Questions to ASK SEO Professionals ( and Answers )

Choosing an SEO consultant or firm is challenging. Unlike choosing a Web site designer, you really cannot visualize what you are getting. Will search engine spammers inform you that they are spamming. Not very likely. I have spoken to a few who readily admit underhanded practices and proudly add that they perform "black hat" SEO because it gets their clients looking for an instant traffic jolt at practically any cost. Besides spammers, some poor-quality SEO professionals also utilize poor tactics to masquerade their inability to do the job correctly.

Assuming you do not want to put your Web site in harms way, which I would suggest you do not gamble, here are some questions you should pose to potential SEO professionals in order to identify poor quality vendors.

What about price schedules? Quality SEO firms charge thousands of dollars (or tens of thousands) per month. SEO consultants charge hundreds or thousands of dollars an hour for sharing their intellectual prowess with your team. Remember, if the proposal sounds too good to be true.... well, you know.

Due to the fact that many SEO professionals sign nondisclosure agreements with their clients, chances are that a full client list on the vendor's Web site is unlikely.

Questions to Ask SEO Professionals (and Answers)

Prior to signing a contract or agreement with an SEO consultant or agency, do some research. If you do not, you may discover you hired spammers... or worse, scammers! Here are a few essential questions to ask potential SEO professionals:

What performance guarantees do you make?

The correct answer would be "none." Organic or Natural rankings are never guaranteed. Period, no if's, and's or but's! Organic rankings take time to acheive, and they are in an ever constant flux. Nobody can guarantee traffic either. If they inform you that they can, they're either doing PPC instead of SEO or performing traffic redirection from Web sites they have already optimized.

Will I need to alter my Web site?

Most definitely. Your keyword selections must be included within your Web pages. You will also need to rewrite your copy, adding more content. Anyone whom tries to tell you nothing needs to be done to your Web site, again, is either spamming or redirecting traffic from optimized sites.

What is your linking strategy?

Link popularity is such an important ingredient of SEO that the component must be addressed by whomever you are interviewing. Request that SEO professionals describe their process of identifying Web sites, communicating the link request, and what you will need to do. None of this information should be waived off as top-secret information or nondisclosed as it is a trade secret. What they do say should provide you confidence in that they are taking the time to get high-quality, content-relevant Web sites to link to your Web site.

What kind of reports will I receive?

A significant portion of SEO work on your Web site will occur during the first few months. This is why SEO professionals require 6 month, 12 month, or even 24 or 36 month agreements. However, even if it does take months to see your site climb into the top ranking positions, you should maintain frequent communication with your SEO professional. You might receive ranking reports and/or revenue reports. (ClickTracks, WebSIdeStory, and WebTrends are a few Web analytics companies whose reports track sales from organic search.)

As President of a Web site design and Internet marketing agency, I have heard stories that reveal the darker side of this industry. Good clients can get taken for a ride. Minimizing risk is one of the first laws of business. Protect yourself as best you can by asking some of the questions I shared and be wary of SEO professionals that disclose that they utilize any of the aforementioned spam violations as part of their strategy. Before you sign on the dotted line request a few references.

CAUTION: Beware of the certified SEO professional! ( SEE IMAGE BELOW)

Just because an SEO professional and/or firm possess some sort of "certification" does not mean they are qualified to promote your Web site organically! Yes, I'll say it again. If an SEO professional illustrates a Google "Adwords Qualified Professional" certification or a Yahoo! "Search Marketing Ambassador" certification, etc... listen closely to what they are discussing. These certifications are not SEO credentials nor do they attest to the competency of the bearer regarding SEO methodology integration! These credentials are regarding PPC (Sponsored Advertising.) These credentials are for the area represented in red "Paid Listings."

SEO professionals work the Organic Listings area with the white field.

Lastly, make certain the SEO professional has a routine reporting system integrated and adheres to it once you're a client. Unfortunately, it may take some time, maybe even months before you realize you have been burned.