When it comes to marketing your company, you likely have some idea of what you need. For example, you might know that your outdated website needs help from a custom website design company, as well as a marketing strategy to help increase your sales. And, of course, you can’t forget search engine optimization, a practice designed to increase your website’s rankings in relevant search results. Unfortunately, while there are a number of great SEO marketing agencies that can help your company thrive, some internet marketing firms should be avoided at all costs. Keep an eye out for these four signs of a disreputable SEO marketing company before you hire their services by mistake.
They Make Unrealistic Promises
If an SEO marketing agency says they can get you hundreds or even thousands of directory submissions, social bookmarks, forum links and more, get out of there: these links will be automated, a practice search engines like Google define as spam. This means that in spite of having all of the qualities you need on paper, your search ranking will likely be negatively affected instead. Don’t waste your money when you can hire a company that will offer actual results.
They’re All About the Rankings
While one of the main goals of SEO is improving a website’s ranking, that isn’t the end-goal. Instead, the whole point is to use the improved web traffic, as well as a high quality website, to draw web traffic and convert users into paying customers. This is why the best SEO agency will also function as a custom website design company: they know its about more than the rankings. If an SEO company only talks about search results, find a different agency.
They Don’t Customize Their Packages
Your business is unique, and it deserves a personalized SEO strategy. If a SEO company offers specific packages with set numbers of directory submissions, articles, press releases and more, they likely won’t put enough thought into a plan that will bring you the results you want. This is especially true because many companies will need long-term solutions and may have other complications that need to be ironed out.
They Don’t Share References
A good SEO and custom website design company will be able to discuss their past experiences increasing organic traffic, conversion rates and more; in fact, businesses are often encouraged to ask about previous projects and favorite stories to make sure that the agency’s goals line up with their own. If they aren’t telling stories, don’t share testimonials, and don’t have references when you request them, they probably aren’t worth your trust.
Due to the way the business world has changed in recent years, SEO and other forms of digital marketing techniques are now considered a vital part of promoting and running a business. However, if you settle for a substandard company, the results will only be disappointing and wasteful. Keep an eye out for the four qualities above while you search for the right company to market your business! Good refereneces.
