Ask the Expert

Q: "I want to optimize my website and am thinking of hiring someone to do it for me. Any suggestions? - Peter Meyer

A: A lot of agents ask us if they should pay to have their sites optimized to improve their search engine rankings. This can be a bit of a gamble. Let me explain.

For starters, hiring a firm to optimize your website successfully (so that you move up in the rankings) can cost you a bundle. Did I say "can"? Make that "will cost you a bundle."

If you choose to pay for SEO help, expect to shell out about $1,000 - $5,000 a month. And keep in mind it can take between 6 months to a year to see concrete results.

If you can't weather those types of costs, paying for SEO might not be right for your agency.

And keep in mind good SEO doesn't guarantee good ROI. A successful campaign might drive more people to your website, but if they don't convert then you're out your investment.

If you do choose to go this route, pick your SEO firm carefully. There are a lot of "experts" out there that sound like they know what they're talking about. But believe me, there's a BIG difference between someone who fills your head with jargon about "page rank" - and results that are actually worth paying for.

On a positive note, if you have the budget and are looking at the long term, there's nothing quite as nice as having a consistent stream of leads coming in from your hard earned search engine rankings.

- Jeremiah Desmarais, Vice President of Marketing - Norvax
Questions or comments? Email him at jdesmarais@norvax.com

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