How to choose an SEO firm?

SEO has become the latest trend and every one is trying to leverage this opportunity. People are aware of the SEO concept, but they do not possess much knowledge about it. This has created a stir in the business world. Everyone is trying to pitch as an SEO expert. There are many firms who claims to get your site ranked at the top position. I wish they were genuine about their claims. Though, there are serious professionals who would do justice with your website, there are scammers as well. They do not mind staking your business just to earn those few extra bucks. Wondering, how to differentiate between honest SEO professionals and scammers, here are few points to keep in mind:

Get the list of clientèle:

Next time when someone promises you a guaranteed SEO result, do not instantly believe them. It is just a marketing gimmick as there can never be a guaranteed result in SEO. Google constantly updates the algorithm and SEO results majorily depends on these algorithms. Hence, ask for their clientèle before you end up giving them the business. A honest SEO professional will definitely share the list of successful clients and will also refrain from making false promises.

Latest Updates:

The SEO industry is volatile and the rules keep changing. If a professional claims that he has been successful in getting a site ranked at number one position in 2012, do not get carried away. Though the SEO process remains the same, the ranking factors differs every now and then. Google algorithm changes which affects the ranking procedure. Example: Google Hummingbird! When Google released Hummingbird a lot of websites were affected. Thus, check for the latest projects that he has handled and the success ratio of it.

Ask questions:

There is no harm in asking questions as it is a matter of your business. You can also share your long term business goals and your reasons for proceeding with SEO services. Wait for his reaction and do read his body language. A sales pitch can be easily distinguished from that of a genuine approach.

Knowledge of all three SEO tiers:

The SEO knowledge consists of 3 tiers – Technical, On-page and Off-page optimization. The technical aspects includes the site structure whereas On-page mostly deals with HTML tags and keywords. The Off-page optimization includes all the activities that would help in link building and traffic generation. SEO is an ongoing process and one must continuously carry out these activities to remain in the eyes of search engines. An SEO professional will definitely have knowledge of all these tiers.

Regardless of whom you have chosen for SEO services, ensure that you stay at the top. Ask for the weekly or monthly SEO report and keep a track of the progress that your site has made. Google analytics and Google Webmasters are major performance analysis tools. You can also have an access to them. Do share your feedback with us and let us know your experience with the SEO firms and professionals.