Help finding a good SEO company

[PeaceJN]

Would anyone like to recommend some very good cost effective SEO companies?

 

[Posilan]

Would anyone like to recommend some very good cost effective SEO companies?

Probably best to post this is the tenders forum here - then members can contact you with proposals etc...

Steve

 

[KarlAustin]

Having being burnt by one recently I'd recommend you ask them in detail exactly how they plan on boosting your positioning, especially with regards to link building.

We got burnt by not keeping an eye on the company we used in terms of their link building - they were using junk "articles" that were 99% the same, 30-40 times on the same poor quality sites, but over 1000s of them. Google is just hammering us for it now. No SEO company should ever have been using such a technique, everyone has known for a long long time google does not like it, but they've now clamped down hard on it.

 

[Rudi]

There's not really such a thing as a good SEO company, if there was, they wouldn't be in business very long because people would realise that SEO takes time and is not something an external company can do reliably, if the website is built correctly.

Read this for some tips on how to DIY, to an extent.

 

[fattony]

try contacting Nitro, he does the seo for my site

 

There's not really such a thing as a good SEO company, if there was, they wouldn't be in business very long

Your logic is pretty astounding.

Earl

 

[Rudi]

Your logic is pretty astounding.

Well, my definition of "good" is someone that doesn't use black-hat SEO tactics, which 90% of the businesses out there do so that they get a return... Of course jeapordising their clients' site in the process.

 

[Fatjockey]

Hi mate i take it you want to increase your ranking on google thatd good the mist cost effective way is through a google payper click campaign for phrases which u want to be found for unlimited clicks per month for a fixed amount which can be worked around your budget send me a PM for more details

What does a pay per click campaign cost in ballpark numbers ? I presume it doesnt really matter which words you pick because it is the clicks that count ?

 

[Lulloo]

If you want to do it cost effective, do it yourself Have a good website, be active in social media, have an updated blog, and build some useful links

 

[propertyinturkey]

who ever you use i would not recommend seopositive . i used it and waste of money

 

[mobyme]

There's not really such a thing as a good SEO company.

Nothing quite like generalising.

 

[The Web Guy]

Be very careful with SEO consultants. 90% are just crooks looking to take your cash in return for empty promises. Its an unregulated area and people setting up from back rooms with websites and telephone. I would suggest you buy a good seo book - written in the last 10 months, and study it first. Then, when you do approach any seo guru, you'll know the technobabble and they won't be able to rip you off so easily. Don't ever believe someone who says they can get you on 1st page. They're having a laugh!!

 

[Rudi]

Nothing quite like generalising.

Wasn't a generalisation, let me clarify a bit.

A good SEO company (good as in ethical, using "white-hat" tactics) will not get as good results as link stuffing would from non-banned websites used by the bad SEO companies. This makes them not "good" depending on which way you look at it.

A bad SEO company (again bad as in ethics, using "black-hat" tactics) will usually get you some good results from their methods. However, puts you at great risk of being placed in Google's sandbox, or being placed under a listing freeze for months. This also makes them not "good", depending on which way you look at it.

 

Don't ever believe someone who says they can get you on 1st page. They're having a laugh!!

Well I would not consider taking on a project where I could not get a site on page 1 for productive keywords.:|

Earl

 

[mobyme]

Be very careful with SEO consultants. 90% are just crooks looking to take your cash in return for empty promises. Its an unregulated area and people setting up from back rooms with websites and telephone. I would suggest you buy a good seo book - written in the last 10 months, and study it first. Then, when you do approach any seo guru, you'll know the technobabble and they won't be able to rip you off so easily. Don't ever believe someone who says they can get you on 1st page. They're having a laugh!!

Well I can categorically state that we always deliver on our promises, if we state that we will get you to a position on the first page, that is what we will do; no if's, no but's and totally ethically; but it comes at a price.

The reason why most SEO's are regarded as charlatans is because they promise the impossible for peanuts and most clients have unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved for the budgets they have.

 

[The Web Guy]

Hi Mobyme.
Could you get me on page 1 of google for an organic search for 'Web design London'.
Lets say i have 10K for starters. Whats your refund policy?
Do you have one?

 

[RevaxMedia]

There's not really such a thing as a good SEO company, if there was, they wouldn't be in business very long because people would realise that SEO takes time and is not something an external company can do reliably, if the website is built correctly.

There is so much wrong with that statement I literally don't know where to start...

 

[RevaxMedia]

A good SEO company (good as in ethical, using "white-hat" tactics) will not get as good results as link stuffing would from non-banned websites used by the bad SEO companies. This makes them not "good" depending on which way you look at it.

Long term a good SEO company will get better results - A good SEO company will be able to spot quick opportunities whilst developing a long term strategy to provide a positive ROI asap.

 

[Rudi]

Long term a good SEO company will get better results - A good SEO company will be able to spot quick opportunities whilst developing a long term strategy to provide a positive ROI asap.

The key point in my original statement was 'SEO takes time'. I completely agree with what you said, however people want things immediately in IT (ie. in the short term) and in that respect, people won't find whoever they choose to be 'good'.

 

[webgeek]

Why don't you just hire a company that charges based on results, rather than refunding for failures?

It's not that uncommon these days for reputable vendors to only invoice you after they've hit certain milestones.

My recommended approach.
1) Get agreed upon keywords.
2) Get agreed upon 3, 6, 9, 12 month KPI's
3) Set financial terms for hitting of each KPI milestone
4) Pay as you go, paying for what good things happen, and not paying if something doesn't budge

Simple.

Do keep in mind that it's not that difficult to drive the 3 competitors directly below you to a position above you in the rankings - so pay your invoices

 

[10032012]

I recommend people undertake basic SEO on their website (on-page SEO). Get suggestions from an SEO firm on how to improve the on-page SEO but keep in control of your website content, and allow them to work on off-page SEO. Always look for testimonials and URL and search terms of other companies to check success. You will be surprised how many so-called SEO firms operate from spamming. Anyone with a wordpress blog will know what I am on about... you will be aware of the typical spam content but might be surprised how genuine businesses seem to also be spamming unprofessionally - its not them but one of these firms. Many overlook that the majority of links spammed are nofollow anyway.

 

[Chunkford]

Why don't you just hire a company that charges based on results, rather than refunding for failures?

It's not that uncommon these days for reputable vendors to only invoice you after they've hit certain milestones.

My recommended approach.
1) Get agreed upon keywords.
2) Get agreed upon 3, 6, 9, 12 month KPI's
3) Set financial terms for hitting of each KPI milestone
4) Pay as you go, paying for what good things happen, and not paying if something doesn't budge

Simple.

Do keep in mind that it's not that difficult to drive the 3 competitors directly below you to a position above you in the rankings - so pay your invoices

What results and milestones would these be?

 

[mobyme]

Hi Mobyme.
Could you get me on page 1 of google for an organic search for 'Web design London'.
Lets say i have 10K for starters. Whats your refund policy?
Do you have one?

I don't know off the top of my head as you have chosen extremely competitive keywords. It would certainly be expensive and couldn't be achieved quickly; although funnily enough there are a number of weaknesses left to exploit among the leaders for that search phrase.
Our refund policy works on a sliding scale for the top eight slots over twenty four months; we can get you there if you have realistic expectations regarding time scales coupled with the budget and commitment to make the necessary changes to your site.

 

[mobyme]

Why don't you just hire a company that charges based on results, rather than refunding for failures?

It's not that uncommon these days for reputable vendors to only invoice you after they've hit certain milestones.

My recommended approach.
1) Get agreed upon keywords.
2) Get agreed upon 3, 6, 9, 12 month KPI's
3) Set financial terms for hitting of each KPI milestone
4) Pay as you go, paying for what good things happen, and not paying if something doesn't budge

Simple.

Do keep in mind that it's not that difficult to drive the 3 competitors directly below you to a position above you in the rankings - so pay your invoices

I don't know of a single reputable SEO agency who is prepared to do that. It's more the sort of business arrangement you would have with someone who is desperate for the work who has no overheads and probably still living with his mum.

All good SEO's work against agreed KPI's anyway.

 

[webgeek]

Milestones on KPI's would be rankings for keywords. When you get to position A, pay x amount, when you get to position B, pay y amount, etc.

Times are a changing mobyme. SEO is no longer black art, it's a science. Pricing is shifting from predatory to a commodity, like buying rice.

I know of at least 2 companies, personally, who work off this approach for several clients (pay on results). One of them generates about 100mil GBP of online revenue for their clients annually and the other owns a ton of B2C keyword space (and hasn't told me their full portfolio revenue driving).

It's not the bargain basement people who work on a results basis - it's the consummate professionals. If you can't compete against this business model (shared-risk / win-win) then it's time to up your game.

 

[Chunkford]

Milestones on KPI's would be rankings for keywords. When you get to position A, pay x amount, when you get to position B, pay y amount, etc.

Rankings don't pay the bills though.

So what happens when you get the keywords to a certain level and they turn out to be pants in terms of generating revenue? Can they turn around and say they don't want to rank for that term any more, or are they locked into it for x weeks/months/years?

 

[Jameschillman]

Rankings don't pay the bills though.

So what happens when you get the keywords to a certain level and they turn out to be pants in terms of generating revenue? Can they turn around and say they don't want to rank for that term any more, or are they locked into it for x weeks/months/years?

Find a SEO company that will assist you in the keyword research then, You need to agree upon a set of keywords that will work fo your companies USP's, More often then not it will probably be easier to target a few long tail keywords with lower traffic to yeild better results.

 

[Chunkford]

Find a SEO company that will assist you in the keyword research then, You need to agree upon a set of keywords that will work fo your companies USP's, More often then not it will probably be easier to target a few long tail keywords with lower traffic to yeild better results.

I have no need too

The issue here is until you actually rank there is no way to say y keyword will bring you in £x a month so I will charge you £x a month to rank and keep your keyword there.

As with any form of marketing, getting ROI in essential and pay on result SEO is flawed when the results are based on rankings.

 

[webgeek]

Typically, I recommend that clients let us set up a paid search campaign to test the keywords we've researched and agreed upon.

After running the keywords, and tracking conversion rates with cost per conversion, we will have 1) confirmed the cost for them to undertake further paid search marketing (if they choose) and 2) confirm that agreed keywords convert.

There's no point in undertaking a 12 month SEO plan without having some idea about whether keywords will rank or not, given the fact that you don't know organic will pay the bills until you've achieved top 8 rankings.

 

[RadiusBPO]

POR works very well for scammers who will rank you site for "plumbers in north torquay" but thats about it. And who wants an SEO who just targets rankings??

 

[Chunkford]

PPC and SEO are two different beasts.
Being top for PCC certainly doesn't mean you will get the same results for being top for SEO so basing your figures for each keyphases on PPC data will be disproportionate to the actual revenue the client will be expecting.

Now if you said for example, if I increased revenue (which is a proper business metric) by x%age then this KPI kicks in here etc, that would be a much better proposition for the client as well as for your self, and will make for a better relationship for both of you.

You just gotta realise that rankings do bugger all on their own apart from a brief "Hey Look At Me" moment.

 

[RadiusBPO]

thinking about it, it's actually very very dangerous to hire a seo company focused only on rankings.
Just rent a bunch of nice links for 3 months til the client pays and then run off.

 

[RevaxMedia]

POR works very well for scammers who will rank you site for "plumbers in north torquay" but thats about it.

If you are a plumber who is restricted to working in Torquay only - what else would you rank for besides {service} {area} ? would you recommend "plumber"? and do you think POR is a better scheme to your local plumber as opposed to spending £xxx per month for no guaranteed results/security?

And who wants an SEO who just targets rankings??

SEO = Search Engine Optimisation = Optimising your website for search engines = improves rankings. You can use other signals but lets not cross SEO / SEM / Online Marketing in general.

 

[RevaxMedia]

Rankings don't pay the bills though.

I wouldn't mind being #1 for "Easter Eggs" right about now, I am sure that would pay my bills.

 

[Chunkford]

I wouldn't mind being #1 for "Easter Eggs" right about now, I am sure that would pay my bills.

Not if your selling mobile phones you wouldn't

But how would you engage how much to charge for it then, bearing in mind your taking the risk?

 

[Chunkford]

SEO = Search Engine Optimisation = Optimising your website for search engines = improves rankings. You can use other signals but lets not cross SEO / SEM / Online Marketing in general.

Lets not get confused with what people really want shall we.
"nobody buys a drill because they want a drill, they buy one because they want a hole"
and people wonder why SEO has such a bad name.

 

[RadiusBPO]

If you are a plumber who is restricted to working in Torquay only - what else would you rank for besides {service} {area} ? would you recommend "plumber"? and do you think POR is a better scheme to your local plumber as opposed to spending £xxx per month for no guaranteed results/security?

SEO = Search Engine Optimisation = Optimising your website for search engines = improves rankings. You can use other signals but lets not cross SEO / SEM / Online Marketing in general.

Yeah great but there is zero search volume and normal SEO is a massive MASSIVE nono for local services. But who cares about that, rankings are easy and I can get paid in a day!

POR is great in concept but pretty shoddy in reality. All you get are SEO companies struggling to find clients (wonder why) and clients who have no money to pay until the mystical payday arrives from ranking. So really it is a bad deal.

POR clients are cheap by nature and will do everything they can to avoid paying.

SEO is more than rankings and more than links. POR doesn't lend itself to adaptability. All evidence may say plan A is the way to go but when you start getting close to completion or the company wants a new direction where does that leave POR??

POR is dumb unless you have an audited and legally binding vested interest in a business.

 

[RevaxMedia]

Not if your selling mobile phones you wouldn't

But how would you engage how much to charge for it then, bearing in mind your taking the risk?

If I could get a dedicated mobile phone website to #1 that again would pay my bills as I would charge for interviews to find out how I did it and release an Easter Egg theme phone case.

There are various indicators to find out the saturation of any market - it's always a risk however with local it's very easy to predict - we do turn clients down if we feel we are unable to quote them for that particular keyword.

 

[RevaxMedia]

Lets not get confused with what people really want shall we.
"nobody buys a drill because they want a drill, they buy one because they want a hole"
and people wonder why SEO has such a bad name.

People hire SEOs in order to gain traffic through rankings - there is physically no other way a "SEO" guy can generate traffic. An SEO would focus on SEO elements such as link baiting to improve SERP visibility and not to generate referral traffic - if it does it's a bonus.

An SEM professional would generate referral traffic from Search such as PPC incorporating the work for an SEO specialist. SEO is part of SEM but only a branch.

Yeah great but there is zero search volume and normal SEO is a massive MASSIVE nono for local services. But who cares about that, rankings are easy and I can get paid in a day!

Plumbers in Torquay = 36/46 searchers per month and the chances of conversion will be very high for local relevance, how much business does a local plumber need to take on to sustain his business? Local traffic however small can keep local businesses afloat as it stems a great deal of referral business - everyone loves local.

POR is great in concept but pretty shoddy in reality. All you get are SEO companies struggling to find clients (wonder why) and clients who have no money to pay until the mystical payday arrives from ranking. So really it is a bad deal.

That's what contracts are for, people try to get out of paying for every industry why should SEO be any different? POR is derived from shabby SEO companies scamming clients so ethical companies need to offer that security and build client trust back up. Every single client we have taken on for POR has not repeated POR - they have the security to go onto our monthly packages.

POR clients are cheap by nature and will do everything they can to avoid paying.

Very general - most clients who use POR are cautious - you can spot the cheap from genuine

SEO is more than rankings and more than links. POR doesn't lend itself to adaptability. All evidence may say plan A is the way to go but when you start getting close to completion or the company wants a new direction where does that leave POR??

SEO is optimising your website in order to increase rankings which in turn will generate more traffic - an SEO obtains rankings and agrees the keywords in advance for POR. If a company changes direction most ethical companies will charge for work done already and move onto something new as with any industry different companies have different ways of working.

POR is dumb unless you have an audited and legally binding vested interest in a business.

Why is that?

 

[Chunkford]

If I could get a dedicated mobile phone website to #1 that again would pay my bills as I would charge for interviews to find out how I did it and release an Easter Egg theme phone case.

I like your thinking

There are various indicators to find out the saturation of any market - it's always a risk however with local it's very easy to predict - we do turn clients down if we feel we are unable to quote them for that particular keyword.

Yea, local isn't where I'm at tho.

Indicators is all there is (unless you are already there), and knowing the saturation doesn't provide you with the info needed to cost a keyword for POR.
What happens if you quote a price for x and realised that without spending more time/money you wont be able to rank it. What do you do? walk away leaving a sour taste in the clients mouth, or carry on wasting more time/money?
Then there's the situation where the client is spending more to rank a keyword than the money they're receiving from it. No matter how good the research is, it's all based on estimates, and that is the flaw which will trip people up.