What you will learn from this article;
1.What to look out for when hiring a web design or SEO Agency
2.How to protect your web assets
Hello, I am an SEO Consultant to law firms and surgeons. What I constantly hear, usually in my first sales encounter, is, “Well I’ve spent a lot of money on SEO, and nothing happened. I can’t afford to pay you what you’re asking.” My first thought is, “You can’t afford not to.” I don’t say that. Of course.
But saying you wasted your money somewhere else so you don’t have it to spend on a quality service is like walking into Peter Lugar’s Steakhouse and saying to the waiter, “I just ate a terrible burger at McDonald’s, can I get a discount on my steak?”
You’ll get the “tour” of the kitchen!
The waiters will take you on a “tour” of the kitchen - black jack to the back of your head and bum rushed out the back door.. while they stand there laughing!
Counselor, if you got “scivutzed” by a marketing company, the problem is you! You hired companies or individuals without doing your due diligence first.
“You hired them blindly because some other attorney who knew nothing about marketing told you it was a good idea, “they’re well known”. So was Lee Harvey Oswald. It doesn’t mean I’d have him over for dinner...or hire him to cut my lawn!
If someone told you to hire one of the “big” marketing firms, ie., Findlaw, Scorpion etc. – did you ask a single probative question besides “How much does it cost?” If you took that approach, the answer is simple- ‘it will cost you your shirt!’.
So, what can you do to protect yourself from these “Marketing Charlatans”, as I call them?
First of all, look at them as adversaries, like they’re sitting across the table from you at a deposition, not some old friend you’re having over for dinner. They’re trying to take your money! What will you get in return? A pocket full of Wolf Tickets?
When you are interviewing a new marketing firm or SEO Company, treat it like an EBT. Drill the hell out of them before tossing your hard earned, blood, sweat and tears courtroom money at them.
The way some lawyers act when it comes to marketing reminds me of that old commercial for the Window Factory (maybe before your time), the one where the guy opens the window and throws handfuls of money out while shouting, “Here, take my money!”.
One of my clients, who was previously with Scorpion for more than a year, apparently didn’t make it to page 1 for his desired search term. I got him on page 1 in less than 2 months using a traffic method I’ve co-developed.
Here are some things you’ll want to know before hiring just any old lousy SEO / Web Design claimant out there;
1.Who will be hosting my website? Will I have full login credentials?
2.Who owns my website after you design it?
This sounds crazy- and, well, stupid, but you don’t know how many lawyers out there don’t even know the answer to these. Most don’t even know if they are renting their “own” website! It’s mind boggling.
Some of the bigger nationally known companies that my clients have dealt with own the sites and basically rent them out to the attorneys. One client told me he worked with Scorpion, and when he told them he was leaving- they took down his site- same day- poof! Gone! He said they told him something to the effect that if he wanted to use his site it would cost him another 10k.
It’s not a condo! Your website is your “house on the web”. How much money would you spend renovating a rental?
Well, if that’s what’s in their contract- and you didn’t read it before signing it- it’s your fault, not theirs.
How many times have you uttered the words to clients, “You mean you signed this without reading it?” And there you are- GUILTY OF THE SAME!
3.Will my website be made on WordPress (the most common denominator) or some obscure custom code that nobody knows except your company (therefore making it impossible to leave them without losing your whole website)?
4.How long is my contract?
5.What happens to my website if I don’t renew my contract? CAN I TAKE IT WITH ME?
You know, like the saying, “You can’t take it with you.” And, in some cases with marketing companies- you can’t.
Here Are Some questions you Should Be Asking About Your monthly SEO Contract
What tasks will you be doing each month to improve my rankings? Examples of correct answers; link building, improving page structure on your website, internal linking on your website, content marketing on social media, content creation, posting new content on your website, signing you up for directories to improve your local listings, buffing up your Google MY Business Page with the goal of getting it to show up in the “map pac”( the top 3 listings which show up at the top of page 1, under the paid ads.)
For some reason, this is one of the only fields where people pay blindly, then hope for results. I call it, “Pay and Pray”.
Don’t be found guilty of something you’ve been yelling at your clients not to do for years!!
Last- But Not least: Read Their Online Reviews
I’m talking about a company’s google reviews. Not the ones they have on their websites- because those could be fake.
Do you know how to find a company’s google reviews? Get the web address of the company who is courting you and type it into a google search bar- with the .com at the end. When you search this way, the Google Business Page usually shows up on the right-hand side of the google search results page. Click on their reviews and read them- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Then search for them on Yelp. There are some pretty unscrupulous people out there, and some pay for their reviews or ask friends to leave them. If you search both platforms and things are still coming up roses, you might be on to something good.
At least this way, you can make an informed decision.
To learn more about SEO so you don’t get “duped” by some slick talking nationally known brand, please visit https://idesignyours.com
“And remember, Good luck, we’re all counting on you!
