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Choosing an SEO firm

Written by: William Atkin

Article Overview: A contrast of the two main types of search engine optimization, Black hat and White hat. Black hat uses deceitful practices that can get you banned from the search engines so we have provided tips on how to avoid these kinds of SEO firms.

Choosing an SEO firm

Black hat search engine optimization firms do exist, but just like American gypsies people just never see them, therefore they do not exist. The problem is however, that black hat SEO firms are very real and very willing to take your money. Like the snake oil salesmen of the 1900’s these black hat firms travel around selling mostly promises. There have been instances of business losing thousands of dollars. Personally, I have seen people put their trust in the quick “sell” of a black hat SEO and often times it’s a “if it looks too good to be true it probably is” type of scenario. Do not let this discourage you though, although some naysayers claim most SEO firms are black hat but that’s simply a lie.

There are many legitimate SEO firms in fact there are more legitimate ones than the illegitimate. The trick to not being conned is following my simple recipe for success when choosing your SEO firm.
There are some basic things you can do to avoid wasting your money on con artists.

1. Avoid “Huge” Secrets – No company has all of the answers and despite what some companies think most knowledge they possess isn’t secret. If a company is offering some huge secret (a.k.a. trick) to gain rankings on major search engines, be wary.
2. Keep it Real – Verify the phone number, contact information and local address. If the SEO Company you’re looking into has listed a local address pop-in sometime, for a meeting or just quick glimpse into operations. You may not receive a tour but any legitimate company will at least get a real person to talk with you. Plus, by visiting a real brick and mortar building you know the business is a business and not just a UPS address.
3. Guarantees – Guaranteed service or conflict resolution is fine, but if a firm is offering guaranteed rankings of any kind, be extremely cautious of doing business with them. Anyone working in SEO knows that there are absolutely NO guarantees…zero. A guarantee of a top spot is worse than others but either way this is a suspicious move.
4. Overkill on the Oversell – Be careful on companies with aggressive sales methods. If a company is soliciting you for business this is indicative of a Black hat firm. Although, not every company that solicits business is illegitimate, often this shows they do not have incoming clients because of their devious methods.
5. Prove It! - Track their success, does this particular company have any demons ratable past results? Does this company have any proven clients? Sometimes black hat firms will offer you results from another client but they were achieved via black hat methods. In this case, it is important to track long-term success of a company. They should have a good size group of projects and results to show you, for periods extending beyond 3 months.

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Re: Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - I think it really depends on whom you're trying to reach. Those big name PR campaigns paint with a broad brush, if you know what I mean. I'd try and find a niche PR firm for your domain before I'd throw down big money for a large PR firm.
Re: Using PR in the Franchise Business - On the other hand, outsourcing can also be cost effective as long as you've chosen the right firm in the right place meaning they've already got the service and the systems that you need to do the marketing. Most entrepreneurs find it too costly and threatening to outsource because they believe they will just have to spend thousands of dollars but for me, it's a matter of creating the "right" choices and then sticking on it to get a feel with the firm and build good relationships. That way, you're making business wiser without even turning from one firm to another which will also cost you a lot of time and energy.
Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - I've started work with a brand new company that is going to do loss mitigation. My boss intends to hire a "big" PR firm - ie one that costs a lot of money - because he wants press releases sent out to the New York Times, the LA Times - all the major papers around the country - and he think they'll be more likely to print them if they come from a "big" firm as opposed to a one-person PR firm. I think it doesn't matter where the press release comes from as long as its well written. What are the opinions here?
Re: Kevin's Case Study #8 - How do you attract a finance expert? - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":2aaheo2o]How do you attract a finance expert to come and work for your small business? The reason I ask is because I know of someone who is looking for help in managing the numbers in her business plan and obtaining financing. Moreover, she is looking for an individual (or accounting firm) who would be interested in working as a "part-time" CFO or a hands-on, entrepreneur friendly accountant that will work with her company and take it to the next level. Thanks![/quote:2aaheo2o] I used to be in a BNI group in Virginia and there was an accounting firm in the group who had several specific accountants in their firm who did this sort of thing. They are a big firm and could have a couple of people out of the office on a regular basis - since they did this for different companies. If I was looking for someone to do this, I would put together a financial business plan which included a proposal and details for the position I wanted to fill. Make it clear what is needed, what you want to accomplish and compensation and/or incentives that are being offered with this position. It would also be good to call local accountants to see if they currently offer this service and if they are considering new clients. Chris
Re: [JOINT VENTURE] Want FREE Staff? Want to Scale Up Massively? - Would you be willing to consider outsourcing some of your Internet marketing or SEO tasks to a high quality Internet marketing firm. A business contact of mine is experienced with these jobs and has recently started his own firm. He is currently looking for companies like yours that may be willing to do business with him by outsourcing work.


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