subject: Should I Buy From An Online Marketing Company? [print this page] If you've been in business for more than a few months, you will have done very well if you have managed to avoid an unsolicited email or telephone sales pitch from an online marketing company.
These can come in several forms - the unsolicited email that drops into your inbox offering to get your site ranking at the top of Google with the addition of a large number of backlinks. Search Engine Optimisation is the name of their game and their touting for your business, playing on your insecurity about the current position of your website for the keywords you have chosen.
Or it could be the telephone call from a local listing directory. Initially these are to 'confirm the details of your free listing', but the conversation soon moves on to ways in which you could improve the visibility of your company on the internet with one of their enhanced listings. Hold out against signing up for the first offer and you will find yourself pressured into accepting a much better offer, including a whole raft of keywords and areas, for a greatly reduced price. They're so desperate to get you signed up that they'll promise you the world in return for a monthly payment.
The thing about online listing directories is that, even though they say they have lots of regular visitors, if their site does not rank on the front page of Google for your search term, then it is unlikely that many people are going to find your company through their auspices.
The thing to remember is that any good online marketing company will not be ringing round or emailing touting for business, these will work on recommendation and referral as one contented business owner pass their details to his friends - although not necessarily his competitors.
The cold callers will offer you all sorts of ways to get onto the first page of Google, all of which will involve you giving them money. But one thing they won't mention is probably the most effective things you can do to market your own small business online - grabbing yourself a Google Places page.
These are free websites given away by Google to local bricks and mortar companies and which show up with a little red balloon marker at the top or sprinkled in amongst the search results for a particular keyword in a specific location.
The issue of keywords is something that they will talk about, but they will try to push you into phrases for which they already have categories, and probably a large number of free subscribers so that you are encouraged to pay for a premium listing to rise above your competitors.
It's a good idea to choose your online marketing company wisely because when it comes to marketing your small business, some do not always have your best interests at heart.
