SEO can be a very weird and strange type of investment for many new comers. Intangible in nature, no industry standard, no unified approach and very foggy descriptions at times make SEO an even stranger investment for many businesses. There are however something’s that should be part of the process when purchasing search engine optimization that just go without saying. If you currently have an SEO person or company working for you and you are on the fence to let them go, see if they fall into any of these categories.

Impossible to Get A Hold Of

Can you never get a hold of your company or SEM person? Does the phone ring and ring with no answer? Do emails take a week for a response? These are signs that you might want to fire your SEO person. Any professional search engine marketer knows that this purchase is confusing and rather complicated for many businesses and the communication factor needs to be strong. The client needs to know that you are there with answers at all times. Lack of communication can be very frustrating on the behalf of the client.

Vague Answers

I have no problems explaining in depth every single step I am taking when I help a client with their search engine marketing needs. I think some SEO people are scared that their clients will take the information and run with it but the reality is that it is not going to happen. A client needs to know what is going on at all times so they feel good about their investment. Leaving them in the dark is not going to lead to anything good. If you have an SEO person and you have absolutely no idea what they are doing at any given moment I think it might be time to move on and find someone new if the answers continue to be vague.

No Production or Evidence

I once met a client who had an SEO company working for them for a year. When I searched the company name I found not one single piece of evidence that anything was even done. No PR, no article, no business profiles, nothing just a spreadsheet with this most horrible links I have ever see. The right search engine marketing company will have your search results looking nicely polished and robust with a variety of good and useful information to help your brand grow.

No Analytics Increase

Have you been watching your analytics closely for quite a while and nothing has been happening? Has it been 6 months and virtually no new traffic has found its way to your website? Search engine optimization is a long term effort and depending on your industry could take some time to break into the search results but after 6 months there should be some sort of traffic increase, large or small there should be an increase you can see.

No Company Address

If you have all of the above and there is no address for you search engine marketing company the jig is up. There are certain red flags and no address means someone does not want to be found. If they are not U.S based they should tell you up front and let you know what is going on and where they are located. Your businesses marketing is in their hands so you should know everything about them.

I’m not saying go fire your SEO right away but take a look at these factors and see if your company falls into any of these. Search engine marketing is changing and it is important your approach is rock solid so that you can build your business online for the future. Find a vendor you are comfortable with and stick with them.