This post is really to address an issue raised in another thread - which I did not want to hijack.

Before considering any SEO service I would suggest that one actually checks to see if the websites of those providing testimonials can actually be found in Google for the most important keywords "market area real estate". It is very rare that they can.

Testimonials are often misleading at best and worthless at worst. I can rarely find the websites in search engines of those giving testimonials for any SEO service.

Most Realtors have no clue about where their business comes from. Some have even signed up for SEO services when they are already ranking #1 in search engines for the best keywords. They had no idea - just responded to the call of the telephone solicitor telling them their rankings stunk and they could help them...

Most are like the Realtor who talks about (and gives testimonials) how great her website is in search engines and how much business they get but upon examination it is found their business comes from elsewhere - like Craigslist as mentioned in the post in the other thread referenced above.

Verify! Do your own homework before - not after.

Doug, very good post and right on. As for me, this type of info came too late after I had already hired someone whose credentials I now question. I would further suggest learning the basics of SEO, at the very least, so you can see for yourself if basic seo principles are being employed on your site. Good luck, it's a real gamble out there.

This is basic I'm also a lawyer and get calls like this all the time. I know some seo (#8 memphis real estate on 2 year old site after seriously seoing for 3 months or so, #1 memphis bankruptcy attorneys etc) and the amount of bs is astounding . You can do it yourself it's not that hard

Also watch out that the "traffic results" they give you are exact match traffic not broad which is like 20x higher and very misleading.

I agree that you should definitely verify results as best as you can before signing up for those types of services, but if you do make the decision to work with SEO or website companies, make sure to go in with realistic expectations. Do research on what is and isn't possible, what plausible results will be the outcome, and then make an informed decision. Treat your money like an investment, not something you gamble with and hope for the best.

I recently had an SEO pitch me his services, in which he said that he only gets backlinks from PR7+ sites. Yet not a single one of his clients had a link above PR4 (and obviously I can't verify that the link was a result of this SEO). Check their work and if they guarantee their work, be extremely cautious.

I hate to see good people lose hard earned money, but unfortunately paying for SEO is a loser's game. Google has thousands of engineers who spend 40 hours a week finding ways of preventing any kind of tricks used by SEO companies, so whatever SEO service you get could have its effects evaporate any time Google pushes an update to their algorithm. The best way to get traffic to your website is and always will be an effective combination of online and offline marketing, as well as staying away from any gimmicky tactics.

Google just finished eradicating any effect of posting useless comments on forums with the purpose of getting traffic and improved SEO rankings (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/google-search-and-search-engine-spam.html). There is no guarantee that whatever SEO services you pay for won't be next on their list tomorrow or the day after.

My thought on using an SEO firm is to see where they rank on the term SEO. If an SEO firm contacts you and if they are not on the first page then make sure to ask them why not.

Aside from doing some background checking, I think the next best thing a Realtor can do is educate themselves in SEO. Not necessarily to do it themselves, but to get an idea of when an SEO company is pulling your chain, lying, or giving questionable advice.

Also, what makes a great SEO company isn't necessarily that they get you to rank for a big time keyword - but how much traffic they bring to your site from the search engines. I do SEO for a couple real estate sites, which get a combined 25,000+ visits per month WITHOUT ranking for big time keywords. The traffic the sites receive are from the long-tail - - which actually converts better than short-tail keywords.

Good points, RT. Many agents simply don't have the time to do SEO (even if they are competent/knowledge of it), so at the very least knowing the basics can go a long way towards vetting a reputable SEO.

Those SEO telemarketer calls are the funniest! I've gotten so many from them saying that my website is not optimized, that no one will be able to find me, etc. My favorite question to them is: how did you find my website? They almost always say through a search engine. My reply is always the same: then clearly my SEO is working.

[quote=Peter McKinsey]Google has thousands of engineers who spend 40 hours a week finding ways of preventing any kind of tricks used by SEO companies, so whatever SEO service you get could have its effects evaporate any time Google pushes an update to their algorithm. [/quote]

This is true, that is why SEO is a service and not a product. A respectable organization does not promise anything, but they work hard to meet your expectations. The algorithms change all the time, but a properly designed and optimized website won't be hurt by these changes. There are many ways to increase your optimization which will also increase the functionality of your website, such as adding a blog, using social media marketing, and strong local search engine marketing.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about Search Engine Optimization or online marketing.

as result show expertise but there is also chances that we can cheated by seeing result on which work done by other company so before check their own ranking if they himself rank on search engine then it is right choice to choose them otherwise ignore them and go with company that have proven expertise