Should you Hire a SEO Professional?

Before developing or deciding to research into improving your website or online business through search engine optimization (SEO), whether paid in incredible sums to SEO professionals or stumbled upon through desperate searches in SEO forums and SEO articles, read the articles firsthand from Google first.

A simple read through their webmaster guidelines will dismiss many myths and sales techniques that SEO professionals, whether good intentioned or not, offer to you in marketing and improving your sales profits.

First off, no one can guarantee your ranking in any search engine. No matter how big or powerful the SEO professional claims his or hers powers are. When your SEO advisor offers to link to your site from his, be sure that the link exist on a highly ranked page of his (probably his main page). You can check if this is so through webmastereyes.com. The higher the importance and relevance of the page, the higher the number given which is on a scale of 1 to 10.

Secondly, make sure you know whether your marketing money is going into a permanent link to your site from theirs, or a temporary one that can withdrawn simply or even used for blackmail.

Thirdly, if possible, it will be wise to make sure you have a clause in your contract with the SEO provider that states the compensation you will receive if your website is entirely struck off major search engines such as Google, whether accidentally or through the dubious practices of SEO professionals that cause your website to be penalized (aka blacklisted).

Years of hard work can suddenly vaporize and websites can come off the charts within a day! Be very wary of the SEO professional you hire. Ask questions. Do they have a comprehensive portfolio of clients who have used them through the years? Or is their portfolio just ‘me, myself and I’?

SEO companies with a mentality of ‘me, myself and I’ are very obvious in their doing if you are not ignorant. Do they require you to back-link to their website or provide huge directories in your web pages that promote their own website? Do they explain clearly and openly how they intend to help you. Believe me, SEO is not some secretive art held by the privileged few. Professionals who do it need a lot of time and resources at their disposal to aid you, telling you how to do it is not going to spoil their business or ‘give the game away’. Rather, clients who are SEO knowledgeable often lead to a better relationship between customer (you!) and online marketer (SEO professional).

Although not explicitly stated by search engines, I believe link exchanges do not work and does not give your website extra points. Quality one-way links from reputable sites to yours however is a major key in your website rising high in search engine ranking. Quality refers to sites which are ranked highly in search engines, have a wide audience and a long history, which search engine interpret as trustworthy.

Remember, there is no easy money and integrity is most reliable road to success. Give to the world what it wants and it will reward you in turn. With that in mind, do not plagiarize or risk eternal blacklisting! Check copyscape.com or plagiarismchecker.com to make sure your contents are original. Read Google’s webmaster guidelines for more information before your start to build your online empire.