In almost every industry, you will come across some companies that are genuine, and some that might not be in it for the “right reasons.” In a world of Internet lingo ‘jibber-jabber,’ it can be hard to figure out who’s who. We want to share some behind the scenes information on what we’ve learned and what you need to look for when searching for marketing partners.

Here are three simple tips for knowing what the “Perfect Web Marketing Partner” looks like:

1) They stay up to date with the latest trends.
Google, Bing, Yahoo and all the other top search engines release updates at least every month. The most recent “newsworthy” example of which is Google’s “Mobilegeddon” update on April 21st. Your Web Marketing partner should reach out to you regularly via phone or email about these – just to keep you in the loop. These industry-wide updates can be small, but could have huge effects on your Website and marketing. So, when you’re discussing your tactics and strategies with your partner, make sure to ask how they stay up to date -- not only in the Internet marketing world, but also in your industry!

2) They give you a dedicated contact — not a nameless, faceless service center.
With every marketing campaign, the company you are working with should provide you with a name, email, and phone number of a Campaign Manager so that you can reach them with any questions or updates you might have. Otherwise, consider this a huge red flag. You want a company that takes the time to focus on your campaign, creates a thorough, long-term strategy, has proven results, AND doesn’t just lump you in with a bunch of other clients. So, when you’re starting your SEO, Paid Search, or Social Media campaign – be sure to ask who your manager is and how to reach them.

3) They explain their strategy — in plain English.
A good Web Marketing Partner will come up with a long-term strategy and focus on turning your increased Website traffic into leads. Getting you to rank #1 on Google is obviously a main goal during your campaign, but you need an SEO company that will ultimately produce more leads. You should have a list of your keywords available at any time so that you can check on your rankings and check progress for yourself. As a part of your strategy, you should always make sure that your marketing partners have a plan for your content. Updating content is one of the first steps an SEO campaign manager should take. For instance, Urban Tails, a pet care company located in Houston TX, has an SEO manager that creates unique content for each page, and also makes sure that there are links to all of their social media platforms. This is a common strategy for targeting searches for different services.

Qualified, reliable, and trustworthy SEO companies are out there, but to find them you need to know what to look for and when it might be time to look somewhere else. The fact is, you could have a 2015-vintage Website, but if it’s sitting on page 5 of Google, it’s not doing you much good. This is why it’s important to have a company who can not only optimize your Website, but ALSO increase your traffic and give you more leads.

Alain Parcan is the Director of Marketing for Market Hardware, Inc. Market Hardware helps pet care businesses compete on the Web with professional Website design and strategic Web Marketing programs, and offers special discounts for pet care businesses. You can reach Alain’s team at 888-381-6925 | www.markethardware.com.

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