In part one of this series, we looked a the negative impact of the Google Penguin algorithm change. In part two we looked at a link building tactics you should avoid.
This third article in the series to help you with selecting an SEO services provider.
Choosing An SEO Provider
Choosing the right provider for SEO services can make or break a successful entry into online marketing ande-commerce. Even sites not attempting to sell directly via the Web need solid page rankings to drive enough traffic to add value to a general marketing strategy. SEO services using bad link building techniques put your company’s website at risk.
Search engines can apply automatic or manual penalties (including blacklisting) to sites that use unnatural techniques to improve page rankings, impacting your online marketing campaign opportunities for months, if not years.? Before selecting an SEO company to handle your online expansion, be sure to ask a few questions about how they generate links, and traffic and whether they use industry best practices.
Five Questions To Ask Your SEO
1. What type of marketing background does the firm and its principals have?? Watch out for the cowboys that push quantity posting, use of low value sites (as mentioned in part two) over quality link building activities.? Quantity does not out weight quality for the purpose of gaining a high page ranking.
2. How long has the company been in the business of SEO service?? Fly-by-night operations that spring up and shut down suddenly, do not take the time to build lasting client relationships and long-term successful strategies.? When selecting an SEO company look for one with an established reputation and long-term experience in the industry.
3. Does the company offer case studies, proving their effectiveness at driving organic search results?? Any reputable company offers plenty of customer testimonials and references, to help with due diligence as you search for the right company to handle your online marketing efforts.
4. What strategies do they offer, and do they guarantee their work?? Offering guaranteed top page rankings is a dead give away that something is wrong with this picture.? Companies can guarantee an improvement, particularly as they start narrowing your focus and building an integrated campaign that offers lasting value, but they can not guarantee a top page result.
5. Ask about what they consider to be industry best practices?? The truth is that quality content drives higher page rankings.? Back links offer the best value, but only from reputable sites.? Any company offering to build thousands of back links overnight, clearly does not run using industry best practices, opening your website to possible negative action by search engines.
A website offers a powerful selling and communication tool, but only when managed properly.? Selecting an SEO company to handle your online marketing campaign can have lasting effects on your business opportunities.? Be sure to only work with the best companies, and be prepared to pay for expertise.? Any company offering massive gains for pennies probably is not using tactics that offer lasting improvements that withstand changes to search engine algorithms.? Work with companies that follow the terms of service and create lasting value for your company.