Questions You should not ask an SEO firm!

1. Do you think we can point traffic from our competitors and acquire their revenues?

The truth is: The SEO company have no sure fire way of knowing what traffic that is coming into there site came from the results of a search. Companies are reaching out to their potential visitors from so many different directions that it is impossible to know unless you work for that competitor. They may be using social media, advertising on other websites, using affiliate markets, off line advertising or email marketing to bring in visitors. None of these are resulted from that visitor searching for the website in a search engine.

2. Can you guarantee a specific number of links?

The truth is: Sure they can make that claim but they are not going to be giving you organic links that you have earned from your websites content. They will go out and purchase the links. Through a directory, an article site, using a signature tag or through other social media tactics.

The problem is they will give you a false sense of a successful  campaign. When in reality those links are only good as long as you are paying for them and generally do not generate leads that will convert into sales. Then you do not even know for sure if the links they get you will pay off anyway?

The best way to get links is from others reporting about you in their social networks, sites that link to you and provide either a competitive product or service. Or that provide a complimenting product or service. As long as the link has relevance to the page it is linking to and the page providing the link has good Link authority. Chances are very good that the visitor from that link will be what is called a qualifying visitor. One that will more than likely be coming to your site based on the link.

3. Can I get in the top 10 for a particular keyword?

The truth is: They have no idea, because...

The search engines are now using what is called personalised search. So their results are based on many factors including other searches they have made.

Results from a universal search can show news items or local results and video for a short period of time that will rank higher than yours.

The search engines are constantly changing their algorithm and you cannot be guaranteed that what you rank number 1 today will even be in the top ten tomorrow. Google test on average 1.5 changes to its algorithm every day.

Your competition will not just stand by when you rank higher then they do. They will be deploying strategies to overcome your rank authority. If your SEO firm is not on top of this and looking at why this happened and deploying strategies to counter them then you loose out anyway.

Then there is the fact that you might not even deserve to out rank your competition. You may be trying to rank for the wrong keywords or the keywords you have chosen may have so much competition that you may never be found. Your competition may be an older company that has been around for a number of years. If your competition engages more with their customers than you do. And because they have invested more time into their brand monitoring and customer service, that can give them more links.

Then there are the sites that use what is called black hat SEO tactics. Where they are spamming or otherwise cheating to get the higher rank. Although the results from this type of activity is short lived it does happen and needs to be a consideration.

To rank for a search term or keyword takes time and it takes an active SEO firm in cooperation with you to make it work. Don't expect results over night. Finding the right combination of tactics takes time and sometimes they don't work at all and you have to find other ways to be found.

If you are just getting online you may not be able to compete for the keywords you want without investing some major cash and strategies to attract the qualifying links you want.