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How do I check my SEO company is doing a good job

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Newbus

SEO for many of us is a art form that we have little understanding of. I know enough to not get lost in a conversation but not enough to do this myself, so I employee an SEO company.

Thing is I have been with this company for over a year and another SEO company for 1 3/4 years before that and still I can not see any evidence that Google even registers my sites existence for my target keywords. For my business 90% of relevant convertible traffic comes from Google.

So I was wondering if there are any tools, gadgets or gismos available so that I can independently check the work that is being done and objectively measure the work being done. How do they know how many back link I have, how do they report the position Google place me etc

I am trying to be patient, as the keywords I want to target are very competitive however I am in business to make money and want to see a return on my investment before I am cool in the ground.
 
Are you set up with Google Analytics? Essentially, if they're doing their job, your visitor numbers should be increasing.

If not, it's free, and gives some great insights into your online presence.
 
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Have you asked them for a report?

This will show the link profile they are creating.

You should be able to see the changes they are making to the site which will have an immediate effect on your ranking.

Your analytics will show if your visitor numbers are increasing and the increassed range of keywords being used.

If you've been with then for a year you should be seeing a tangible increase in ranking and traffic by now. If as you say nothing has changed then start complaining bitterly. At the very least they should have changed the site so that the whole thing is in the index.
 
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Thanks for the comments.

We do have analytics and tracking goal converstions through this. Only the smallest percentage of traffic originates from the organic search. Traffic is primarliy diven in through PPC and links in relivant directories and telemarketing sites.

Yes the site I am referig to is in the signature www.telemarketinggb.com
 
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First of all you have NO inward links apart from this forum! Not good - so no wonder you don't get an organic traffic - What are your PPC monthly costs? Sorry to be bold but if you are paying an SEO company this makes me mad!!:mad:

I mean what are they doing?

Newbus said:
Thanks for the comments.

We do have analytics and tracking goal converstions through this. Only the smallest percentage of traffic originates from the organic search. Traffic is primarliy diven in through PPC and links in relivant directories and telemarketing sites.

Yes the site I am referig to is in the signature www.telemarketinggb.com
Click to expand...
 
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Newbus said:
Only the smallest percentage of traffic originates from the organic search.
Click to expand...
In which case sack the SEO company because they are stealing your money.

You should be ranking well for a whole range of longtail and niche keywords by now. They should have been all over your site tweaking and adjusting and creating new content but I bet all they have done is 'link building'.
 
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I do get a very smart report every month.

I know what they are telling me they are doing. I now want to measure what they are doing.

I was looking for tools and ways of discovering back links as you refer to but I want to to look first hand.

What tools are being used or how can I find the back links that you refer
 
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Mate according to yahoo site explorer you have 12 inbound links :eek: 90% for this forum!

You site doesn't have any links, or none that have or are being found!

PS I would love to see one of these reports!
 
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You can use one of Google's operators and do a 'site search'...
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&sour...=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=6fe8bdf9679c5dd4

if you read the text snippets Google shows from your pages you'll see quite strong repeats of your keywords across multiple pages. I'd ask them why they're doing this (assuming they did it).

You're also a .com and there may be an issue with your hosting, the checks I've run suggest that you're hosted in Texas (not 100% sure as I got odd results when running them).

If you want to run the checks yourself then start here and type your domain name into the box...

http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/visual-tracert/

this ends at 89.234.30.84 epicado.eu who themselves appear to be hosted in Germany. Google can be problematic with .com addresses when hosted outside the UK so you may want to look into this in more detail.

You do have very obvious key aspects of seo missing from both your content on the site and off. Whether you're getting something of value for your money would depend on...

a: how much you're paying them and
b: how much experience they have

Judging by the comments above (and your need to raise your concerns here) I suspect you're well on the way to a conclusion.

Hope that helps

Ray
 
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Newbus, with no links in and a .com hosted in Germany, it sounds like you've been screwed - basic irrelevant site tweaking for a continual fee without any actual achievements - a report should focus on the latter.

Plenty of advice specific to your needs can be provided for free on this forum - just ask away and we'll try and steer you into the right direction.
 
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There are some basic SEO elements missing from your pages. If you are paying someone to do this for you then they have failed.
 
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Newbus said:
So I was wondering if there are any tools, gadgets or gismos available so that I can independently check the work that is being done and objectively measure the work being done.
Click to expand...

No.

If you had the ability to evaluate SEO work, you wouldn't be asking this question.

Sure, you can find ways of counting backlinks, but that won't tell you which links are worthwhile and which aren't... unless you already know what sort of links are useful and which aren't.

A famous SEO once said:

"If you can tell the difference between good advice and bad advice, you don't need the advice. If you can't tell the difference, you're in trouble."

It sounds like you're in trouble.* You've hired an SEO with no way to evaluate the progress between success and failure.

And that means you can easily be played for a sucker.

(As can many people who hire SEOs - it's just the nature of an opaque activity.)

Steve

* On the plus side, you have this forum and it sounds like you are getting good advice and info on this thread.
 
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"If you can tell the difference between good advice and bad advice, you don't need the advice. If you can't tell the difference, you're in trouble."

On a simplistic level you look in the till.

The whole idea behind SEO is to produce more money,if this is not happening then the SEO is probably not working.

Earl
 
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The whole idea behind SEO is to produce more money
Click to expand...

Actually that may be a bit too simplistic. The idea of SEO is to produce more traffic and visitors. It's the website's job to convert this traffic into money. You can get all the traffic you would ever need but you still need to have a product worth buying. Lots of people forget this. ;)
 
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Ali-v-8 said:
Totally agree with Graham.
Your company should provide you with a report.
Click to expand...

They are right, although we are not primarily an SEO company, when we do SEO for clients, they are provided with a detailed monthly report, and once a week are sent a friendly email to let them know of any changes and any work we have done towards their SEO that week.

They are provided with details of all link building we do, and we set up and monitor analytics if they do not have them already in place.

IMHO .. it might be time to get rid of these companies. They are obviously not doing their jobs, and im sure the other SEO companies on here will agree, that it is people like that, that make the rest of us look bad.

If you wanted a quick fix you could check yourself.. Google Chrome has an SEO extension that lets you view quick statistics for any web page you are on.. its not brilliant, but gives you a general overview.
 
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The bottom line is that you are on very dangerous ground if you employ anyone to do work for you that you cannot check. SEO should be totally avoided unless the company doing it is 100% transparent about what they are doing. When a company does not have to produce time sheets it is too easy to be economic wth the truth and to charge for stuff they have not done.

Some of the best advice on this is provided by Google themselves,
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291
.
.
 
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Depends if they are only spending £99 a month!
Click to expand...

That is about £1200 per annum, which is not an inconsiderable sum. Some of my clients do not listen to what I have to tell them about their new websites and their optimisation. I have seen them using "SEO companies" who do not have a clue about the very basics. They don't use proper page titles, they omit H1,H2,H3, etc. (like in this case) and miss out some of the other very basic SEO stuff. Obviously what these people are good at is talking!

I can design and optimise a website for as little as £400. When I do so I offer my clients more written information and instructions that I have prepared on how SEO works and how to further promote their websites. I tell them realistically how long the process can take and stress the importance of getting inbound links.

I also offer them other other tips and things they can do themselves. They almost never read what I provide to them despite my stressing how important it is. Some of them then choose to go to a back street SEO abortionist because they have not made a million within six months of their site being launched.

It is very frustrating. :mad:
 
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People never listen I had a chap email last week, got a new site which was well designed etc cost him around £7,000. He is aiming to be number one on google within 12 months - no problems so far!

So I explained what we can offer etc and then I asked him what his monthly budget was....£150 a month max I was told! - so he wants to rank #1 on google for a highly competitive term all for £150.

He totally believed that this was possible due to another SEO company telling him it was possible :eek:

JOKE!
 
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sirearl said:
On a simplistic level you look in the till.
Click to expand...

I agree.

If you look in the till and there's extra money, that's success.

If you look in it and there isn't, what does that mean? That it's not working? Or that you're still on the path towards success but haven't reached it yet?

It's telling between those two things that's the problem for people who hire SEOs.

Steve
 
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Nice advert.
Click to expand...
It's not an advert. I do SEO quite effectively myself and that means that I do not have to advertise. I currently have more than enough work to keep me going thank you very much.

Have a look at my posting record to see if I am advertising. I am here to help and assist people in the field of web design and SEO whenever I can and as time permits. I have probably asked for assistance myself on no more than half a dozen occasions since I joined.

I do believe in business ethics and I was trying to emphasise how I look after my clients and that many of them are not prepared to try and understand what is happening with Google and the SEO process.

I think it is fair to say that the field of SEO has more than its fair share of charlatans. I try to help my clients avoid getting into the situations that we see reported so often in here. If you think telling you this is advertising then fair enough but I honestly don't need any business from this forum and I have never had any.

Now I am off to play bowls, bye!
.
.
 
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bdw said:
Some of them then choose to go to a back street SEO abortionist because they have not made a million within six months of their site being launched.
Click to expand...


lol thats the best quote Ive seen all day lol well said, thanks going to you sir! lol
 
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The guys are absolutely right - you should be receiving regular reports from your SEO company... showing movements for your chosen search terms at the very least. I use a paid for tool (IBP) but it won't give a historic report for you... only since the date you start using it.
Any SEO company worth their salt should be able to provide you with proof of movement though. If not, thenh sack them, as has been said.
I work with SEO alongside web design... and the charlatans out there make it much harder for the rest of us!
Good luck!
 
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harryboon said:
Depends if they are only spending £99 a month!
Click to expand...

If they are spending £99 and you are not going for it full on.

You are probably not charging enough or the SEO should not have taken the job on if the client could not afford to pay for the work needed to get them a decent ranking.

This set fee business for SEO is a total nonsense IMHO.

No two jobs are the same.

Earl
 
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Totally agree with you Earl :D

sirearl said:
If they are spending £99 and you are not going for it full on.

You are probably not charging enough or the SEO should not have taken the job on if the client could not afford to pay for the work needed to get them a decent ranking.

This set fee business for SEO is a total nonsense IMHO.

No two jobs are the same.

Earl
Click to expand...
 
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It's patently obvious that whatever you are paying this so called "seo company" they are simply not doing anything in terms of link building, which is one of the most important aspects of SEO. Hell you have provided more backlinks yourself than they have!

I am a firm believer in if you want a good job doing then do it yourself but if you still wish to use an SEO company then at least get rid of the people you are currently using and spend a good amount of time looking for a new one that are guaranteed to do the basics.

I'm sure you could find someone on here who could help.
 
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Shopping365Group said:
LOL :D

Ok i'm a firm believer that if you want a good job doing then do it yourself, except brain surgery!
Click to expand...

Many, many years ago, when I'd just joined the RAF, I was tasked to help a Corporal replace the wheels on a Buccaneer.

He was a highly skilled and experienced tradesman who expertly replaced the wheels and brakes on several tons of fast jet fighter bomber (I stood around in awe, handing him the odd spanner whilst he worked.)

During the job we chatted away and, inevitability, we got to talking of cars. He told me that he did all the work on his own car, except for any work on the brakes, which he would leave to the professionals.

Wise advice that I have always followed!

So that's brakes & brain surgery - anything that shouldn't be done yourself?!

Jeff

p.s. sorry for going off topic.
 
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Shopping365Group said:
It's patently obvious that whatever you are paying this so called "seo company" they are simply not doing anything in terms of link building, which is one of the most important aspects of SEO. Hell you have provided more backlinks yourself than they have!
Click to expand...

Perhaps the company they've hired don't do link spam. There's certainly nothing on that site that would link on merit.

d
 
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