Question to Ask Before Hiring a SEO Provider
While the right SEO provider can dramatically improve your search engine results pages (SERP) ranking and increase traffic to your website, the wrong company can even get your website banned. You are therefore highly recommended to be very careful before hiring a SEO provider and giving them the green light to launch a campaign. But how can you tell who really offers a good value for your money and who can do more harm than good? In most cases, the providers’ answers to the following questions will reveal whom you are dealing with:
What SEO techniques and tools do you use?
It is highly important to keep in mind that you are not only entrusting a SEO provider your website’s SERP ranking but your website’s/company’s reputation as well, not to mention that SEO services don’t come cheap. You have every right to know what techniques will be used for your SEO campaign. If the provider offers you an extensive explanation and doesn’t mind answering any questions you may have about your SEO campaign, you are on the right path. But if they are avoiding giving you any specific information, making excuses that it is a business secret and that you can trust them, you are highly recommended to say that you will let them know if you decide to hire them.
How long are you providing SEO services?
This is more important than it may seem at a first glance. Not only do well established companies have lots of experience but they obviously also provide a good service because those that don’t are no longer in business. This doesn’t necessarily mean that those who have started to offer SEO services only recently are not a good choice but you simply cannot know.
Do you offer fixed package deals?
Although they seem tempting because there are no hidden costs, you are recommended to avoid SEO providers who offer fixed package deals. Why? Because it means they follow one-for-all strategy and don’t care much about your specific needs. There are some rules that need to be followed in every SEO campaign but since every business is unique, every SEO campaign requires a unique approach. So if the provider refuses to give you any quotes or price plans before they discuss your specific needs, that is actually a good sign.
Can you provide any evidence that your strategies work?
Since SEO can have far reaching impact on your website/business, you shouldn’t satisfy yourself with promises. Instead, you should ask for evidence that their SEO strategies really work in the form of satisfied clients who can be contacted.
How soon will I see results?
A company that promises rapid improvement of SERP ranking and dramatic increase of traffic in a very short period of time is best to politely say no to. The thing is that even the most successful SEO campaigns need some time to show results. Those that provide rapid results typically involve the use of unethical techniques. And these can cause a lot of harm to your website SERP ranking and reputation in the long term.