Don’t Hire An SEO Consultant Unless You Do These 3 Things
September 5, 2009 by Michael Fleischner
Filed under SEO
Succeeding online takes more than great marketing skills. Even if you’ve mastered paid search and online advertising, you still need to focus on getting your site listed high in the organic rankings. Doing so creates an ongoing stream of targeted traffic. In order to achieve success in this area consider using an SEO consultant with a proven track record. This is often more affordable than people think and pays huge dividends.
Once you’ve determined that achieving top rankings needs to be a priority, starting and SEO program is easy to do. Begin by using an experienced professional who can guide your efforts towards that activity that can generate the greatest return. SEOconsultants will help you to make the most of your optimization dollars and improve overall results.
Getting the most from your SEO consultant requires a number of considerations. I have found that the most productive engagements around optimization and SEO all have these same criteria in common. By adhering to these principals, mutual expectations are set and each party has a clear understanding of what is being delivered by whom.
The first step to succeeding with an SEO project is finding a credible source. There are many people out there who claim to be search engine optimization experts but have nothing to show for it. Find a legitimate company, ask for references, or find someone who has a proven track record and can demonstrate authority on a the topic of SEO. A good bet is to find someone who has achieved number one rankings for their website or the web sites of their clients.
The next step with your consultant is to agree on what specifically the consultant will be doing for you. Is this consultant going to provide a review and analysis or are they going to provide a specific plan as well? Understand and know what the deliverable will be so you aren’t disappointed with the result. Many consultant type relationships are ineffective because consultant and company aren’t clear on the work that is being performed.
The last step is to plan for implementing the suggestions made by your SEO consultant. Where most companies fail after an engagement with a consultant is by not implementing findings. The key is to start this process of assembling an implementation team even before you engage a consultant. This ensures that the team buys into implementation suggestions and that you’ll be successful changing important aspects of your website for optimization purposes.
Organic rankings are an essential part of any search engine optimization effort. To succeed online you need to consider how to continually improve and expand the search engine optimization of your website. Begin with a well experienced search engine optimization consultant and agree on deliverables. Have a clear understanding of what the consultant plans to deliver and when. This ensures a productive working relationship that enhances your rankings over time.
Michael Fleischner is an author and SEO consultant. To learn how you can Improve search engine ranking, follow Michael on Twitter at @mfleischner or learn more about Michael’s SEO training program at MarketingScoop.com.
