We have written in the past about different questions and tools marketers should use when evaluating prospective search engine partners. We know it can be difficult to find the right professional or firm to work with, especially when there are so many different metrics and concepts floating around.
But there’s one we’ve forgotten to mention; a question that’s critically important. The reason we might have overlooked it, however, is that it isn’t one someone else can answer for you – it’s a question you have to ask yourself: Do I trust this search engine professional?
The reason this question might be more important than all the others, even those to do with price, contracts, deadlines, and so on, has to do with the time frames involved in search engine optimization. Because it can take 3 to 6 months for even the most well-designed campaign to show profitable results, that means you’re going to have to make a solid investment of time, money, and patience without knowing exactly how soon you’ll get any of it back.
If you trust your search engine optimization partner – if you go with the quality team that has verifiable experience and credentials – this shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll know what they’re working on, what kinds of results you should expect, and how their strategy is unfolding. But if you aren’t sure, then half a year is a long time to wait to figure out if you’ve made a good decision.
There are a lot of reasons to go with an established, professional search engine design partner. The foremost of them is that it gives you the best chance of bringing a steady stream of new customers into your business. But if that wasn’t incentive enough, consider the time frame involved. Do you really want to spend the next six months wondering if you’ve chosen the right firm… or starting over if you haven’t?
