Should it be based on guarantees, client list, price, or something else?
There are multiple factors to look at when choosing a search marketing company.
Not every project will work with every search marketing company. It depends on your goals, budget and business style, and may take a few meetings to find the right company that fits.
When you work with a search marketing company, not all companies are created equal. Like hiring a lawyer, accountant, contractor, or carpenter, each person or company has certain strengths, abilities, experiences and knowledge. As well, the cheapest solution may not provide the best value, or provide the results you are looking for. On the other hand, the most expensive may be beyond project budgets.
As a potential client, begin by:
- Looking at who the company has worked with. Past clients can tell you what kind of projects the company has experience in and give you a sense of the company’s goals and values.
- Ask for past examples of projects, case studies and testimonials.
- Are they certified by search engines?
- Ask whether the company participates in “black hat” SEO tactics.
- Consider purchasing Marketing Sherpa’ guide to SEO firms – they have a good list of questions to cover during this process.
Google also offers some great tips when researching firms. 6S highly recommends reading this page if you are looking for a SEM company – http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35291
