Choosing a Website Promotion Company PDF Print E-mail
Search engine optimisation is a tricky business, not just because the search engine market changes from month to month but mainly because, for customers (such as business owners), finding the right company is so difficult. The right company is not just the company that achieves exceptional results. Of course, that is a must, but it's just as important that you find a company that is able to communicate with you in plain language, a company that doesn't make you feel awkward because you don't have much experience with the Internet and of course, one that suits your budget and your needs.
The search for the ideal search engine optimisation and marketing company is a quest in itself, but once you find the right one, don't let them go. Finding the right provider is the basis for a long term relationship.

Where to Start Looking?

The most obvious place to start your search are search engines. Type in "search engine optimisation" or "search engine marketing" and start browsing the sites that appear in the results. You may not believe this but being #1 in a search engine for those keywords does not make a site the most authoritative one nor the most professional. There are other questions you must ask yourself before making your decision.

Selection Criteria

There are, of course, many selection criteria you can base your decision on. One of them we think is important is considering the size of the company. There are individual consultants and then there are very small, medium and large firms. There are some top notch consultants out there that charge as much as some medium companies. However, as a rule of thumb, the bigger the company, the higher the fee. Big companies have big clients, have the knowledge and resources to afford to charge a lot. Small firms, some just starting out, don't charge as much. It all comes down to what budget you are willing to allocate to SEO and, of course, what you feel most comfortable working with.

Another important criteria is type of clients and sites they dealt with in the past. Your first choice would probably be to choose a company that has experience in your particular industry. Bear in mind that the company in question might be used by one of your competitors, so be thorough in your research. While most companies are bound to confidentiality by contract, it's generally not a good idea to use the same company your competitors do. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't use a company that has had previous experience in your industry, on the contrary, they might be the most suitable as vast amounts of research will already have been carried out.

Some industries are quite large so, if a company has dealt with clients from that industry before, it doesn't necessarily mean that there is a conflict of interests. They can optimise your site just as well without competing for the same keywords with another of their clients.

Location may be important for you if you wish to meet face to face but companies from other regions or countries can be just as good.
 
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