Chadrack
These days you have to do more than just design a kick-ass website. You need to apply SEO or “search engine optimization” techniques as well.
Why?
Because you want to increase the number of people that visit your site!
As you can imagine, a website with few visitors to it isn't going to be of much use. But, if you have thousands of regular visitors, you'll get higher conversions. And if you sell products on your website, that also means a better return on your investment.
Most people just hire an SEO company to look after that side of things for them. The problem however, is that most SEO companies do what is referred to as blackhat SEO. Falling into the hands of these group of SEOs could spell a BIG problem to your business website ultimately.
So, how can you avoid ending up with a “bad” SEO firm? How can you ensure you do not waste you money in hiring the wrong SEO Company if you need to use one?
The following scenarios will raise red flags and help you to avoid them:
How to Identify “Bad” SEO Companies
1. They Send You Unsolicited Emails
Do you get emails from supposed “offshore” SEO consultants offering their services? If so, some of what they say might pique your interest. But, you shouldn't engage with people that spam your inbox.
They might say that they've visited your website and can improve your SEO for you. They may even tell you how “impressed” they are with your content. But what they fail to mention is they are lying!
Most, if not all unsolicited emails of that nature use a marketing list as their source. Yes, that's right; someone has BOUGHT your email address from somewhere! The best place for such correspondence is the junk mail folder in your email program.
2. They Don't Have A Website
You would think that all SEO companies have a website that tells visitors more about what they do. The ones that don't are usually scammers or novices. You can often tell that because they use a generic email address instead of one with their own domain.
When looking for SEO companies, the best tool at your disposal is Google. For instance, if you're searching for a Perth-based firm, you'll come across perthseocompany.net. Don't talk to anyone that only has an email address like “superstarseo123@yahoomail.com”!
3. They Make Promises They Can't Keep
As Judge Judy always says on TV, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is! I've lost count of the number of so-called SEO companies that make fantastic promises.
For example, they guarantee to get you “to the top of Google” or they can deliver results in just 24 hours. There is no magic formula to guarantee success in the world of SEO.
It's an ongoing process and, if done right, you will get to “the top” at some point. There is no service to buy or people to bribe at search engines for guaranteed results.
4. They Claim To Have “Secret” Methods Of Success
The biggest alarm bell should be when an SEO company tells you about how they have secret ways of success. Everything that all good SEO consultants know about is available to learn online. Even Google offer a free PDF to help you tune up your site for SEO purposes!
It goes without saying that you should also avoid SEO firms that claim to have “people on the inside.” Google employees aren't allowed to sell any confidential information. Not if they want to avoid going to jail, of course!
Conclusion
Search engine optimization is important for your business website however, if you must hire a search engine optimization company for that aspect of your business you must invest in the right one. Any expense on SEO is a cost on your business and so must be able to give you the right ROI. Be wise, use the above to check out any SEO company before committing to any agreement.
