firm will periodically log into your account and update your bids in order to keep your site in the desired position. The should also check all other bids to make sure your not over paying for any phrases. Pay-per-clicks have become very competitive and bid management can be a valuable service for your site.
Contractual Obligations Be well informed of your contractual obligations. Would you prefer a company that charges $600 per month with no contractual obligation or a company that charges $450 per month with a one year contractual obligation? Are your optimized pages sitting on their server or on your server in house and what happens to your pages if you choose to cancel your contract? Some SEO companies may hold your pages hostage in the event you cancel out early. So be prepared and well informed of your situation contractually.
Credibility I think this is self explanatory but have some questions ready to ask of the SEO your considering. How long has the SEO been in business? Are their phrases even competitive? Check to see if they post results for phrases that rank number one, but are ridiculously obscure that no one would even consider searching. Check the better business bureau for complaints if there are any. Check references, many SEO will be reluctant to give out references because of their privacy policy regarding their clients. But none the less you should try to obtain at least one if not two existing clients before sending any cash to the SEO firm. Are the keyphrases quoted or unquoted and will they provide quality reciprocal links that are relevant to your web site’s trade or service. Verify the results that are provided. It’s easy to modify any report so do your due diligence and verify the information that is sent to you. If the company doesn’t have a physical address and are using only a p.o. box then you should eliminate them from any consideration. A company guarantee is only as good as the company standing behind it. If that company goes out of business then you’re stuck with a worthless guarantee.
Communication, Customer & Tech Support Now that you’ve narrowed your list of SEO companies the final step should be choosing the SEO company that you feel the most comfortable working with. SEO is a highly technical field and therefore it weighs highly with individuals whom are technically oriented rather than people oriented. You may find that many of the companies you contact are unwilling or unable to communicate effectively with their clients. As you check references their existing clients may state just that. Good SEO firms will also look beyond their primary focus of getting you a great listing. They will work with their clients and proactively make suggestions regarding a website face lift, content and even hosting to help their client’s business needs. The SEO firm should be able to help with keyphrase research, copy writing, return on investment analysis (pay-per-click) and traffic analysis to help you understand visitor’s behaviors on your site.
I am a developer, designer, dmoz volunteer editor and consultant. I have been working in the computer networking industry since 1991, providing training, technical support, project management and consulting services. After working for 4 years for a major online company providing web development technical support services, I was offered a directors position in a large real estate corporation utilizing my web development and management skills. A few years later I decided to start a side business for myself and created Kosmos Central LLC a web promotion consulting company. Currently I provide my consulting services for the same company and a few more.
I’ve lived in the Portland Oregon Area the majority of my existence on this planet and occasionally Ill take time off to enjoy life
