Optimizing your website can help you rank higher in the search engines and drive more traffic to your site. That’s a no-brainer. But knowing whether the SEO marketing company you hire is a “white hat” company or a “black hat” company can be a little trickier. Here are some things to look out for.
- What Do They Promise?
If an SEO company promises you very fast results and guarantees you a certain position in the search rankings, you should be immediately suspicious. White hat SEO marketing companies know that legitimate, sustainable positioning takes time, perhaps even months. The promise of quick action can be tempting, but the techniques that make it happen are rarely white hat. - How Do They Do It?
Ask your SEO marketing company what they do to improve your search rankings. If they happen to use words like “keyword stuffing,” “cloaking,” or “spamming,” then your decision just became a lot easier—run away. But not many black hats will admit to using these techniques. So you should instead focus your attention on whether or not they’ll give you a straight answer to begin with. While a black hat SEO marketing firm will dance around the issue of tactics, true white hat SEO services will be completely upfront and above-board with each step of their process. - How Long Can They Keep It Going?
Many black hat SEO services don’t care if their techniques are likely to get your site penalized or blacklisted—they don’t intend to be around long enough to have to deal with the aftermath. White hat SEO marketing companies employ sustainable, long-term solutions to improve your search ranking, so that no matter what changes occur in the search algorithms, your site will still be relevant and competitive. Look for a firm that focuses on high-quality, informative content—giving your potential clients helpful information will never go out of style.
Before hiring an SEO company, do your research. Ask them all the questions you can think of and more, and see what kind of answers they give you—or if they actually give you any answers at all. Maintaining your online reputation is important to your business and to your relationship with the search engines. Don’t leave anything to chance with your SEO marketing company: make sure you check the color of their hat. Read this for more: Seo portland