Things to ask when hiring a SEO firm

Larry Chase recently published a list of things you should ask a SEO firm. I've added my own comments after each point. Some I agree with and some are just misguided:

1. Why doesn't your website rank higher? - I agree with Larry on this one. I do not buy the excuse that the SEO firm is working so hard for clients that they cannot spend time on their own rankings. At a minimum, a SEO firm or consultant should rank for their specialty areas.


2. Where have you been published? - I can see the value here, but I also know some "SEO gurus" spend more time on the pulpit than in the trenches. Hire someone in the game, not someone who just spends all their time writing articles.

3. Who says nice things about you publicly? - definitely important. Search for the SEO firm or consultant on search engines, forums, blogs, etc to see what commentary is being published about them.

4. Which three references can I call? - Another very important one. Multiple references that you can talk to are very important. Ask the hard questions too.

5. How long have you been an SEO consultant? - This is important, but I know some pretty smart and effective SEOs who've only been in the game 3-4 years. They're as good or better than some of the old school farts who've been at it 7+ years.

6. Which shows do you speak at? - This is a bunch of crap. Limiting your self to the handful of firms that speak at SES (Danny Sullivan's friends) and AdTEch (which is a show about advertising not SEO) is a BAD business decision. I know quite a few SEO gurus who speak at those events and most of them a super people and great at what they do. And some brag about what little they know on the topic they speak of and how they were able to get in as a speaker. Speaking at a show allows you to see the consultant and speak to them and that is valuable. Being selected to speak at a show is not at all an indication of how well they will be able to serve you.

7. How many sites point to your site? - A decent metric, but only an indication of how good a link builder they are.

8. What's the title of your book or ebook? - You've got to be kidding. This reminds me of the phrase, "If you can't do it, write about it." There are plenty of book writing SEOs who couldn't optimize their way out of a paper algorithm.

9. What kind of results will I get? - Excellent. Be careful of overly ambitious claims of results and timeframes. SEO takes time. It is an investment, not an insertion order for an ad.

10. How do you charge? - Agree. Price too low? Something's fishy. Price too high? Comapred to what? Do your homework on what SEO costs and what's involved. Some SEO firms offer more than you might need and others not enough. $500/mo might be just fine for you site - others might require $2,000 or more per month worth of services. Each situation is unique.

11. Bonus Tip: Ask an SEO Guru Who Has Too Much Work For a Recommendation: - I agree. I get inquiries daily and I turn away a lot more business than I take on. Where do I send them? To other SEO firms that I know can handle the task and the workload.

Tags: hiring SEO firms, SEO, search engine optimization