It used to be easy and uncomplicated to get first page rankings. A little on-page search engine optimization, a few links, and “BAM!” – your site was on the first page of Google.

But not anymore; these days in a city the size of Austin SEO competition is fiercer than ever. And, depending on your market, hiring an SEO firm here in Austin to get your business on the first page of Google can represent a significant expense.

I remember talking to an acquaintance and fellow business owner last year about her local Austin SEO campaign. She operates a business in a very competitive market (real estate) here in the Austin area, and is very successful in her field. She was spending between $10,000 and $15,000 a year on her SEO.

I asked her whether she felt it was worth it. “Worth every penny,” she replied. While other agencies were experiencing stagnation or shutting their doors, she had been growing at a steady rate during the recession.

Since she already had all her search engine marketing ducks in a row, I told her to keep using the SEO services she had been working with. However, I’ve seen similar results with my own clients (and in my own business) over the past few years as well.

Rather than experiencing ill effects from the “economic downturn”, businesses that have hired me to build a strong search engine presence have experienced surprising growth, despite a slow economy.

How to Choose an Austin SEO

That’s great news for my clients… but I’m sure you’re wondering just what exactly you should look for when shopping for an Austin internet marketing firm to handle your search engine marketing work. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your search marketing dollars:

• Look for both experience and stability – There are lots of choices when shopping for an SEO company, but many firms are fly-by-night or johnny-come-lately shops. There’s a huge trend recently among “get-rich-quick” gurus to sell “instant SEO business” kits and courses, which has led to a glut of inexperienced SEO services entering the market. Before you hire an SEO, check to see how long they’ve been in business, and ask for references.
• Don’t be fooled by certificates and credentials – The only real credential in the SEO industry is results. Outside of training available via SEMPO, Google, and PubCon, there really is very little in the way of formal training for SEO and social media specialists. Most of the training is OJT and experience, so be wary of any Austin SEO claiming “certification”, as that probably just means they paid a lot of money for a meaningless certificate.
• Fees should be commensurate with market size and competition – It is much easier to get a #1 or first page Google ranking for “attorney Manor TX” than it is for “attorney Austin TX”. Both require work and expense to achieve, but obviously the former is easier to get than the latter, due to market size and competition. If you want first-page results in a large, competitive market, expect to pay a premium for that service. However, if you are in a smaller market with lower competition in that market, fees should be reasonable (somewhat comparable to monthly display ad rates in the local papers; and incidentally, the results should be greater than running display ads as well).
• Good SEOs stay busy, so beware the SEO that spams you – The rule of thumb should be, “a spammer is a scammer.” This should be self-evident, but it bears mentioning as I get emails almost daily soliciting SEO services. Just do what I do and delete them.
• When possible, hire local – This is more than just doing good for the local economy. As an Austin SEO professional, I know the local market better than firms located elsewhere. Hiring local definitely has its advantages where local SEO is concerned.
• Finally, take the time to educate yourself - Forewarned is forearmed. Click here to download my free SEO course, The 7 Deadliest SEO Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)

Just be sure to take your time and choose wisely in order to maximize your budget and minimize your financial risk. There’s no worse feeling than having to tell a new client they’ve wasted thousands on an ineffective website or worthless online marketing service. Pick right the first time to avoid making this mistake, and then you won’t be hiring me to clean up someone else’s mess.

Believe me though – hiring an Austin SEO firm could very well be the best marketing dollars you’ll ever spend, so long as you choose well and wisely the first time out.

Hey, I just wanted to let everyone know about my new free SEO book that’s available here on the Modern Digital Marketing site:

http://moderndigitalmarketing.com/seo/free-seo-book/

It’s filled with tons of vital information on how to avoid SEO scams and ripoffs, how to hire and manage an SEO firm, and what it really takes to get your site ranked on the first page in Google.

Who Is This Free SEO Book For?

This free SEO book is written for any small business owner or professional who is confused about SEO, or who is struggling to get ranked in the search engines on a limited budget.

And, even if you have a large marketing budget – you’ll still want to read my free SEO book so you can save hundreds or even thousands on wasted online marketing (read: scams).

Get More Information On My Free SEO Book

Click the link below for more information:

Free SEO Book

P.S. – Did I mention it was a free SEO book?