Do you think it's better to go with a BIG SEO company or one person that really knows what they are doing?

[juzme]

I'm trying to find the right person/company to do the internet marketing on for my website. I'm a little new to this so I've been doing my research. I just don't believe these people that say they can get you on the front page of major search engines in a week. Any advice?

[Michael]

I don't think there is anything wrong with using one person and yes you should watch out for big companies that say they can get your ranked that fast. To get any real and free organic traffic to your website, it can take up to 4 months. Have you considered doing some of this stuff yourself? Some people feel you have to spend tons of money to market your website but the truth is there are many places and people that can teach you how to do it yourself. Do your research. Take the time to read and learn from some of the best. That's what I did. I found a few good people and followed their advice and I am seeing BIG results by following what I learned. One of my favorite people is Edwin Huertas. He's been marketing websites for 14 years. I saw him speak at a seminar and he was outstanding!

Best of luck!!!

Michael

[Brian Combs]

I've created and managed a large agency, and I currently work as an independent, so I believe I have some insight to both sides.

The large agency has the advantage of size and, hopefully, breadth of experience in their people. Over the last few years, SEO has diverged into a number of different disciplines and practices, and it's unlikely that anyone can truly be an expert at all of them.

All this expertise comes at a cost, however. Large agencies have high overhead, and are generally expensive.

They also tend to have teams of differential abilities. If you get on the A Team, that's great, but if you end up with the C or D Team, watch out!

And the people you work with in the sales process might not be the same as those you work with once you sign. This isn't necessarily bad, but it is something to be aware of.

With a sole practitioner, you have the advantage of dealing with the same person the whole way through the process.

And while some of us have been doing SEO for a long time, it's hard to compete with the breadth of knowledge and experience that a team has.

The big disadvantage is that a lot of individuals are doing SEO just to fill the gaps until they find their next "real job". Once that happens, you may find him or her a lot less available.

The toughest thing is that it's hard to know if you're getting what you pay for. SEO is an inherently nebulous activity, and there are many opportunities to hide the actual results. Some firms/individuals don't even like to talk about what they're doing for you (the input), much less focus on the results (the outputs).

It sounds like your skeptical meter is on a high sensitivity. That's a good thing.

[smallvisitor616]

If you want my honest advice, don't waste your money. Yes you can get to the first page of Google quickly. I personally have dozens of article/sites/blogs/videos that are on page one of Google. I've been able to do it in less than a day before, so don't get suckered. There is a lot of misinformation out there.

To help people like you, I created a Squidoo lens that will show you exactly how to get any article/site/blog/video to the top of Google without spending a dime. Amazingly enough, it's not that difficult.

Good Luck!

[Jake]

I would recommend going with one person who really knows what they are doing. But you need to make sure that they actually know what they are talking about. Ask them for references or customer testimonials. If you are unsure about a person, then picking a big SEO firm might be a safer bet.

If you are looking for a referral, I use http://www.wilsonwebsiteconsultants.com for my SEO. They have been great for me.

[Rus]

First of all, good job on attracting spammers. Everybody is going to chime in to convince you that their service is the only one that works.

Second, remember the saying that if you want the things done right, you do them yourself. You could accomplish a lot by spending some time and very little money.
Several things for you to do:
Optimize your site according to Google guidelines below. Following those guidelines will make your site more search engine friendly.
Utilize social media. Have accounts on facebook, twitter and such, get fans and followers for those accounts and post frequent updates.
Blog about your site. Open free blogging acounts on blogger or livejournal and post news, product info, customer testimonials etc. Be sure to include links back to the pages of your site. You could also look into blogging service like v6transition which is not completely free but it has some advantages over free blogs.
Finally, you could write artciles and press releases. The former is free, the latter is not free but inexpensive.

Good luck.

[govicseo]

Exceptional's response is right on.

The bigness of the SEO enterprise really does not guarantee a greater web presence. You may want to submit the following key question to all prospective SEO candidates:

"Can you promote my website on major search engines so that whenever someone submits a "generic" query which also includes a geographic target [i.e., where my business is located, the city, state, etc.] -- my website for example, will appear within the top 5 PRs of google.com? It's simply not sufficient to bring up my website by a domain name search query. And in the course of tweaking major metatags, you are not allowed to use Black or Gray SEO techniques: only What Hat SEO is permitted."

Unfortunately, the vast majority of respondents will be eliminated by the above query.

A far better DIY alternative is to simply provide this forum with your website's URL so we can review your SEO metatags and offer any improvements which would elevate your website's PR.

Good luck!

[private user]

A knowledge about some basic marketing concepts might lead to you for a better decision.

SEO Basics : http://www.webtoolhub.com/article-a21-wh...n-seo.aspx

Different ways of promotion : http://www.webtoolhub.com/article-a20-wh...g-sem.aspx

[S.I. Mitchell]

There are pros and cons to going either way.

In going with a person to handle your SEO you may get more personalized attention whereas with a larger company you may be streamlined into their bucket of #s...

That being said, a large company should have a volume of experience with different markets and have their processes refined.

In the end, all that matters is that you get Page 1 and Position 1 on Google...and that you get results from those placements.

Trust your gut, speak with both a few individuals and some companies on the phone. Ask for some #1 references as to the ability of their work.

As for getting onto the front page of major search engines. I've personally done it in under 24 hours, it "IS" doable, however we're not talking placement for major phrases like "mortgage"...that would be a rediculous claim.

Again, pickup the phone, talk to a few companies and a few individual SEOs...and trust your gut. SEO isn't rocket science, it's all about 1) content, 2) activity, and 3) links. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Take care and hope this helps.

[Leah]

Hey, that's a big question and as that guy said you have probably attracted some spammers that will try to take advantage of you. Doing it yourself or hiring one person can be an ok way to go and if that person knows what they're doing then you may be in luck. If ANYONE promises you that you will be first page in a week...RUN! My friends and I use this great company called WebHead Interactive based out of Tampa FL. They are a smaller company that consists of 6 to 10 people (a guess) who each come from bigger companies and bring a lot of different ideas to the table.
Anyway, I know that their site has a whole list of companies they currently work with and would be happy to recommend them. Also, when you first contact them, they will do an initial analysis on your site and show you facts about where you stand with certain keywords and exactly what they will do to raise your rankings.
If you want immediate results, they do PPC accounts as well. Just FYI.
Well, this is all a lot to take in, I hope everything works out.