You have an awesome website, but not enough qualified visitors.
Is this a problem that your company is experiencing?
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs and small business owners don’t realize that once their amazing website is built, potential customers simply won’t know it exists.
Not until it’s properly optimized for search engines.
So how do you get people to find your website on the first or second page of search results on Google, Yahoo! or Bing?
The answer to that question can be very complex.
This is why most business owners invest in search engine optimization (SEO) agencies or specialists to increase their website’s visibility on search engines, which will lead to more leads.
Working with many entrepreneurs and small business owners, the last thing they want to learn is SEO! They would much rather focus on their own business and core competency than learn someone else’s experience.
So if your website suffers from low search engine rankings and you don’t want to have to learn a whole new profession to improve those rankings, here are four steps to finding the best SEO consultant for your specific business needs:
1. Determine what you want
Websites may be at different stages of search visibility and will have different SEO needs. For example, your website may just need to rank better on different search engines compared to others. You need everything from pay-per-click advertising, ongoing SEO maintenance, SEM (search engine marketing) content creation, social media marketing, and more.
So before you jump in and try to type “Best SEO Agency in X City” into Google, you first need to determine what you want from an SEO campaign.
Ask yourself: “What results do I want an SEO expert to achieve?”
It could be as simple as increasing website traffic by five to ten percent in the next six to eight months. Or your goal might be to build your list of 100 additional qualified leads over a set period of time.
Having these specific key performance questions answered will help you measure the success of your campaign. But keep in mind that SEO and SEM are relative where the results you are looking for can be directly proportional to the money you are willing to invest.
It’s important to keep your expectations realistic, especially when no legitimate SEO expert can promise results that are out of your control when it comes to search engine behavior.
2. Compare prices
Once you’ve determined what you want to achieve, talk to a number of SEO experts to compare which ones are right for your specific business needs.
A good search engine optimization campaign is a process that can take anywhere from four months to a year to achieve its goals. A good SEO campaign must first implement improvements to the website and then it will have a cumulative effect before seeing the potential benefits.
If an SEO agency promises high search engine rankings in a short amount of time, run the other way. Nobody has the secret to that kind of success unless they’re part of the inner circle that works at Google.
A good SEO expert should show interest in your business and what you want to achieve with their help. Expect that they are working as an extension of your current internal team, someone who is available to answer your probing questions and provide regular status updates.
3. Check references and previous performances
Past performance can accurately predict the future and what the SEO expert can do for your business. If they have had considerable success helping industries similar to yours, then they will have no problem helping you.
An ideal way to verify a potential SEO’s credentials is to ask their past and current clients directly. Find out how effectively the SEO campaign worked and what kind of guidance and suggestions it provided throughout.
A good SEO expert should not only solve long-term problems, but also be accessible to answer any questions you may have.
4. Ask about her story
Knowing the personal history of the SEO candidate can go a long way in determining if they will be a good fit for you and your business.
Ask them how they became a Google partner or what is their proudest achievement. Even ask about their best or worst clients and how they handled difficult clients.
It’s a lot like hiring a potential employee: You have to decide from the “job” interview, not just their awesome-looking sales page or how many Facebook likes they get.
Hiring the right SEO help is crucial to the success of your business. Follow these guidelines to help you find the best person or agency to help you achieve your goals.