One of the hardest things to do in your business is determining what you should spend your money on and what you shouldn’t. What’s even harder is determining where you should spend that money when it comes to hiring small business SEO services.
There are so many services out there that claim they can get your website ranked number one for all sorts of keywords, but how do you know which one will work for you? Let me tell you a few ways to find the right small business SEO services.
Look At Their Portfolio
It’s easy enough to get caught up in promises of higher rankings and more visitors, but if they don’t have any proof that they’re able to deliver results like these, look elsewhere. If they have a good amount of samples that are all ranking well, you can at least trust that they know what they’re doing.
Do They Guarantee The Results? How Are Those Guarantees Offered?
If someone can guarantee results to you, it’s probably because they have some up-sell pitch later down the road after you’ve signed up with them. For example, if your SEO service tells you that they can get your page ranked number one for any phrase you want in less than two months, but only if you pay for this other product, too run away! The best way a small business SEO services can provide results is through monthly or quarterly re-assessments. If their company offers refunds on services that don’t deliver, that’s a huge red flag.
What Are Their Prices?
There are a few things to keep in mind when comparing prices. First is what services they offer and how much those services cost. You should also take into consideration their packages or monthly fees. If one service offers the same thing as another but has a lower price, this may indicate that something is off with their business model. In addition, if you’re only looking at companies that have monthly fees for managing your account, watch out for those that claim results before your first month ends because those could be scams.
Did They Deliver In Your Last Search Marketing Project? What Were the Results?
If they claim they can deliver better services than what they ask from their customers, they should at least send over some examples of past work well-received by those who requested it. Ask them for their references or see if they’ve been recommended already by someone else within the industry. If you check out a few different websites and find a pattern in their references, this is a good sign that they may be able to deliver on their promises.
What Kind Of Training Do They Have? How Much Do They Plan On Helping You?
Good small business SEO services will have some training with you when you first start your campaign with them. This training usually includes information about what keywords are best for your business and why, which sites are most important when it comes to getting links pointing back to your site, and how you can begin working together once the initial set-up phase is over. Ask if they provide any additional training after the initial engagement ends or if there’s documentation that explains what they did to get your website ranked where it is now. Also, ask how much time per month they’ll spend helping you with your campaign after the initial set-up.
What Is Their Work Ethic? What Are They Willing To Do for You?
When it comes to a good working relationship, both parties must put in the effort necessary to see results. Ask about what tasks they do daily and how much time is spent doing those things. Also, ask what sort of outreach they plan on doing, if any at all, before asking for more information about your website beyond what they’ve already provided as part of their services package.
In addition, find out who manages your account and how you can contact them directly if problems arise or an urgent issue needs addressing quickly. If no one person is holding the reins, take that as a possible warning that your website could be at risk of being overlooked if anything happens to that person.
How Long Have They Been In The Industry? What Kinds Of Customers Do They Work With?
Small business SEO services have been around for several years. The reason why is simple – they deliver on their promises. These services are reputable and established within the industry because they work hard to make sure websites are ranked higher by following best practices and using white hat techniques to accomplish this goal. This may seem like an obvious question, but bad SEO services often try to avoid answering it altogether by claiming to have years of experience when in reality, they’ve only operated under another company’s name for less than a year or so. If they won’t share this simple piece of information with you, what else are they hiding?
What Type of Work Do They Do for Their Clients? How Often Do They Update Their Work?
When you ask this question, find out if the results delivered in the past are still ranking high or if the company is using outdated resources to accomplish its goals. Also, ask what types of content management services they provide and how often these things get done regularly. While some companies don’t update their work very much, others do it all the time – two times per week or several times per month, depending on the needs of each client. Find out how often your campaign will be updated before agreeing to have a specific company manage your website.
Do They Have a Guarantee? How Long Do You Have to See Results? Are There Any Penalties for Canceling Early or If You Don’t See Results?
Good SEO services provide guarantees because they’re willing to stand behind the promises they make to their clients. Find out what types of results you can expect from using their company’s name and how quickly these things will happen when you sign on with them. Also, ask about any potential penalties that may arise from canceling early or if you decide that working together isn’t right for your business at some point in the future.
Keep this last question in mind at all times, as it’s more common than many people realize for bad SEO services to suddenly decide that there’s too much competition in the niche you’re trying to enter and recommend that you switch gears to something else instead.
Do They Offer Any Long-Term Contracts? If So, What Are the Terms of These Contracts?
Good SEO services will offer long-term contracts because it helps them continue working on your campaign without worrying about whether or not they’ll receive their payment when due. Short-term engagements are cheaper for the company and riskier for the customer when compared with a longer arrangement where everything can be laid out in black and white terms before any money is exchanged between both parties. Make sure you completely understand how these contracts work before signing anything binding. Also, ask if there’s a termination fee involved if you decide to cancel early.
Conclusion
Even though most people think of SEO services as having similar goals, the quality of work they provide can vary dramatically depending on whom you choose to hire. Use these questions to determine if any potential company is best for your business or not. If they don’t offer guarantees, have been in business for several years, or provide thorough explanations about each step they take to boost your rankings, you may want to keep looking instead of signing with them.
