How to Find the Best SEO Consultant
Creating a website for your business is only the first step in making an online presence. To be successful, you need to make sure that people can find your website easily. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the science of raising your website's profile so that search engines display it prominently in the search results. Unless you are educated and skilled in SEO, it is wise to hire a reputable consultant to help your website get the success it deserves.
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Learn basic SEO techniques and lingo. It is impossible to properly vet prospective consultants if you do not understand the services you expect them to provide and the answers that they give you. SEO strategist and Search Engine Land columnist Jessica Bowman cautions that some SEO consultants engage in risky online tactics, sometimes called black-hat techniques, to get results for their clients. These techniques usually backfire, and engaging in them could wind up with your website not showing up in any search engine results. You should be in the position to recognize the difference between good and bad SEO practices, and avoid hiring those who recommend potentially risky tactics.
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Determine exactly what you need from an SEO consultant, which could be higher rankings in the search engines, more targeted website traffic or better sales conversion rates. Each one of these goals requires a very different skill from an SEO specialist. Search engine optimization is multifaceted, including tasks such as pay-per-click campaigns, proper utilization of keywords and strategic backlinking campaigns. The SEO consultant that you ultimately hire should have a broad range of skills, but be particularly adept in the bits and pieces that are most important to your organization.
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Ask for recommendations. SEOMoz.com CEO Rand Fishkin advises that you reach out to your social network for names of trustworthy SEO consultants. He also recommends that you turn to online blogs, websites and forums that are respected in the SEO industry and ask for their advice. Be sure to share your goals and needs to help these sources give tailored recommendations.
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Interview prospective consultants, asking thorough and pointed questions. "Entrepreneur" columnist and SEO specialist Jon Rognerud recommends that you question prospective consultants on what changes they plan to make to your website, what types of linking strategies they employ, how they communicate with clients and what their qualifications are.
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Check references, rankings and claims. Do not hire any SEO consultant until you have spoken with previous clients, and never rely on testimonials posted on the consultants' websites. Try to search for the consultants' websites online to determine how their websites rank. If they are buried in the search engines, question the consultant about their performance on their own website or avoid that consultant altogether.
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