Help hiring someone

[mongor]

We are a medium sized cleaning service in the Baltimore area and really need help with our website and organic listings.  We used to be on googles 1st page before penguin came around and it killed our listing.  We have survived for the last few years because of our good reputation and referrals.

We want to grow now but have been finding it VERY difficult to hire a SEO company/person.  There are so many scammers out there and the only companies I can find REAL reviews on are in the 10k or more range.

I have been reading here and elsewhere trying to learn SEO myself a bit, but finding it a bit overwhelming.

Any advice, or could anyone recommend an honest SEO firm that a mid sized company can afford.

Thank you in advanced

[ClaytonJ]

I would get a consultant like Michael Cottam in for a few hours.  Get him to help teach you what to do. It sounds like limited budget but you want a star.  If that is the case that is the way to go.

[ZoeRigley]

Hi Gary,

I understand your frustration. There's little industry regulation, and so many methods of SEO being used by different companies, it's hard to choose. I'd ask the following questions, or look for the following information in your search:

• Has the company worked on local SEO before, or do they specialise in it?  If I'm assuming correctly that you're aiming to rank locally in Baltimore, you're best to find a company with knowledge and experience specifically in Local search marketing, as there are many specific techniques which will help your rankings.
• Will they focus on 'white hat' techniques? Generally, assuming you're aiming to build your business for the long term, it's best to use a company which will not cut corners. You want to make sure your company aims to retain SEO clients for the long term.
• Are they going to carry out thorough keyword research? All good SEO companies will be able to explain their keyword research process a little, and this should involve several hours' work, at least, for your specific situation.
• Are they going to include on-page optimisation, a thorough SEO audit, and technical recommendations/changes? There are many companies which will focus only on backlinks for a cheap fee, and in my experience these companies are riskier to hire. It's generally much more beneficial, and future-proof, to hire a company which will dedicate some time to usability and on-page optimisation.
• Ask to see examples of websites the company has worked on. Ask specifically what work they've carried out. Take a look at the pages- does the text read well, does it sound like they've tried to repeat keywords over too many times? Can they show you evidence of successful work they've done before?

Search marketing definitely does cost money, but it also can be one of the best returns on marketing investment. I've worked with so many companies who have had 'bad' SEO in the past, and I really don't like seeing it when carrying out new client audits and work, so it's great that you're spending time finding the right company! This post also talks through quite well the considerations when hiring an SEO.

Please feel free to ask any more questions if you have them, I'm happy to help advise you further!

Thank you, and good luck. 
Zoe

[mongor]

I really love the idea of learning this, and I a pretty good at picking up new concepts.  I think this was just too much to take it on all at once, especially while juggling the rest of the business issues and my two young kids

What would be an average consulting fee?  You said to get a consultant in, does it need to be a physical visit, most of this should be able to be taught via a remote session, yes?

And last, if I am going to go the self taught method, I have one question that really has been baffling me:

Backlinks and website authority seem to be really important.  Getting people to talk about my website seems to be the best way to get that.  How in the heck do I get people talking about a cleaning service?  Sure they might refer us to a friend, but what could i possibly put on my website to make it exciting?  I thought of putting up hints and tips of how to clean, but realistically I can not come up with enough on my own to get people to follow me.  How bad (black hat) is it to copy others articles to re-post?  Or any other ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you again for all your replies, they are appreciated.

[ZoeRigley]

Hi Gary,

If you're happy to teach yourself, I'd say go for it! It does take time to learn and there's a lot to it, but it's very rewarding. I'd start with the resources available for free on Moz, and get a good head start (especially the Beginner's guide to SEO). Then perhaps you could get someone to give you an SEO audit, with prioritised recommendations, and implement them yourself?

Hope this helps, 
Zoe

[EricaMcGillivray]

You should take a look at our list of recommended companies.

[mongor]

Thank you Erica, I did not know your site had this option

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Gary!

In addition to the Moz Recommended Companies list Erica has linked to, you might also check out the Contributors box on the annual Moz Local Search Ranking Factors survey we publish, as all participants are recognized Local SEO experts.