Marketing Handle- 5 Things To Look Out For When Hiring A SEO Expert

If you are a "normal" bricks and mortar business and you are looking to hire the service of an SEO expert or search engine marketing service to handle your online marketing, then you need to take heed of these 5 steps.

When you have read these steps, you will be armed with the questions you need to ask, or at the very least, you need to look out for these things:

1. Do they do initial research on your current website?

When you have made contact with an consultant, do they ask you questions regarding your current website, like what keywords do you want to be ranking for, or what search words do you think people searching for you products or services. From this type of questioning, they are trying to get a feel for your business and who your prospects are. Really, this is just basic stuff. Any consultant worth their salt will do do this.

2. Do they tell you how much their service will cost or do they tell you what your potential ROI will be?

This is a critical step. This will mainly come towards the end of your consulting appointment. If they tell you that any particular service or package they offer will just cost a certain amount or money without tell you what your return of investment will be, you should run a mile! Any "professional" SEO person will tell you what your potential return will be based on what you have told them not only how much your average customer spends, but also how often. Of course this does depend on what your desired income is.

3. You will get instant results

If you get told that they will get you results instantly, you should be a cautious. I mean, why will they say instant results if they have not worked on your site yet? Don't get me wrong you could get results fast, but every consultant I know will tell you that you will typically see results in around 3 months.

4. The promise on number 1 results in Google

Another warning sign. This is possible, but if you market is competitive, this could be a lengthy process. Even though number 1 position is what to strive for, the first page is the target. The number 1 website could take years to achieve if your keyword search term is competitive. But, please bare in mind that not all positions are created equally. If you want to be number one and the traffic coming from that search phrase is a "buying" search phrase, have knowledge in the fact that it could take a while.

5. Keeping you in the loop

How often will they be in communication with you? How will they be reporting to you? You want to be kept up to date with the work rendered on at least a monthly bases. you will need to see statistics for how your web rankings are doing, how many visitors you are getting, what are the best keywords to go after. And even just to keep a nice client relationship going. Communication is key in this type of business relationship. If you can't get hold of them, when you need them (at an agreed time for when they tell you is best to get in contact), consider looking elsewhere.

Follow these guidelines and you will fare well when hiring an SEO expert services to handle your marketing online.