“Should I do SEO myself or hire a firm to do it? If so, which one?” After my post If You Don’t Know About SEO, Start with Pre-SEO, I got that comment from Jo. My answer is: if you can afford it, hire the right firm to do it. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is too complex and technical to accomplish much by yourself. But how do you choose an SEO provider?
There a many companies selling these services, and it’s important to know what you are buying. SEO can involve:
Keyword research
Optimization of existing web pages
Creation of new web pages
Submission to major search engines
Submission to major directories
Link building
Web page revisions
Tracking of website traffic
Monthly reports
Selection Criteria
Mark Jackson of SearchEngineWatch, in his post How to Select a Search Engine Optimization Firm, says you need to consider four factors:
1. Your goals, like brand building or measurable revenue growth from the process over time
2. Special challenges with your firm, like you or your staff’s ability to write copy, spend time building links or implement technical changes to website copy
3. Experience of the SEO provider, including years doing SEO and examples of satisfied clients
4. Transparency about their services, so you understand what they will do and how to help and evaluate them. Selecting a Reputable SEO Consultant (ClickZ) provides an excellent outline if you are trying to nail down the scope of SEO services.
Vendor Links
Here are oft-sited lists of providers whose SEO techniques, business practices and services are peer-reviewed.
There are likely other good firms, but you need to talk to principals, examine contracts and check reputations to know what you are buying. Read on.
Buyer Beware
Beware of SEO services from companies that promise you will be “on page one of Google,” or will “rank in the top ten on search engines.” These promises come with many caveats in the fine print.
And watch for SEO scams . Check these links to learn how to avoid them.
More FAQs on choosing the right SEO provider
SEO Consultation is Ruining the Reputation of the Entire Industry Read this before you choose the “consultation option” to save money.
In soliciting comments on this post, I find that SEO consultants differ widely on what they think works and what they term hogwash. I’m providing a variety of links so you can make up your own mind.
Results?
It takes time to see the results of SEO-type changes. Pros say that at minimum, you should wait two or three months to evaluate results. But year-over-year evaluation is more meaningful. What does it take to succeed? Here’s the opinion of Mat McGee (Small Business Search Marketing): SEO Success Pyramid.
Consultant feedback
Headstand Media‘s Randy Birkey:
Your post is pretty straight forward, and true. We would add that if the firm can’t teach what they’re doing, then something isn’t right. SEO can feel complex, but it is always explainable. We routinely explain it to our customers, and even train many of them to do it themselves.
Also, SEO shouldn’t feel like a bunch of “quick tricks”. Everything done in an SEO strategy should benefit the user’s experience. The attitude should never feel like “sly techniques” used purely for search engine ranking.<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 <![endif]–>
Do you agree with this advice on SEO? I know it’s a very controversial topic. Fire away in a comment.
Related Posts:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Intro, Video and Links
If You Don’t Know About SEO, Start with Pre-SEO
See other posts in my Online Marketing Series, which has 20 link-rich posts on 18 online marketing techniques.
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“Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is too complex and technical to accomplish much by yourself” – i disagree with this.
SEO has been made to be too complex through over use of jargon and through SEO companies making it feel like a black art.
If you have time, then its worth using some of the extensive online resources out there and trying it yourself, as it really does help build understanding. I think you would be surprised at what you can achieve.
If not then i would agree with Randy – “t if the firm can’t teach what they’re doing, then something isn’t right”
John has pointed out a truth, that many SEO firms have made SEO into a black art, and talked about it and marketed it that way. Most of this is based upon the old way of thinking, which holds that you are only valuable to your customer if they perceive you know more than they do. This is not the philosophy we take. Rather, we believe in the “Web 2.0″ values of collaboration, cooperation and communication. We add value to our customers experience of us by teaching them what we know, and learning from them what they know. After all, they know a lot more about their business than we do. We become a valued team member and partner to them and together we figure out the best SEO strategy FOR THEM.
John,
Thanks for your feedback. I very much want a dialog, as advice is so confusing for us laymen. Do you agree with my Pre SEO post, which lists 3 activities that website owners can start by themselves, or do you recommend others?
http://pegcorwin.com/2008/08/if-you-dont-know-about-seo-start-with-pre-seo/
Also, can you comment on what types of companies, what industries, benefit most from putting serious time or money into SEO activities?
Very helpful post and thanks for compiling this resource. I would add to Randal’s comments that SEO is a collaborative process and not a magical event. There are practical things that any website owner can do today to help incrementally improve their placement. Start with the basics – does each page of the site have a unique title that contains a target keyword phrase? Is your target search phrase in the body copy of the page? I recommend that everyone read the Google Webmaster Guidelines as well as check out this post from Google that talks about how to choose a SEO partner. Also check out an article I wrote for MediaPost with Ten Tips For Choosing the Right SEO Partner.
Hi Peg,
Interesting article and definately a contentious issue. In terms of the first point you make in the article for SMEs, I would not necessarily advise SMEs to go down the route of completely outsouring SEO. I have worked in 2 companies the size of approx 100 employees and have found that as financial resources are tight it may be a cheaper option to embark on the project in-house by hiring a dedicated resource, as an agency is charging a project at a high hourly rate. This is not to say that agencies don’t play a role in this model. In my current role I manage an in-house SEO function but we have a “technical consultant” which we utilise when something is above our level of SEO expertise (this is to handle questions related to the more technical side of SEO). It is important for organisations to understand though if they are to invest inhouse – they must be prepared to invest time in training and ensure that they realise the long term commitment the company must make internally from such a decision.
In terms of being aware of SCAMs, I think as SEO techniques deployed by an agency are very visible online, buyers can be provided with tips to enable them to to sort the good from the bad. ie where are external links being placed by the SEO company (are they non related sites), is the SEO company placing hidden text/keyword stuffing within the pages – something which can be checked by checking the code. Requesting a list of key clients is a good place to start to review some of the activities they have completed online.
I would also agree with the point made by another user, which relates to reluctance to teach and is also related to the issue of transparency. In my experience I have found good SEO companies are those who are not afraid to openly share and teach you their techniques because they know this delivers a stronger relationship in the long term and that there is always a place for their skills and expertise given the dynamic nature of search space. It is those who are closed to sharing information that I am always wary of and reluctant to work with.
Well written, thank you for this writeup. If you are interested, you might want to check out other controversial information on search engine optimization at http://www.SearchEngineOptimization.com.sg.
This is certainly a hot topic among many small business owners that have felt mislead or deceived into believing that an entire search marketing strategy can rely on SEO Consultation alone.
The fact of the matter is that in this day and age of social networking and social media, there is a LOT more to search engine optimization than on-site SEO. Search marketing as a whole is evolving and much of it cannot be covered in consultation alone. Understanding and taking full advantage of it requires dedication and commitment to understanding the power of social media – something very few site owners are able and/or willing to do.
Properly optimizing a site, especially in an industry with competitive key terms, should almost never be undertaken by the site owner…unless that site owner intends to spend the next 6-12 months completely immersing themselves in the world of SEO and Social Media. Sorry, site owners – there is simply no quick, cheap, do-it-yourself solution to SEO.
Great posts. As a newer independent SEO consultant, I always tell people that no matter who they choose, to do some background. A lot of these companies just outsource straight to India and provide really crappy content that does NOTHING for your ranking.
I’m a Philadelphia SEO Consultant so anyone that needs someone local for SEO or anything, send me an e-mail and I can refer you to someone if I can’t handle what you’re looking for!
Great post, I’m subscribing to this blog right now!
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