Is My SEO Consultant Doing A Good Job?

by Joey Flores on July 27, 2009

Question: How Can I Be Sure My SEO Service Provider Is Doing A Good Job And How Can I Measure Their Performance?

Startup Army Answer:

SEO is similar to hiring a publicist; they cannot guarantee results; they can only guarantee that they are taking the right approach and that they are doing what they say they will. Receiving reports about their effort and verifying that they have actually done what they’ve said they have is the only accountability you can really get. You should definitely set goals with your SEO consultant but you can only define that as the effort put in, reasonable improvement in your results, and their ability to track and report your improvements. You cannot say that success is when you are #1 in Google for the term “mortgage”. Someone would have to be God to make that happen.

Lastly, just like a Doctor, you can always get a second opinion. Let the person you feel is a good fit for your company’s situation and budget take a crack at things and keep track of what they do. Then, ask a second consultant to give you an independent analysis of whether the first consultant is doing the right thing. Just keep in mind that they have a vested interest in dethroning your current vendor, so unless they come back with some stark news, your current guy is probably doing pretty well.

Joey Flores
EVP of Marketing
StartupArmy.com – Bring in the heavy artillery

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