In continuing with our “mini-series” on Outsourcing in the Search Marketing realm, I would like to discuss a couple of the key markers or red flags to watch for when recruiting a Search Marketing Professional. In reviewing a few of the industry sites like Sempo and Topseos, I am amazed at the unprecedented number of new Search Engine Firms continuing to emerge daily. It is like visiting Baskin Robins Ice Cream shop as a kid for the first time and being overwhelmed with the many ice-cream flavors to choose from! So, the question is, how do avoid the nasty flavours of the Search Engine Marketing industry? (like the Black Licorce and Watermelon kind - Okay, I will stop with the Ice Cream analogy - it is dying quickly:)

In recruiting a outsourced Search Engine Marketing Professional or Firm, it is essential to have the right knowledge and insight to effectively separate the Good, Bad and Ugly of the Search Marketing Space. With approximately 84% of Internet users finding the websites they frequent and shop from through the Search Engines, that is all the more reason to make sure you are choosing the right SEO professional/firm for our outsourcing endeavors. Here are a couple key red-flags to keep on the look out for:

1.   Be Watchful of Those Firms that Guarantee Top 10 Search Listings in the Major SEs within a short time-period.

With the everchanging technology and algorithms of the Search Engines, it is becoming increasingly more challenging to provide clear cut guarantees for top keyword listings. I can tell you that any firm or professional that assures me of a top 10 listing for a popular keyword in Google within a 48 hour period will likely end up on my “Do Not Contact” list. Now, I should qualify that by saying there are certainly some new techniques like “Blogging and Pinging” that could enable you to jump into the top 10 listings in short order, but for the most part, SE experts continue to emphasize that achieiving top 10 listings is not a quick solution, but rather part in parcel of a well executed long-term plan.

A good friend of mine operates a successful Search business called seotop10.com and he does set some guarantees around acheiving top 10 listings, but he is very clear with his clients that this process could take up to a 180 day period. He typically gets the top 10 listing within that time frame, but his guarantee is also backed-up with a full-money refund guarantee. He understands that getting top listings with your quality keywords is not a quick and easy process!

2.  Be aware of the different SEO strategies that might cause your site to get banned in the SEs.

Knowledge is POWER when choosing the Outsourced Search Engine Professional to work with. While you may not be a SE expert yourself, it is imperative that you have a decent understanding of the unscrupulous or non-Google friendly methods that some Search Companies employ to get you temporary high listings only to have the whole campaign come crashing down with Google potentially banning your site. Justine Curtis provides a current list of the different SEO strategies to be aware of in her informative article, “How to Get Your Site Banned -Or Search Engine Promotion, How Not to Do it”. Now a few of her points certainly incorporate some “Techie Search” language, but it is still useful to have a general idea of the different strategies that you do not necesarily want your outsourced SEO Professional to be utilizing.

To go along with Justine’s list of 10, I would like add ane more that Google now frowns upons…

1. Reciprocal Linking - This used to be all the rage  - “I will link to you if you link to me” in order to increase your page rankings and keyword listings in Google. Companies were rapidly creating link-building partnerships and link farms that were a false representation of their site’s link popularity. While this method is certainly widely used, it is not overly effective as compared to One-Way Linking (Another site linking to your site) and could get you into trouble.

So, in summary, it is important to be mindful of the claims (guarantees) and strategies put forth by a prospective Search Engine Marketing Firm to ensure you are protecting the integrity of your site and ebusiness and ultimately getting the best and most current SEO services for your dollar!