At some point, I’m sure you received a call or email from an unknown contact with some variation of the following statement.
“I checked your website and I can’t see it the first page Google for your keyword. Call us today and we can guarantee you a top spot. ”
As a founder of my own agency, I certainly see this all the time. While many reputable companies legitimately do a great job helping their clients, there are also many that use questionable practices to take advantage of their business owners.
First of all, search engine optimization (or SEO) is defined as “the strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the number of visitors to a website by ranking high on search result pages. defined as a process. Engine – such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines. ”
The most common practices include updating elements on the page such as:
- Website mobile friendly.
- Code updates to make your site more readable for search engines.When
- Review of text (content), images, and off-page elements such as incoming links to the site and proper connections with other trusted websites.
Like most businesses today, you subscribe to a service that monitors your website and moves you to page 1 of the rankings. But how do you know if you’re working with a qualified company or hired a hacker? Here are some of my best practices:
- Clearly identify what the company does for you and what the deliverables are. Set a reasonable timeline and follow up.
- Recommend a list of keywords and ask them to explain why these terms were chosen. This will give them a thorough understanding not only of your company, but of your competitors as well.
- Request a plan or request an audit. Has your SEO company identified the main problems and do you have plans to fix them? Secure a copy of their analysis and strategy.
- Expect suggestions with one-off fixes and ongoing efforts. Be wary of a flat monthly fee for renewals, as most projects do a lot of work up front and require a lot less effort over time.
- A monthly report is required. This report should include a detailed description of the work done in the previous month and the results of that work. There should also be recommendations on what needs to be done next to achieve desired results and rankings.
- Request accessibility. Your SEO team should be able to answer questions and explain report data.
Finally, as with all aspects of business, you get what you pay for. You can’t just hire “experts” for $100 a month and expect them to actually do more than take your money. If budget is a concern, ask an experienced company to do an audit. Instead of paying for constant monitoring, we review identified issues and work to fix those items. Skip long-term contracts and monthly fees.
Ultimately, the best way to protect your company from bad vendors is to set clear goals, ask lots of questions, demand progress reports, check reviews, and hold your company accountable. It’s just like hiring any other vendor.
