From searchenginewatch.com – Buying into SEO is a difficult process. Without at least a basic understanding of SEO, it’s really tough to tell the difference between someone who knows their stuff and someone who talks a great game without backing it up with results.
Many companies looking for SEO help — even those with a decent understanding of SEO — try their best to shop around, but they always end up with two simple questions:
1. What is this firm going to do for me?
2. How much do they cost?
When you’re hiring for a particular position in any business, you’re looking at that individual’s background. You aren’t just hiring them based on how much they cost, or what they say that they will (or can) do. You’re hiring them based on their resume, their references, and their history of performance.
For some reason, these basic principles get lost for people when they search for an SEO company (or hire an in-house optimizer). By selecting an agency or employee purely on cost, you could be setting yourself up for trouble ahead.
Check out Virante as an example of a firm that meets and exceeds the criteria in this article.