Search engine optimization (SEO) is not something businesses can see as an afterthought. If they want to have a successful website, then they must engage in SEO. It should be left to the professionals, however, and this is where a difficulty comes in. With thousands of SEO companies around, all claiming to be the best, how do you choose the one that is right for you? Let’s take a look at some of the considerations to make.
The Price
Obviously, you want to make sure that you get value for money. However, the pricing of SEO companies can be quite complex to understand. Hence, a few things to look for include:
- That there is transparency about the different fees and what you will receive for them.
- That it is clear what the initial payment is, and what the payment plan will look like after that initial payment.
Length of Service
Usually, there will be different options available depending on how long you stay with them. Finding out how long is best can be quite complicated, however. A three month term is usually the minimum if you want to see an effect, but it is common for initial contracts to last at least six months. You should definitely see results by then, giving you the chance to decide whether to continue or not.
You may feel that six months is a very long time, but if you want to see real results, you have to be ready to wait. Not just that, SEO is a continuous process. You cannot hit the first page of Google and then simply stop working at it. Rather, you have to keep working at it in order to maintain your rankings.
Ethical Work
Unfortunately, there are some companies out there that use so-called “black hat tactics”. You must avoid those, no matter how quick their results will be. This is because you will get found out, and you will get penalized heavily for it. You should look for companies that:
- Focus on blogs, content marketing, link building, and social media networking.
- Give you testimonials and references from companies they have worked with before.
- Provide you monthly update reports that show how you are growing.
- Are available to speak to you personally during office hours.
Red flags that would indicate the company use black hat tactics include:
- That they focus on keyword stuffing, such as creating a hidden web page that just repeats relevant keywords over and over again.
- Claiming to have special relationships with Google or proprietary techniques.
- Guaranteeing their results within a set period of time.
Finding a good SEO company can seem like a lot of hard work. However, it is worth investing that time in it, so that you find a company that can really take your business to the next level. Without good SEO, you will never be able to remain relevant in today’s competitive world. Not having a website with proper SEO in place is simply not an option anymore.