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Before you take a contract with an SEO Consulting Services firm, you should ask some qualifying questions. If the SEO consultant refuses to give you a direct answer, you should understand his reason for not disclosing everything. While it is true that some SEO consultants are concerned about protecting trade secrets, the fact is that most qualified SEO professionals will rely upon similar methodologies. You need good content, you need to optimize your content, and you need good linkage.

Questions to ask an SEO Services Consultant

• How do you drive traffic to your clients' sites?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. But you need to understand what your SEO services consultant will do for you. If he uses keyword-stuffed doorway pages that redirect to your Web site, you should be aware of that. You should be comfortable with the fact that your domain may be penalized for using such pages. Can you live with that?

We do not recommend the use of keyword-stuffed redirecting doorway pages. But some SEO consultants will disguise the fact that this is what they do. If your consultant doesn't allow you to make an informed decision, do you really want to do business with him?

Safe methods of generating traffic usually entail the use of press releases, making modifications to your on-page content to enhance the importance of targeted keywords, buying advertisements (through pay-per-click or PPC campaigns), writing promotional profiles for placement on high traffic Web sites, and other "buzz" generating activities.

• How do you boost search engine rankings?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, either. But some SEO consultants only boost search engine rankings through "link building services". Frankly, this is the least efficient way to achieve high rankings. Link building services usually fall into two activities: requesting reciprocal links (typical response rate is about 5%) and submitting to free link directory or paid directory sites.

There are other ways to acquire links, but not in the large numbers that many SEO consultants (wrongly) feel are necessary to boost search engine rankings. If you are a member of a professional or business organization, for example, you may be entitled to a free listing (and link) on that organization's Web site. Such organizations include chambers of commerce, bar associations, professional certification associations, industry associations, business advisory councils for school districts and colleges, universities, and technical schools, and local civic organizaions.

Some companies may also get links from government Web sites and/or educational Web sites. SEO Consultants often speak of these links as being highly valuable and relevant. They do usually help, but don't expect the world to fall at your feet. In general, if all your SEO consultant does is send messages to unsuspecting Webmasters asking for links, you're probably not getting the best possible service.

• How do you determine what keywords I should rank for?

Keyword research is important to successful search engine placement. There are multiple sources of information, some more reliable than others. If your Web site already receives traffic, you can often find useful information in your own server logs about keywords people use to find your site. These queries are passed to your server by the search engines. You may be surprised to learn that much of your traffic can come from very unexpected queries. When you identify interest in a topic you have not optimized for, you should increase your visibility for that potential (and obviously interested) traffic by performing additional optimization to improve your placements for those keywords.

Many SEO consultants also look at keyword reporting tools provided by search engines that sell advertising. Google, MSN, and Yahoo! all provide keyword reporting tools. These tools show what queries people have been typing into their search engines. However, the data requires careful interpretation because some queries tend to get more "rank-checking" traffic than others. In competitive expressions, many anxious Webmasters and SEO consultants check positions in search results frequently. Be sure your SEO consultant allows for this type of activity.

There are also popular third-party research tools such as WordTracker and Keyword Discovery. Both tools are considered to be very reputable and useful. Another great resource is Digital Point's Keyword Suggestion Tool. Your SEO consultant should be using tools like these to learn what people search for with respect to your industry, products, and services. Ask for screen captures if you can get them.

For more information about search engine consulting, visit SEO Consulting Services at Xenite.Org. Michael Martinez has been assisting Webmasters and business operators achieve high rankings across many search engines since 1999. His research in search engine optimization theory has proven to be one of the most influential sources of information for the search engine optimization industry.