The best SEO marketing firm will be honest and offer sustainable results, not just short-lived (and often unethical) forms of attention getting. Bumping a site up the rankings is a labor intensive, technically complex job, and it’s not something that can be done without the proper expertise. But figuring out who is the real expert in the field, and who can just talk like one is the tough part. There are thousands of firms out there that promise results that are too good to be true, and it’s important for a company owner to spot them before they commit financially to a firm that is over their head. There are some signs of a forthright firm, though, that a business can latch onto and use to make an informed decision.
How will a company know if it has the best SEO marketing firm for their site?
At the heart of it, search engine optimization is about generating relevant content, organizing that content appropriately, and then advocating for it, either through social media, citation management, or just through solid web design. There isn’t a single best solution out there for every industry and every business, so a reputable firm should sit down with the company’s decision makers and craft a solid plan. What works for oil & gas companies won’t work for restaurants, and vice versa, and an experienced firm knows this. Such firms should have experience working with other members of the industry, as this will ensure all content generation is on point and relevant to the business’s customers. Going local is always in the company’s best interests as well, because they will understand the company’s clientele better, and will be able to quickly produce content in response to local events or opportunities.
Also, are the firm’s goals realistic and reasonable? It’s impossible to propel a business to the top of the rankings overnight, but a firm may make this claim anyway, and then use paid ads instead of improving organic rankings. The truth is, both can be useful, but a firm should be transparent about all of its methods, and how they will help the site. Keep in mind that so called “black hat” techniques, such as keyword stuffing or doorway pages, are still in wide use by some marketers, and while they can be successful in the short run, eventually a site will be heavily penalized for these practices. This kind of slash and burn ranking optimization can make a firm look extremely effective out of the gate, but once Google catches on, the firm will already have the company’s money, and probably won’t be around to repair the damage.
In short, the best SEO marketing firm will become a trusted partner of the business, and use a total approach to branding and promoting a site. It may take more effort, but the goal is to get a site to the top, and keep them there. An experienced firm will know exactly how to go about this in an ethical and upfront way.