Once the decision has been made to hire an SEO company, the next and most important step is to ensure that you’re hiring the right one. Once the search for an SEO company begins, it becomes quickly apparent that the general message from each company is very similar on three points:

1. Getting to page one on the search engines
2. How fast its going to happen
3. The cost of making it happen

To ensure that you are going to be working with an SEO company that can deliver the goods, its important to dive deeper into each companys level of experience, how their process works, and whether their process has been successful for other clients. The following questions, divided into Part 1 and next weeks Part 2, should provide some answers to help you clarify which company will be the best to suit your needs, drive targeted traffic to your site, and improve the conversion rates from your sites visitors.On experience and the process:

• How long have you been in business” Hiring a new company always carries its share of risks ranging from how well funded they are to their in-house skill sets. Don’t let a discounted price distract you from these key issues. Insist on multiple years in business with a broad client list.
• Tell me about your SEO process If the process doesn’t start with extensive research on keywords and the competitive environment, run away. A process that doesnt define its starting point through thorough research is not going to reach its objectives. A company that bases its SEO work on initial research will be able to define the fastest and most cost effective path to success.
• Can you show me some of your successes” Front page success with targeted traffic and conversions is what youre looking for and if the company has done it with others you’re on the right track. Take it one step further and see if you can talk to the companies which have had successful campaigns run for them.
• How many employees do you have” Avoid one or two man shops whenever possible. Regardless of the talent level, the risk here is that, should they get more work than they can handle or a larger client, your project will end up being outsourced or put on the back burner.
• Have you done search engine optimization for anyone else in my industry” Industry specific experience may not be critical as most SEO work follows similar paths. If they are working with other businesses in the same industry, determine whether there will be any conflict issues, especially if both businesses are competing in the same local area.

There are two old clichs which apply directly to SEO; You get what you pay for, and Actions speak louder than words. To be sure youre working with an SEO that will deliver, don’t be fooled by discounted prices and make sure that each companys actions have yielded success.

Once the decision is made to outsource your search engine optimization, the next move is to decide on which SEO company will deliver results, visitors, and conversions in the most cost effective manner. The issue which traps many website owners is that the most tangible aspect of this decision making process is the cost of the project. Under this perception, essential issues such as keyword research, analysis of the existing competition, and the development of a marketing strategy can take a back seat to the priority of writing the smallest check possible. Whether a website owner is shopping on price only or an SEO company is selling their services on the cheap, the end result is usually the same; money spent with nothing to show for it. Here are few SEO scenarios based on price first, results second:

1. The kid – While their intentions are probably entirely honorable, your friends suggestion that their son who is home for summer is the right man for the job at the right price isnt likely to work out well. Even if things do go well what happens when school starts in the fall”
2. The moonlighter He may work in the business or may just be great with computers but trusting an SEO campaign to someone whos going to do it as a side job is doomed to failure for one simple reason. Its highly unlikely that a moonlighter will have the necessary time to execute a successful SEO campaign even if he has the skill set for it.
3. Page one promises, low cost, no traffic There are page one listings on the search engines which generate tons of targeted traffic as a result of keyword research and the execution of the resulting marketing strategy. Then there are those which generate none. The difference is that the page one listings which generate nothing are typically based on long tail (7 to 9 word) key phrases which may have some relevance to the site but generate no searches. In this scenario, the SEO company puts up a front page listing, collects the money from the site owner, and delivers nothing.

All successful SEO campaigns start with extensive keyword and keyphrase research. This research then determines where opportunities exist to drive targeted traffic in the most expeditious and cost effective manner possible. What follows are time consuming (often 100+ hours per month) and labor-intensive activities such as link-building, article submissions, blog posting and a host of others. Over time, these activities play out resulting in larger numbers of targeted traffic which finds its way to your site through the search engines. While it may be tempting to shop on price assuming the end result will be a positive, there are no short cuts to this formula.