Should your SEO firm offer a guarantee?
A specific ranking or position guarantee on organic search engine listings is not practical for a couple of reasons:
1. Search Engines are in Control - SEO firms do not have control over how search engines algorithmically rank pages. We can identify the strong influencers and use what has worked in the past to achieve top rankings, but if a Search Engine decides to change the way it ranks pages (Google Dance), or goes out of business (Go.com), gets acquired (Excite, iWon, Inktomi, AltaVista), or adds/changes their source of search results data (Yahoo - MSN), there is really not much a SEO firm can do about that. However, a good SEO firm will know about these things before they happen and have a plan of attack to minimize traffic and ranking effects, if any, to the client site.
2. It's about conversion, not ranking - The guarantee of top ten listings is really an attempt at a guarantee of results, or satisfaction with the service. Being listed in the top ten for an unpopular keyword will mean nothing to the bottom line for a web site/business. What is more meaningful from a return on investment standpoint is a satisfaction guarantee. That is, there is more to profitable online marketing than specific rankings. Expert SEO firms implement a variety of tactics to help clients reach the true objectives, like increased inquiries and sales, rather than a particular ranking.
The only way to legitimately guarantee a specific ranking is on a pay per click program where the primary determining factor for ranking is based on something the advertiser is in complete control over - the cost per click bidding price.
3. Practical SEO guarantee - In the case of TopRank's search engine marketing service, we use rankings as one basic metric with an emphasis on first page results. But rankings are just the start. We also rely heavily on the increased number of unique visitors brought to the client and when possible, we also track conversions. Effective conversion tracking documents the number of times a search engine ranking or a pay per click listing results in an inquiry.
For example, here is the TopRank guarantee:
Client satisfaction is guaranteed. We work closely with our clients to identify realistic goals and timelines and employ the appropriate mix of tactics to achieve them. If objectives are not met within the agreed upon timeline, we will offer to make it right within 30 days or offer to terminate our agreement and refund any unused portion of the contract.
4. Focus on what's important - Above and beyond a guarantee, other evaluation items of a search engine marketing company, SEO firm or consultant should emphasize:
- Full disclosure of tactics. Nothing ambiguous
- Proposal and project plan outlining deliverables and timelines
- Ranking examples on phrases similar to yours or at least difficult phrases
- Clients that you can talk to for reference
- Experience and industry recognition/involvement
Setting clear expectations early on is critical both for the client and the SEO firm. Claims that appear as "too good to be true" are usually not worth the risk for the client. Demands for high rankings quickly on extremely competitive and non-relevant phrases are not practical for the SEO company. Provide clear objectives for the site and understand the metrics most valuable in determining success and you'll maximize the benefits of a successful search engine optimization program.
Additional Resources:
Search Engine Optimizaton - Wikipedia
Google Information for Webmasters
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