SEO Referral

[inhouseseo]

Anyone used an SEO or SMM company that they would recommend?

I know about the recommended sites on SEOMOZ, but I can't afford to pay someone $4K a month for consulting or link building.

Anyone still feel safe outsourcing?

[David_ODonnell]

One option may be to hire an individual or smaller company, rather than a big, established one.

You can expect lower prices for comparable services - as long as you do your homework and make sure they are reputable, experienced and transparent in all activities.

[MoosaHemani]

Directly coming out with the name is quite difficult for anyone as SEO is kind of a service which is strategically different for almost every business SEOs work with, but here are some key indicators of an ethical SEO company they might possibly do your job.

1. Ethical SEO agencies love to educate their clients and potential customers and there is always a good level of transparency between the client and the customers.
2. Ethical SEO Company might not do BIG promises but will explain why they won’t be able to achieve sky rocket traffic in the next 3 months.
3. Ethical SEO Company will be able to answer your quires and clear the misunderstanding you might have as a business owner about SEO and digital marketing.
4. Ethical SEO agencies are usually open on social media (or at least there business owners) so see how open they are on social medias.

If the recommended list of SEOmoz is expensive for you, I would highly recommend you to check their list of top/active users http://www.seomoz.org/users you might find a consultant under your budget within top 100 or less may be.

Finding a consultant from another country can be a good idea because they can be less expensive for you due to currency difference.

Hope this helps!

[AgentsofValue]

Coming from someone who manages an outsourcing agency, I think it can definitely work.  For the best results, I'd recommend the following:

• be clear on what your expectations are.  There are such a wide range of activities that are counted as 'link building', depending on who you talk to.  If you're familiar with link building, and have a process that works for your project or clients, then be willing to share that with your outsourcing provider.

• set expectations.  What type of reporting format do you use, and how often do you expect reports?  For link building, the Raven Tools Link Manager system actually worked great for outsourced link building, since it provides real time, verified reports.

• ask for a free trial.  Any outsourcing provider hoping to win you as a long time customer would be willing to give you a free trial of their services.  That should give you a feel for how they work, and whether or not you feel comfortable with their process.

Hope that doesn't come across as too sales-pitchy!  Good luck.