SEO is, when done right, an effective marketing tool that can make your website visible to the people searching for your products and services. When it’s done badly, on the other hand, it can entirely ruin your website, in the worst case scenario even having you de-indexed from the major search engines. With so much at stake, it’s crucial that you get the right SEO company or SEO consultant for the job. But just how do you go about choosing one?

While nothing can guarantee results, there are a number of things you should be looking for in making a decision. Some of these factors are:-

-          Your consultant’s website. Which keywords is he or she targeting and where do they rank for them? If this is a consultancy in Liverpool, for example, you would hope that their company ranks well for “SEO Liverpool,” or similar keywords. Don’t be afraid to ask them how they are ranking for various keywords and to double check it yourself. If they cannot make their own site rank, how can you be certain of their ability to make yours rank?

-          You should be looking for a company offering a transparent approach. While no company will be happy with providing you a second by second break down of their day detailing their methods, you are entitled to know where you SEO budget is being spent. What are they buying? What are they doing? You should be able to get answers to certain questions and NOT be fobbed off with, ‘oh I can’t tell you.’

-          No consultant should be advertising ridiculous promises on their website. Statements like ‘number one in Google in a month, guaranteed,’ for example, are nonsense. Every campaign is different and it is not possible to make forecasts or predictions without knowing someone’s target keywords and carrying out detailed competitor analysis. Such promises are likely to amount to nothing other than a large bill and little in the way of results.

-          Look for companies with testimonials on their website. A lot of SEO companies operate under NDA with their clients. But if a SEO consultant or company has worked with a lot of clients, they should be able to produce at least one good portfolio that you can then go and research yourself.

-          You should expect a SEO consultant to ask a lot about your business. No good SEO consultant can create effective results without understanding your market, your business and your competitors. If he or she fails to ask any questions and just sends you an invoice, you may have cause for concern.

It may seem a daunting task, to find a good SEO consultant who will get results without jeopardising your website altogether. But really, it’s just a case of employing some common sense and doing some research. Finding a good SEO company will prove absolutely invaluable for any business that intends to progress on a real scale. It’s therefore worth investing the time on proper research and enquiries.