Finding an SEO consultant is not difficult. All you have to do is Google the keywords “seo consultant” or “seo company” and you will find results instantly.
However, if you’re searching for the best local SEO consultant – someone that will improve your organic ranking and increase your revenue – it takes a couple more strategic searches.
In this article, we’ll go through 4 quick and easy steps to find the best search engine optimisation consultant in your area.
To save time, we’re going to use Perth as the example location. When you conduct research on your own searches, just replace the term “Perth” with your own city/location.
The key to finding the best SEO consultant for the job is to see if they have high rankings for their own keywords. There’s no point in hiring someone to help you boost your rankings when their rankings are six feet under.
Since Google is the dominant search engine and achieving rankings on it is our goal, therefore we’re going to use it to conduct our search.
Before we begin, open your web browser and log-out of your Gmail account (if you’re logged in). Otherwise, Google will use your search history and presents you with biased ranking results (towards websites you have previously visited).
On Google, search the term “SEO Perth” or “Perth SEO” and scan the first 10 results. The top 5 will give you a subtle hint of the best providers available in your area. Keep in mind, judging a company by its ranking for just one keyword is not sufficient.
The general idea is to find an SEO company that is capable of obtaining top rankings for a variety of relevant keywords. These keywords should be related to the services they offer. There are approximately 3 to 6 primary keywords that a service/product should be found under. If your business only targets a single keyword, you’re missing out on a significant amount of potential customers.
The next keyword search for an SEO consultant would be “website optimisation perth”. We’re using this particular keyword because not everyone is familiar with the term SEO.
Now scan the top 10 results and select only the companies that appear on this search as well as the previous search in Step 1.
Make a list of SEO companies that appear on both searches above, and also note their rankings for the particular keyword (the closer to the top of the results the better they are). There should only be a few companies that are ranked for both searches.
The third keyword search is “google rankings perth”. Notice how the keyword is related to SEO and website optimization, yet the words are very different to the previous 2 searches.
Now scan the top 10 results and check to see if any of the SEO companies short-listed in Step 2 also appeared in this set of results. Cross out any that do not appear. You’re now left with 1-3 good SEO experts to choose from.
Step #3b – Since we’re researching for a company that provides ‘online marketing’ related services, we should test the waters with the keyword “online marketing perth“. An online marketing company can help you grow your bottom-line.
Are there any company left in your short-list when you conduct this search? If there are, you’re probably looking at the best of the bunch.
The final step is to browse through the short-listed SEO’s websites and see if you can quickly locate the information you need. A well structured website is not only search engine friendly, it should also be user-friendly.
While on their websites, look for ‘real’ testimonials. A real testimonial will have a link to the author’s site as well as his/her name. This serves as proof that you’re dealing with a legitimate and reputable SEO company.
As the last quality check – have a look at the company’s “contact” page and see what’s listed here. Be suspicious of any company that only provides an email address without additional contact information such as telephone number, ABN, street address (not just a PO Box).
