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Tips on Finding the Right Search Engine Optimization Firm
by Dan Buttarazzi ©Copyright 2004

There are hundreds of Search Engine Optimization (SEO, for 
short) companies that claim they provide "successful," "proven", 
"guaranteed" search engine placement for your Web site. How do 
you know whether they deliver on their promise, when you have 
no clue how they do it? Most firms can't afford a staffer who 
specializes in online marketing. Most find it's best to 
outsource to an SEO firm. So, how can you tell which one to 
choose? The most important six elements are described below.
Take a moment to educate yourself. You'll be saving yourself 
time, money and lots of headaches if you get it right the first 
time. 
 
1.) SEO Focus
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Jack of all trades, Master of 
none?" Well, you sure don't want to apply this to the SEO firm 
you select. Make sure the firm you are going to hire is focused 
in the SEO field. If they're a Web site design firm masquerading 
as a SEO firm on the side, RUN! Are they a hosting company who 
claims they're "proficient" in putting your company on the top 
of Internet Search Engines? RUN! Winner's Focus. Loser's Spray. 
Hire only an SEO whose business is search engine optimization. 
They will be your expert. 
 
2.) Know About Outsourcing
Many designers outsource their work to someone else, which is 
completely acceptable. Not all firms that design Web sites or 
offer Web site hosting do the optimization work. They often 
outsource it themselves! When approaching a firm for services 
always ask, "Do you outsource your SEO work?" As the person 
responsible for the Web site, you must know who will be carrying 
out your SEO work. You must also be able to speak with the SEO 
firm directly, don't rely on your designer to understand SEO 
language. 
 
3.) Are They a Local Company? 
If you have a Web site or work for a company that has a Web 
site, the likelihood of you receiving a phone call or SP@M 
trying to you sell you SEO services is inevitable. The cost of 
having proper work done on your Web site to obtain the high 
ranking you're looking for will cost in the neighborhood of 
$5,000 to $15,000 per year. You must ask yourself, "Why would 
I give someone I never met $5,000?" You do not know who is on 
the other end of the phone or who sent out that SP@M. Why not 
invite them to come in and sit down with you and your staff so 
that they can better understand your business? Face to face 
- buy local. Always try to give your business to the local 
company. This allows you to meet the people who will be working 
for you. Would you hire an employee without meeting them? I 
doubt it.
 
4.) Guarantee and Referrals
Many SEO firms offer a guarantee. That's standard operating 
procedure. If a SEO firm says that they can get you the #1 
position on Google, RUN! NO ONE can guarantee that, for no 
amount of money. A good SEO firm will know what it takes to get 
good rankings on the major search engines, but they cannot 
guarantee a #1 position. They can guarantee a certain number of 
Top 10's or Top 5's, if they have a strong understanding of how 
search engines work. But do not hire an SEO firm just because 
they offer a guarantee. Check with some of their clients for 
their feedback. If a firm is just guaranteeing to get your site
ranked, be careful. Anyone can get a site ranked, but where it 
ranks is the key. 
 
5.) Ethical Practices
This seems obvious, but because SEO placement is such a new, 
gray area, we can't judge their techniques, only their integrity. 
Make sure the SEO firm that you are going to do business with 
has an ethical reputation. See if they have claims with the 
Better Business Bureau. You want to do business with a company 
that will invest in your company. This is not a one way street.  
 
Be careful of SEO firms who utilize the following less than 
ethical techniques:

Doorway pages 
Cloaking / IP Delivery Page 
Redirects 
Hidden Text 
Link Farms 
Submission Sp@m
 
Look for these Ethical Techniques:

Search Engine Friendly Meta tags 
Optimized Content 
Quality Inbound Links 
Hand Submissions 
Paid Inclusion
 
While unethical techniques can provide you with quick results, 
they will hurt a Web site in the long run. They are short-term 
fixes to a long-term challenge. By creating search engine 
friendly Meta tags, optimizing the content on your existing 
site, creating quality links into your site from within the 
search engines, and enhancing these techniques with proper 
submission procedures, your Web site will receive the most 
comprehensive and effective SEO services.
 
6.) Maintenance and Customer Service  
Any good SEO firm will provide ongoing maintenance to maintain 
rankings on the search engines. The search engines are always 
looking to improve on the results they provide. When they do make 
changes, you want to make sure that you have an SEO firm that 
implements the changes needed to make sure your rankings do not 
slip. Most SEO firms will run ranking reports at least twice a 
month. These reports are a great way to track your results. The 
reports allow you to see exactly where your site is ranking. If 
you notice any major change in your rankings, call the customer 
service department. They should be able to help you determine
what needs to be done to correct the problem. 
 
Remember, when looking for an SEO firm, choose wisely. There are 
many firms to choose from, but which one is right for you? Are 
they focused on SEO or are their hands in many different pots? 
Are they the ones doing the work or do they outsource the work? 
Will they sit down with you and put a face with the service? 
What type of guarantee do they offer and do they have referrals? 
Do they use ethical techniques and what type of maintenance and 
customer service do they offer? These are all the things to take 
into consideration when looking to hire a SEO firm. 
 
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Dan Buttarazzi is Vice President of Premium Rankings Corporation 
a professional search engine marketing firmed based in Raleigh, 
North Carolina. You can reach Dan at daniel@premiumrankings.com 
You can learn more about Premium Rankings by visiting them at
http://www.premiumrankings.com 
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