The majority of people use Google to find information, and they usually only check the first page to make up their mind. Very few people ever go past the third page of the search results, in fact. The bread and butter of any search engine optimization company is to make sure that the information of their clients is found on that first page.
In fact, search engine optimization, or SEO, is now integral to the success of any business. If any element of your business is online, and it should be, then you cannot do without SEO anymore. Sure, there are some DIY things you can implement to marginally improve your standing, but the reality is that SEO is an art and a skill, and you should leave it to the professionals.
Finding the professionals
But how do you choose a company, with literally thousands of them out there? One of the first tips is that you should only pick a company that is one the first page of Google. If they can’t get themselves on there, after all, they won’t get you on there either. Other things to consider, however, include:
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How long the company has been in business. SEO is a very popular field of work for people to get involved in, particularly because so few truly understand what it is, and the money is very good. Many people count on the gullibility of clients to hire them as “experts”, when they actually don’t know what they are doing themselves. A company that has been around for a good few years is always better. SEO, after all, doesn’t happen overnight but is a long, drawn out process. A company that has existed for two months and claims to have dozens of happy clients, has to be lying.
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What their portfolio is like. If they truly have done a good job, then they should be happy to signpost you to that as well. Some companies will simply list the businesses that they have worked with, which is fine as you can contact them directly to double check this. Others, however, will give you a clue on some of these businesses and encourage you to find them yourself. If their SEO job was done properly, you should be able to find them on the first page of Google with just a few search terms.
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Check their proposal. You should always request a quote for the work that you want doing. A lot of SEO companies now offer a free website audit, which is a great thing to use, but it should be made very clear how their proposal links into that. Every business is unique, as are their SEO needs. As a result, you need to make sure that what you are offered is something that will actually serve you, and isn’t a one size fits all solution.
With these tips on how to choose an SEO company, you should be able to find a great SEO company to take your business to the next level.