SEO consultants are a bit like attorneys. A good one can vastly improve your chances of success while a bad one can actually cause you to lose ground in your search engine rankings and can even damage your business for years to come. This is why the question, “How do I find a good SEO consultant?” is a very wise one.
Many individuals and businesses start their search for a good SEO consultant by googling something like, “SEO consultant in geographical area,” so they might look for “SEO consultant in Memphis Tennessee.” Others search online for SEO consultants in a certain industry. For example, they might search for “SEO consultant for hotels.” While this technique of finding an SEO consultant will undoubtedly give you many options to choose from, the chances of this method actually producing the best SEO consultant for your business is minimal.
Word of Mouth
Good old fashioned word of mouth recommendations are one of the best ways to find a good SEO consultant. In fact, networking is key to finding an SEO consultant with a proven track record. To get started, talk to local non-competing businesses to find out who they use and how successful their SEO campaign has been. If you start hearing about the same person repeatedly, you’ll know you have a winner!
If you run an online business, do some keyword searches for non-competing online businesses and take note of those in the top ten listings. Contact the owners or managers of these businesses. Congratulate them on their success in the search engines and ask them if they would be willing to share with you who their SEO consultant is, how long they have been using them, and how much they improved their rankings. For those who are willing to share this extremely valuable information with you, offer them a thank you of some kind such as a gift from your business or perhaps a little promotion on your website or in an online forums.
Business Associations
Another very effective method of getting word of mouth recommendations for good SEO consultants is to join a
chamber of commerce
and/or other business associations in your area. There is usually a fee associated with membership but it is well worth it. Plus, you’ll most likely get a link to your website in their online directory which can boost your SEO rankings significantly. This is because Google gives these types of sites special significance and a link from them is more valuable than a link from most other sites.
Organizations like your local chamber of commerce often have networking mixers where people are happy to help each other out. In fact, this is the primary purpose of these mixers so asking questions about how to find a good SEO consultant will come very naturally in the conversations you have at these events. Remember too, business owners love to talk about their own success so business association meetings can quite literally be a fountain of information. They also often sponsor presentations by local businesses, including SEO consultants. In many cases, you can actually meet the SEO consultant and several of his or her clients at the same event!
Online Forums
Online forums are another great source where you can pick up honest recommendations for good SEO consultants. If you go this route, pick larger online communities, like the
Warrior Forum
, which have been around a long time and the reputation of their older members are well established. This can give you a better sense of whose recommendation may be more helpful and more honest as the reputation of the recommender will be on display. You can also read some of his or her past posts to get a better since of who they are and where they are coming from.
Even if you have a brand new to online business, the people on online forums tend to bend over backwards to help newbies, as long as you remain polite, friendly, and respectful. Once you’ve registered for these forums, you can simple post a message with the subject title, “How do I find a good SEO consultant” and then tell a bit about your business in the body of the message. You’ll get more replies if you give information about yourself but don’t make the message so long that people won’t have time to read it. Above all, always be sure to thank anyone who offers excellent advice and remember to give back by offering advice to others on subjects you know well.
Good luck with your hunt for a good expert. If you follow the advice above and consult with
I Know SEO
, you should have no trouble finding a very effective SEO consultant for your business.
