Have you just hit a wall in your business? Perhaps, your company is a startup and it needs an immediate boost or you have come across some difficulties on your way to success. The reason behind this stagnation is not as important, as finding an appropriate solution.
The solution is called SEO, something that companies didn’t need a decade ago, but they certainly need it now. The old marketing strategies that you know are being replaced by SEO services which guarantee you online success. Applyingit means using suitable keywords which lead to higher ranks on search engines, reaching a wide audience, offering better customer experience,a simple yet highly functional website and much more.
SEO services are offered by countless experts and companies on the market. They are easy to find, but how to choose the best one for your business. Read the following tips to find out.
Learn the basics of SEO
It doesn’t mean that if you are not in charge of search engine optimization, that you shouldn’t know anything about it. On the contrary, the information you learn will help you understand the services that the consultant is providing. You can google the word SEO and find plenty of guides on this topic or you can watch free tutorials on YouTube.
Another important thing that you should understand is the use of keywords, as they are actually the main pillars. People use these words to find the website they are looking for. You should make a list of all the potential keywords that people might use when they search for websites in your business field.
In addition, you shouldn’t mix up SEO with SEM. The latter is search engine marketing, which uses paid advertisement to make your website popular. However, the former is organic type of promotion, which encompasses more than just marketing.
Looking for potential candidates
The best way to find potential candidates is to ask people who have already hired SEO experts to share their experience. However, if you don’t have such people in your surroundings, you can ask the SEO consultants for references. Reliable consultants would have references from previous clients and would gladly share them with you.
You can contact these people and find out more about their experience. The best way to contact them is by phone, as you can ask more questions and get more answers. Beware of experts who don’t have references, unless they are new in this line of business.
Another efficient way in which you can locate potential candidates is by attending marketing seminars and conferences. On these types of events, you’ll find plenty of SEO consultants and companies, so you can ask questions to each one of them and gather useful information.
Evaluate the candidates
After composing a short list of candidates, you should start the process of elimination. Only take into consideration consultants who are currently working in this field. Search engine optimization is prone to constant changes, so if the candidates haven’t worked in this industry for a while, it’s very likely that they aren’t up to date with the latest trends and techniques.
Eliminate candidates who don’t have any or little experience. It’s crucial for their experience to be with the kind of website that you have. If your business is working on a local level, you need an expert in local SEO. Additionally, you should be provided with a portfolio of all their previous work, but bear in mind that they should be able to explain everything in there in details.
Upon meeting the consultants, don’t forget to ask them questions regarding their work and your future collaboration. Ask them what type of a strategy they have in mind for your business, how often are they going to provide you with updates and what’s the minimum contract you can sign. Click here to find out more useful questions to ask SEO consultants.
Always pick a person who’s easy to communicate with, as you’ll be in touch about future problems, changes and suggestions. You’ll need somebody who is knowledgeable but able to explain everything in a simple way.
Plan your budget
It’s essential to calculate your budget and see how much money you can spare on SEO services. The price range of these services is huge. There are some consultants who charge even up to $400 per hour while some charge $100 dollars for whole month.
Never go with the cheapest offer, it’ll make things more complicated than they already are. The price depends on the years of experience, the country where you come from, the quality of service etc. However, firstly you should decide what type of service you need.
You might need one-time SEO, which will optimize your website and explain the procedure. Or you just need an audit, which means detection of problems but not resolving them. Perhaps what you need is a local or national SEO, depending on the audience you want to reach.
If your business operates locally, you need the local type. However, if you plan your company to operate on a national level, you need the national type. These services are usually paid on a monthly level. Finally, you can always choose service charged by the hour, which is convenient for occasional help.
Wrap up
Hiring the right search engine optimization expert is not as simple as it seems.
You should start from yourself and learn the basics of this field. You then need to select a candidate which has excellent knowledge, experience in your industry, good communication skills and a solid portfolio.
Remember: Before selecting an expert, make sure you know the type of service you need. A business without good SEO, falls behind the competition.
Don’t be tricked by extremely cheap offers, choose medium-priced ones, but always check the reliability of the consultant.
Invest as much as you can, as it will definitely pay off in the long run. You just need to be patient!
