When choosing an seo (search engine optimisation) supplier/company, what are the key things to look for these days and what hoops should you get them to jump through before signing up with them?

SEO is still a fairly new industry and could be described as embryonic still today! For years the way seo companies have been selling themselves is as follows;

1. Their own rankings on google for search terms like seo, seo services, link building, web marketing, internet marketing – some are good here some are bad…
2. What they have done for other companies – sending through a list of achievements for clients they have worked with in the past
3. What it is exactly they are selling – a list of things you will get – links, onpage work etc…

In my opinion when you are looking to choose an SEO supplier, you should look for a company that allow you to call their customers for references, show you exactly what it is they are going to do for you explicitly with examples and also and finally most importantly, ask the person selling the seo if they have ever ran an online business. This will show you if they have ever been in your shoes. At the end of the day, you have to part with your hard earned cash and put your trust in someone to deliver you results. If I had a website for example www.justinsproducts.co.uk and wanted to get to the top of google.co.uk for my business critical search terms here is what I would stick to;

1. Find a seo supplier who will work month by month (no contractual tie in)
2. Ask for phone numbers of clients they work with – for references
3. Ask them to show examples of links they will build
4. Ask the person selling to me their own credibility in the past, get their CV (projects they have worked on and what they have exactly done to give input into the project) – are they trying to get a fast sale out of you to hit their sales targets? Ask them…
5. Use your gut feeling – do you trust this person?
6. If the company shows you examples of great work they have done, ask them exactly what they did to get it there, the past history of the domain name and also how long it took them to do it. You can then plan your business around the KPI’s the seo professional is quoting to you.
7. Ask the seo professional what return on investment they have gained for other companies they have done seo for.

If you stick to all these guidelines you cannot go far wrong at all I can assure you.

Hiring an seo company on your website is a very positive thing, they should share the same passion as you for your website. At the end of the day, its also a commercial decision too, the seo company you hire should understand return on investment, if you dont make money from it or get more sales, it quite simply isn’t working. However, if you are gaining sales, track everything and know the returns you are gaining from seo as it helps you guide and steer your business in the right direction, i am speaking from experience.

Leave a Reply

For more information or to request
a quote please ring us today on

Give us a call 0845 539 0642