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6. Get pricing information. Is
SEO contract for hourly, monthly or annual services? Get prices from a few other firms as well, but be aware that
scope of services may vary greatly from firm to firm. Insist that
firm you're interested in explain why it charges more for services, if that's
case.
7. Ask about reporting. How many keywords will
firm handle? How many pages? Find out whether you'll be able to access
latest data about your project. How often is it provided? What's included? Some firms just send a ranking report. What other details can you expect in terms of
overall strategy, next steps, web site traffic and conversions?
8. Determine
firm's ethical standards. What are
firm's practices when it comes to ethical standards and practices? How far will they go? How do they view doorway pages, cloaking and keyword stuffing?
9. Know your objectives. You need to have some idea of what you want to accomplish when selecting an SEO firm. Do you simply want to promote your brand? Do you want to increase visitors and push traffic to retailers? Do you want to improve online sales? Which categories of products will matter
most in your campaign?
10. Come up with a budget. You can submit your web site pages (not optimized) for free or through services that cost well below $100. Optimizing is another matter--It's going to cost money. Have some flexibility--the level of service and
firm's expertise will determine whether you pay hundreds of dollars or well over a $1,000 a month.

Michael Murray is vice president of Fathom SEO, a search engine optimization firm in Cleveland, Ohio. A member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), he also authored the white paper, "Search Engine Marketing: Get in the Game."