You did a lot of hard work in getting your website up and out there. Perhaps you hired a web design company, which costed you a pretty penny. And now you’re ready for the clients and customers to come streaming in and buy your product, sign up for your webinar, or whatever you are offering. You wait… And wait… And wait some more.
According to a count done in 2014, there were 1 billion websites up and running on the Internet. Today, that count has likely grown. How can people find you amid all that noise?
Search engine optimization (or SEO) is one such way. Bringing it down to the simplest level, by using certain keywords within the content of your site, you can generate traffic to your site—or not. With so many SEO businesses and services claiming to get your site on the first page of Google, someone is not being fully honest.
So how do you choose which SEO service to sign up with? Here are 3 simple steps to make the process a little bit easier for you.
Step 1: Fine-tune your vision.
Exactly what are you hoping for? Better page ranking results? A higher conversion rate? And how quickly do you want to see these results? Getting a clear-eyed vision of what you want will help you recognize a service that can provide you with the answers.
Of course, if you feel like a newbie and you don’t know where to start, read some guides that can help orient you. Put aside 20 minutes to study up on various SEO trends and methods. Your vision of what is possible will likely expand.
Step 2: Compare, compare, compare.
How do you know if you are getting the best value for your dollar? You’re going to need to do some shopping around. Ask for consultations from various services. Such consultations are generally for free and can provide you with quite an education. The first question to ask is whether they have an established history of successfully working on sites like yours. In other words, can they provide you with what you are looking for? Next, ask for a quote on the services that you require. Some other pertinent questions to ask may include:
- What type of satisfaction guarantee do you offer?
- How quickly do your representatives respond after receiving an email or phone call from clients?
- Do you have tiered pricing for personal, business, and premier accounts?
SEO services that offer a variety of plans may be a safe bet for you if you want to try out a service. You can start off at a lower rate and upgrade to a different plan if you find you like working with that particular service.
Step 3: Established history of excellent service
After shopping around and narrowing your list to your top 3 choices, don’t forget to do third-party research. What have past customers said about their experience with the SEO service in question?
Showcased reviews on each service’s site are naturally complimentary. If you want to read reviews that aren’t culled to provide a one-dimensional view, check out sites like Trustpilot. These sites require proof-of-purchase before consumers are allowed to post a review and are generally fair.
Ask around. Perhaps a friend or an acquaintance has used one of the services you are considering. Or look at how they were reviewed in an industry publication. You can also try doing a Google search of the company name plus “reviews” or “bad reviews.” Hopefully, those on your list come up clean. Due diligence will minimize unpleasant surprises down the line.
You want to find a team with a process for SEO, and companies that have delivered on what they have promised will have a visible record of that. After taking these three steps outlined here, you will be in a good position to make that final decision.
