Whether you aim to provide the number one customer service along with very sellable service that is niche or whether you want to revamp your website, as you have begun getting mails that your website is not keeping with the times and looks outdated. It could also be a case where you desperately feel the need to rebrand yourself given the changes in the World Wide Web and want a HTML5 code for your website or you need to manage your reputation. In all the above cases your best bet would be to go to a local SEO consultant or a local web developer and get yourself a cutting edge website.
No sooner does news of your intention is leaked via the local chamber of commerce will you start getting mails soliciting your business. This is where you have to take a step back and look closely at all that is offered and red flag those that will potentially do more harm than good.
Here are some classic cases you should red flag immediately:
A seemingly unknown company sends you an email readily offering over 10,000 links in a week’s time and also suggests it can build your website of thousands of pages in WordPress in a week or two. Well, this is a classic case where you should immediately red flag such a company and delete the mail.
Getting such high volume of links is possible only when you issue a press release claiming you have made a new drug discovery or found a cure to an untreatable disease. If that is not the case be prepared for invoices from other SEO companies for link detox, as that is what will be needed to purge your site of all the fake links your website has.
Second, it took you more than a decade to build your business, and if someone claims to develop your website that will highlight all your achievements in three days flat, WordPress or not, is highly suspicious.
How to spot suspicious SEOs and web developers
Ask to speak to three references. If the SEO that has given you a high decibel sales pitch fumbles and does not come up with three reputable and authoritative references in the next five minutes. The SEO is probably not trustworthy.
The SEO spinning the yarn has just told you that some of their client websites had to be taken down due to non-payment. Well, this just proves that you are going to end up spending more than what you bargained for.
Your business order is going to be worth a few thousand dollars, but the company CEO you meet along with their lead SEO and lead web developer are all wearing expensive suits. Ask yourself a question, why would they dress like that for a mere $10,000 worth of business? Something is fishy! Get out fast!!
Only if the SEO guys are wearing jeans and casual shirts continue with the discussions. Not that dressing up in suits is a bad thing, but a designer suit should raise suspicions.
You have spent some time earning your stripes and have learnt a few jargons in SEO. Ask them casually about it and if they fumble, that is a red flag for you.
In short be sure of a few things before you hire a SEO consultant or a Web developer. Do the following things:
- Have some basic knowledge of SEO so that you can understand their answers.
- Discuss with someone who has done a rebranding and redesigning exercise and learn from their experience before you try it yourself.
- Be ready for things to go wrong because in all probability a few things will do go wrong.
- Hire only reputable SEOs and web developers. They may charge you more, but that is money well spent.
- Set benchmarks and set timelines for deliverables, also connect your payments to deliverables.
- Come to an agreement with the company with what they will do for you. Don’t buy the “We will make your site number one in three weeks” type of sales pitch.
- If the deal offered seems too good to be true then it probably is.