There are No Guarantees with SEO!

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is becoming a large part of many company marketing strategies.  This is the known practice of  tweaking your website to better rank on the search engines for given keywords.  The issue is that many companies do not know how to do it properly or in the correct manner that will not get them in trouble with the big 3 engines.  Many companies outsource their SEO to firms that handle small parts of the SEO plan or all depending on the needs.  With the large increase of SEO services on the internet, many people are trying to get their piece of the pie.  With this happening, we want to warn you of some potential issues that can arise.

There are many great companies out there that provide their service and get results for their clients, but they are usually masked by the bad companies that do not thing, but take your money.  These are the companies that you have to be careful of.  Here are a few tips that can keep your marketing budget safe and get you results at the same time.

• How long has the business been in business? This is an important factor because most reputable companies have been in business and have experience in the field of SEO.  Not everyone can do SEO, but many say that can.
• Does the company have a portfolio? – A portfolio is an important tool for any SEO company to have because it shows proof of what they have accomplished.  Most reputable companies will furnish their portfolio for you upon request.  These usually contain websites or keywords that they have worked on and what they have done to turn it around.
• Do they offer a Guarantee? This seems to be a trend in the SEO world, but seems only to be done by shady companies.  No One can offer you a guarantee for results.  This is not how SEO works.  If a company that your are looking at provides you a guarantee like you will be on page 1 within a month, just turn around and leave.  They cannot offer this guarantee without the knowledge that they are doing something shady.  Most people or companies that offer guarantees end up getting your website banned or in trouble somehow with the search engines.
• Do they have an office and contact information? With all the new start-up SEO companies out there, it is wise to look just for companies that have offices and contact information beyond an email address.  Most companies that have a real business address have invested the time and money into providing a real service to their customers.
• What are their time frames for results? If anyone is telling you that you should see results within a week, they are probably not doing the SEO in the right manner, more like Black Hat SEO.  This can be very bad for your website.  Most companies should tell you that it will take months to see good results depending on the project.  Go in with realistic goals and you should realistic results.

With these simple and easy to remember tips, you can make sure that your are not taken by a shady SEO company.  Not only will you lose money, but you can hurt your website’s current rankings.  Take the time to properly vet the companies that you are interested in.  Making a decision on the fly will never be good for you or your company.  SEO is a constant process that never stops, so don’t expect outlandish results within an unmanageable time frame.  Most reputable SEO companies should tell you that you can start to see good results within the first 12 months.  Good luck to everyone looking for a good SEO company to help them succeed online.

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