Over the last 3 years I have been learning about what SEO is and how it works. So what is it? Search Engine Optimization, it’s how websites get found by the search engines, Google being the most popular search engine. Over the last few years we’ve used a few different companies but felt that our site was stagnant and we were ready for it to move forward again so I started to look around and find a new SEO company to help.
I started searching a few months ago and was disappointed by some of the companies that I found. As I searched for companies I looked through their websites; after all I wanted my website to be better so they had to have a great website. Some sites didn’t even answer basic questions as to the services they offered or what those services entail.
Some companies I contacted had a good website but on review of their proposal I realized that they were using old outdated information for the services they were providing. Coming from a company who goes out and searches for the newest technologies to integrate into an automated solutions it was frustrating to see companies trying to push services that were considered outdated when I started learning about SEO three years ago.
The most frustrating was when I contacted a company to find out more about their services only to not have someone contact me back. There was one company that I thought would be a good match and I submitted a request twice, the second time I heard back saying the regular contact was out of town and that they would assign someone else to contact me, only they never did.
After reviewing the proposals I realized that some companies were very upfront with what their strategies were while some were vague. Those that were upfront seemed to be more trustworthy because they weren’t trying to hide what it is they were planning on doing. At what point would the more vague companies let me see what they were offering to do for me?
In searching for a SEO company I found ways to improve my website and our company. Do people come to my website looking for what we offer and leave feeling like I didn’t answer their questions? Does my company or my website use old outdated information or equipment? Do we follow up on the leads that come into our site? Are we giving them the run-around? Are our proposals lacking in the explanation of what services we are offering?
Bottom line is there are no silver bullets in finding an SEO Company. My feeling is that you must decide what direction or help your website needs and then go out and find that specific SEO Company that can help you. I have yet to find the SEO Company that can do it all.
Hi there,
It’s disappointing to hear about your lack of success in finding a suitable SEO Company. Given the nature of the industry, particularly highlighting the customer service aspect, it seems odd that you’d be contacting companies with no interest in getting back to you, and even worse that you’d know more about SEO than the companies you’ve contacted! I can guarantee you, however, that that’s not the case all over.
Im writing this response to your post specifically to address your main issues, which is: how do you pick the right vendor?
I recently read a really interesting article about website vendor selection, which talked about the important elements beyond price, that people should be on the lookout for, and what questions to ask when they think they’ve found the right people.
Feel free to check it out, hopefully you’ll find it useful, and aid you in your search for the team that fits your needs.
best regards,
Elwood