eCommerce Website Hosting, Design, Maintenance, and Marketing

Tips to finding the right SEO for your website

by Taureth

1. Are they focused on YOUR success?

A good SEO (Search Engine Optimizer) or SEO Company will be focused on YOUR business! Are they constantly talking about THEIR business and what THEY are doing, or are they asking you about YOUR business? They should maintain contact with you on a regular basis so that they know what is going on in YOUR business. Are they keeping up with changes in YOUR market? Are they making changes to your site and your advertising program on a regular schedule? Do they know the direction you are trying to go with your business? Are they trying to make that happen for you, or are they putting emphasis into other areas? Are they delivering RESULTS? Even if the results they deliver are NOT what you expect, they should be sharing the results they are getting, and keeping you informed as to what they are doing to improve those results.

2. Are they current on the new trends?

You may not know or understand SEO marketing techniques or methods, but they should. After all, that is what you are paying them for. Are they current on the latest marketing techniques, methods, and trends? Ask them! They should be happy to tell you about the latest strategies. Are they trying new ways to get you traffic, or are they using old strategies and techniques that may be out of date? Do they have a current plan for how to put dollars in your pocket?

3. Are they confident enough in their strategies to link their profits to yours?

Don't be afraid to explore this one! If their skills are medium to above average, they may offer a vertical program. This would be a deal where they receive a percentage of sales in return for making your business successful. There are some exceptional deals to be had if you start thinking laterally; most of these types of programs have a lower upfront or monthly cost unless they are making you sales.

4. Do they do community or charity work?

Do they do charitable work at NO cost for local causes? Doing this type of work shows that they are interested in helping to make others successful. In addition, they may already be networking with others in your community that can help promote your business while helping a good cause.

5. What kind of relationships do they have?

Are their other customers happy? Do they have repeat business and client loyalty? If they do, you should have a reasonable level of expectation that they will develop the same relationship with you. Are they honest about what you can expect for results, or are they promising you the moon? There is no sure fire, instant way to get great search engine results! There is only lots of tedious work to CONSTANTLY UPDATE your site, lots of good QUALITY CONTENT on your site, and the biggest one of all ... TIME!! It takes time for the search engines to find your site (even if you let them know where it is!), and then when they do find it, they wait, and they come back again later to see if you have updated it, and they come back again to see if it is still there... and then they finally show a link to a page on your site. ONE!!! And then they come back again, and again, and again. And over TIME, you will start to see the results. You need an SEO who will a) not make promises they have no way of keeping, and b) the vision to stay in there working for you with the knowledge that the long term commitment to your business is the key to your and their mutual success.

6. Do they run a balanced business?

Are they charging for what their services are worth? There are some folks who charge steeply and don't even know how to get the results. If they are good at what they do, they should charge well for their services. They DESERVE a fair reward if they are helping other business owners to prosper. The ones that charge steeply but DON'T deliver may make a few dollars initially, but they won't enjoy the customer loyalty, the referral business, and the repeat business that gets them "customers for life". There are others who do not charge enough for their services. These SEO’s are either new to the business and afraid to charge what their services are worth, or they are not confident enough in their talents to charge a fair rate. An exception to this, is a company that is offering "Introductory Pricing" to jump start a new business.

7. Do they recognize the progress they've made?

Yes, this is extremely important. How else can they truly measure their progress unless they have set and achieved goals? Even more importantly, do they celebrate their CLIENTS' VICTORIES too! They helped bring them about, and should be proud to have been a part of the "Team".

8. Are they willing to change and take action?

If what they are doing is working and getting results, then everything is great. But, if what they are doing is not getting the desired results, are they willing to change their game plan and try something new? Think of it like this... Same action = same result ... Different action = new results. It may be better, it may be worse, but being afraid to make changes when things are not going in the direction you want them to is a guaranteed way for them to NEVER get any better.

9. Surround yourself with the high quality people!

Be sure to carefully choose the people you want to work with. Look for those with whom you can share synergies and be very observant of the skills and abilities within the others that surround you. No single person can operate as effectively as a group of people that work as a team. Learn to choose the right people to work with and recognize the latent strengths and talents that will sometimes be present but initially hidden within the group. Build to your ultimate potential by choosing wisely, encouraging one another and recognizing the talent in one another.

10. Make your own choice!

Don’t let yourself be trapped into making a decision you are not happy with. Be sure to carefully consider your options, you may need help for your web site RIGHT NOW!!, but a rash decision can affect your eCommerce business for a long time. Get to know the person or company who will be a big part of your future success on the internet. Don’t let high pressure salesmen or "Pie in the Sky" promises

About the Author: Taureth is the co-founder and head SEO of Devil's Advoc8 Inc. an eCommerce website design, hosting, maintenance, and marketing firm. You can find out more by visiting their homepage at www.DevilsAdvoc8.com This article may be distributed or reposted freely as long as this section remains attached and unaltered.