Google search “internet marketing company” or “SEO company.” What do you see? 800 companies that all say the same thing: We’ll make you #1! We’ll get you found in your keyword niche by everyone! Your eyes glaze over, you get lost in a sea of technical jargon and everyone looks the same. The only thing you remember how much it costs, but don’t know what you are paying for. What an interesting business- a service that you can buy and not know if the work is being done?

So where to start? First, let’s figure out a few things. What do you need?
SEO? Where? i.e., a local boutique shop serving Tallahassee, does not need to be found in Seattle.
Pay Per Click? Is your company’s product or service something people would click on an ad for- and buy it? Or is your product better for the organic listings? Joe’s Local Pizza would be better suited for local searches, versus a big chain like Pizza Hut who can hack the nationwide Pay Per Click ads.
Social Networking? The new buzz! We gotta do it! While true for some businesses, how often are you logging onto Facebook or Twitter to find insurance, lumber or auto parts?

Once you have some idea of what you want, start talking to providers:
What’s your budget? $100 a month? $10,000 a month? $100 worth of Pay Per Click may be hours. Get a budget together for the right campaign.
Do they answer their phones? Do they care about your business?
Do they rely on robots or customer service email addresses or call centers on the moon?

Maybe you are already signed with a provider:
Do you see results? If not, they are not doing the work. Don’t buy excuses. Any SEO company, even if not the best can get you moved up a bit. Don’t buy lip service- look at the results and buy that.
One last thing that I think some people overlook- Did you like them? Were you left with a bad vibe that you shrugged off?

There are good internet marketing companies that do solid work that you need. You either don’t want to or don’t have the time to do it yourself, and you want good customer service and they should value your business. Maybe it takes a few more phone calls or looking around a bit longer for a good referral, but you will find one.
In any case, going that extra mile looking for a good provider is worth it, will cost you less & make you more. There’s no magic- even in the internet marketing world. In the end, it is still good work ethics and good business.

Owen York
President
Stellar-eMarketing
www.stellar-emarketing.com

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