Know What to Expect From Your SEO Firm
Writing by Brick Marketing in SEO
There’s certainly no shortage of SEO companies out there and since your SEO partner doesn’t need to be local, you have your choice of firms throughout the country. It’s important to spend time researching and speak with each SEO services firm that you are considering. Not every firm is going to be the best fit for your business. It’s important to feel comfortable with who you are doing business with since your SEO provider should be viewed as a team member. Be sure to ask questions during the early stages of the decision process so that you know exactly what to expect.
What prompted this post was a situation recently in which an outside vendor of ours sent an unexpected bill for minimal work that had been done. The contract that was signed says nothing about hourly rates and leads you to believe that the one time fee that had already been paid would be all that applied. This is really true for any business- know who/what you are dealing with from the beginning!
We figured that our experience is common when dealing with service providers. SEO professionals are service providers and if you are going to work with one, know what you are getting upfront!
During the process of hiring an SEO firm, be sure to get everything in writing regarding what is going to be done, when it will be done by, and what the costs and fees associated will be. There shouldn’t be any hidden fees. Any firm that is going to try and con extra money from you obviously isn’t reputable. Unfortunately, there are some firms out there that will try.
Ask how the SEO firm handles the cost of the service. Is it a monthly fee? Annual fee? Hourly fee? If it’s monthly or annual, make sure that it’s all inclusive. If you have a question or concern and are a full service client paying a monthly fee, you shouldn’t be asked for extra money for the time that it took to answer the question!
SEO service fees vary by provider, but it is up to the SEO company to determine a fair price and pricing structure from the start. The bottom line is- buyer beware! If you’re in the market to hire an SEO firm, find out exactly how much it will be costing you and exactly how much work will be done before signing a contract.
