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You need SEO for your site; that much you know. How to choose an SEO vendor from the thousands available online is another story, however. We have compiled a list of ten questions to ask every potential firm before you hire them to avoid being misled by savvy salesmen or a lack of SEO knowledge on your part. A top SEO vendor should be able to answer every one of these questions.

Question #1: How will you choose the keywords for my website?

All keywords are not created equal. Though there are various ways to determine keywords, the best way will focus on those keywords that attract converting traffic. Avoid an SEO vendor who doesn’t talk about conversions and simply focuses on achieving first page results. A quality SEO firm will not only choose keywords that relate to your target market and business, but will also try to track the conversion rate of those keywords and determine if they are making you money. A top-notch SEO vendor will know whether you should focus on more competitive keywords or long-tail keywords.

Question #2: What are your goals for my SEO campaign, and when will I start to see results?

A good SEO vendor will work with you to set clear and realistic goals before they start your SEO campaign. An agency that focuses on general goals without getting specific probably won’t be as valuable as one that tries to measure ROI and revenue and focuses on conversions.

Always ask for an estimate on when you will start to see results as well. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, and you probably will have to wait two or three months.

Question #3: How will you track my goals?

Ask the SEO vendor what metrics they will use to track success. Ultimately, the analytics should be focused on traffic and conversions.

SEO vendors almost always provide some type of report to their clients. Ask to see a sample report, and find out how often the agency will be sending them to you. See if the report is valuable, and easy to understand. If not, can they help you interpret the reports?

Question #4: What are some previous sites you’ve optimized, and can I speak with any of your clients?

Learning more about an agency will help determine their credibility. Ask the SEO vendor how long they have provided SEO packages, if you can see examples of successful campaigns, and if you can call any of their clients for feedback.

Also, is the SEO vendor comfortable working with the technology your website uses? For example, optimizing a site coded in PHP differs from optimizing one built in HTML.

Question #5: Can I see a proposal of the work you plan to do?

Since the SEO agency will be working for you, you have every right to know what their process will entail. For example, how many hours each month will they be working on your site? Will they make coding changes, content changes or focus mainly on building backlinks? Is their work all done in-house, or do they outsource some portions?

Top SEO vendors can explain what they intend to do in a way their clients can understand. They want to create trust with their clients so they can work together to achieve maximum results.

Question # 6: Can I meet the account manager I will be interfacing with?

SEO firms often have talented salesmen selling their product, but the account manager is the person you will work with once you buy an SEO vendor package or plan. Check to make sure he or she is someone you can build a rapport with.

Question #7: What will your linking strategy be for my site?

Since linkbuilding is so fundamental to SEO, you want a clear picture of how they intend to build backlinks for you. What sites will the SEO vendor target? Will they use link exchanges? How will they get one-way links, and how many new links should you see each month?

The best links to have are usually those that require more work to get, and will come from related sites that have a higher Google PageRank. The links will be within the linking site’s content, and will have keyword-rich anchor text.

Question #8: With the all black hat SEO out there, how do you effectively compete using traditional optimization strategies?

Since the SEO vendor is manipulating your visibility on the search engines, you have the right to know whether they use any black hat techniques. Has the SEO vendor ever had any sites banned from search engines? What did they learn from that experience? Do they use any riskier techniques, such as cloaking, automation and paid linking?

If you are more conservative, ask for assurance that the SEO vendor will only use SEO best practices and white hat techniques.

Question #9: What will the payment schedule look like?

How long is the agreement for? Will you have the right to stop services if you’re unhappy with the results? Will the SEO vendor need to redesign your site, or can it rank well with its current design? If a redesign is necessary, will there be additional fees?

Question #10 Is my industry competitive?

A top SEO vendor can determine pretty quickly how competitive an industry is. Since the competition will determine how hard they must work to get the results you want, ask them to elaborate on your industry and what needs to be done.

Working out the logistics ahead of time will definitely help prevent any misunderstandings down the road between you and your SEO vendor.