How to Compare Different SEO Vendors?

What you’ll learn in next 5 minutes:

 

a) How to search and shortlist good SEO Companies?

b) Critical factors to consider before you hire a SEO Company.

c) Conclusion

Criteria for shortlisting SEO Vendors:

 

a) Quality Content

b) Quality Blogs

c) About Us

d) Trust and Credibility

e) Pricing

Myth – The Highest Ranking SEO Companies Must Be The Best Ones

This is not at all the case. Actually, most of the great SEO companies I know are referral only and their websites are very basic. They put their efforts into ranking their clients, not their own stuff

-Rand Fishkin from Seomoz

1. Ask Them What SEO Strategy They Will Implement On Your Website

 

Many companies focus only on link building. This approach is lazy and avoids making necessary changes to website code and copy (apart from changing meta tags).

Here is a basic checklist:

 

a) Keyword and keyword phrase selection

b) Creation of quality content

c) Link building campaign including social bookmarking

d) Uniqueness of meta tags

e) Use of sitemaps

 

Avoid companies that advocate reciprocal linking, because it’s a clear indication that the SEO company is using outdated SEO tactics.

2. Ask About Their Social Strategy for SEO

 

Social Strategy for SEO Should Include:

 

a) Installing Google +1 button on your website

b) Creating a Google Plus Brand Page for your business

c) Outreach to prominent Google Plus one users in your industry and vote requests for your website

3. Is Google Places Listing A Part Of Their SEO Strategy? 

 

You should look out for these deliverables:

 

a) Submitting your business to Google Places

b) Enhancing your Places profile by adding images, videos.

Not having Google Places in your SEO plan would mean losing visibility and business from your Local County/City. Google Places should be part of default SEO plan and not be an added feature.

4. Do they Provide Guaranteed Rankings? 

“From 1996 through to today, SEO scams have used “guaranteed rankings and traffic” as a slimy catchphrase to lure in gullible buyers with too-good-to-be-true promises. That association has stained the entire industry and repulsed even businesses that might consider using the “guarantee” label.”

-Rank Franklin, From SEOmoz

No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google

“Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “Priority Submit” to Google. There is no priority submit for Google.”

-Google SEO Guidelines