Note that I say *SEO experts. There are plenty of people in Savannah that claim to be top-notch SEO professionals who’ve made their clients rank for ‘huge’ keywords like “Savannah Lawn Care”. Firstly, ‘Savannah Lawn Care’ – really much of anything with Savannah in it – is hardly a ‘huge’ term. Call me when you get your client on the 1st page for ‘Cupcake Classes‘ nationwide. Second, Savannah SEO specialists aren’t the only people in the industry who claim to be something they’re not. Unfortunately.

When Hiring an SEO Expert in Savannah:

It bothers me that so many SEOs tell hyperbolic lines of how they got their clients thousands of new visits. Ok, so maybe they did, and maybe they aren’t lying, but was that in a few months’ time or a few years? Was it page views or unique visitors? Folks – when you hire an SEO, you need to be prepared. Don’t let them fool you – don’t be the next JC Penney. Below I’ve listed my top 5 tips to hiring an SEO expert – especially in Savannah.

My Top 5 Tips to Finding the Right SEO Professional

• Check to see if their site has a portfolio. Do their clients rank well for any of the terms they listed? Do they list any? Do the testimonials sound hand-written or too good to be true?
  
• Call in and ask for a 30 minute consultation. If they can’t devote 30 minutes to try and sell you on their service – they either don’t know what they’re doing or they don’t have time for you. Either way, it’s a disaster.
• Do your research. Ask as many questions as you can and make notes.  When home or back in the office, double check their answers online through top SEO forums like the SEOmoz Q&A Forum.
• See where they rank. Does their site rank on page 1 for the terms they target? (This isn’t the best because most SEOs are too busy helping their clients rank well to manage their own site.)
• Do they have any reviews? This goes for any service or product-based company. If they don’t have reviews, it’s usually for a reason. If you don’t find any online, don’t be afraid to call in and ask for a reference or cold-call their clients if you can.

These tips are essential to weeding out the wannabe SEOs of the world. If ever you’re in doubt – feel free to ask me. The Savannah SEO expert.