Who NOT To Hire As An SEO Company.

Did you just get solicited by a so called SEO company?  Did they cold call you or spam you via email?

This is happening everyday as so called SEO gurus are jumping online, getting a free blog and labeling themselves as gurus, experts, specialists, etc..  The point is this, it’s becoming increasingly more and more difficult for consumers (business owners) to distinguish between the experts and the novices when it comes to SEO.  Here’s a few criteria you should consider before selecting an SEO firm to handle your search engine marketing:

1.) Can you find them?
If you can only find this company by their name alone in Google, Bing & Yahoo, you need to keep looking.  If a so called SEO company can’t get themselves ranked under key terms (ex: Orlando SEO,  search engine marketing experts, etc.) how will ever get you ranked?

2.) Is their web site content up to date?
If you visit an SEO ‘guru’s’ web site and notice that the last article written was from 2003 or is announcing that Microsoft IE4 is now available, you need to keep moving on. A huge part of SEO is feeding the search engines AND people with content.  If they aren’t doing it for themselves, they can’t do it for you.

3.)  Are they running ads on their web site to supplement their income?
This is a very telling sign that this particular SEO company might not be  around for that much longer.  Probably not be the best bet for your company. Run, Run fast.

4.) Do they also fix computers and sell telecom equipment on the side?
Perhaps one of my very favorites, an IT guy who read a book once about SEO. You need a company that focuses on Internet marketing, not a company that can fix your jammed HP printer and sell you a photo copier all in the same day.

5.) Do they guarantee you top placement in the search engines or your money back today?
NO one can guarantee you top ten organic search engine placement unless they happen to own Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

Do your homework on a potential SEO firm and save yourself the grief.

Merry Christmas to all and wishing you a prosperous New Years.