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With countless SEO companies vying for your attention online, finding the right SEO vendor for your business can seem like a daunting process. What criteria should you use to evaluate an SEO firm? How much should it cost to get the results you want? You know that SEO takes time and that you won’t see results overnight, but what is a realistic time frame to wait before you start to see the effect of an SEO vendor’s work?

Here are eight suggestions to follow when comparing SEO vendors that should make your decision-making process easier.

Know the basics of SEO

We are not suggesting that you become an SEO expert; after all, this is why you’re looking to hire an SEO vendor, right? But simply by being able to speak about broad SEO topics such as keywords and linkbuilding will better assist you in evaluating SEO companies.

Think about your company goals

What do you hope to gain from having an SEO vendor in your corner? Are you simply looking for an SEO audit on your existing site to ensure you are following SEO best practices; or do you want more detailed, consistent support? By going into the search knowing exactly what you hope you gain from in, you’ll be in a better position to judge whether a company can offer that to you.

If the keywords you want to rank for are highly-competitive, you will need a more robust SEO plan to maintain any rankings you garner. Also, check to see if the SEO vendor asks about your goals or uses a templatized strategy for all clients. A quality SEO vendor should thoroughly understand your market strategy.

If you go into the process knowing exactly what you hope to gain from it and have completed at the end, you will be in a better position to judge whether a company can offer that to you.

Vet potential SEO vendors by asking for previous success stories

Ideally, you want an SEO firm that has already seen success with websites similar to your own. If the SEO vendor can provide you with those clients’ phone numbers as references, even better.

Simply viewing a firm’s client list won’t always give you an accurate representation of their talent. Certain clients may have entered into the agreement with an already strong SEO presence, while others may not have taken the SEO vendors’ advice.

Use word-of-mouth if possible

While your friend’s carpet-cleaning business may vary widely from your flower distribution company, if the size and scope of the business is similar, the SEO strategy may be as well. Ask around; if a company’s name comes up more than once, they may be worth looking into.

Even a referral from a friend across the country can be valuable. The beauty of the Internet is that SEO can be completed from anywhere. Especially with video conferencing technology like Skype, the necessity for a local SEO vendor is much less important.

Meet the SEO team in person if you can

Once you have narrowed down your potential list to three companies or so, schedule a time to meet with them and have them explain what they can do for you. If you are evaluating large SEO vendors, ask if you can meet the person managing your account and not just the salesmen.

Take into consideration whether you think you can build a rapport with the account manager. If the person you are speaking with is brilliant, but speaks way over your head or doesn’t take the time to answer your questions, this could be a warning sign. Any SEO vendor that acts as though SEO is a magical, secretive formula that they simply cannot share with you until you sign up with their service is a red flag as well.

You want an SEO vendor that listens to your questions and concerns, especially in the initial stage. A successful relationship with an SEO account manager will also make it more likely your goals will be met since he or she won’t want to let you down.

Get initial proposals from your favorite vendors

By having a few different proposals in hand, you can compare how each company will approach your SEO. Is one SEO vendor’s package far more expensive than the others? Does one plan stand apart from the rest in terms of the services they provide?

Even if you already know who you want to work with, the other vendors may have additional services you would like to have but wouldn’t have known about without looking at their proposal.

Ask for a sample report

A sample report will help determine how useful the SEO vendor’s reports will be in the future. Can you understand the report clearly, and see how their metrics relate to your goals?

Ask potential SEO vendors for their take on an issue

Although most SEO companies won’t agree to work on your site before you sign a contract, you can ask a potential SEO vendor to discuss how they would approach a particular issue or problem beforehand. For example, perhaps they can point out one problem ahead of time and offer a broad overview of how they plan to fix it.
Essentially, when choosing the right SEO vendor for your business, you want a company that can give you examples of previous work, explain in layman’s terms how they intent to optimize your site, and when you can expect to see results. Hopefully, these tips will help you find the perfect SEO vendor for your needs.