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Picture a site that looks great, maybe has just been redesigned, but does not come up on the search engines. The few people that find it come via a web address on a business card and from an old Yahoo listing. The marketing guy talks to the web designer about getting the site "out there" online. The designer says he's done it - submitted to 300 engines and optimized meta tags for key words. Now what?

This is the time when most companies start looking into hiring a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company. Unfortunately, this can seem complicated -- there is a whole new vocabulary to learn, services can vary greatly from company to company, and while there are common standards for what techniques work, a curious lay-person rarely has the time to learn the ins and outs of this dynamic industry. So the question arises again; Now what?

Even though the industry can be confusing, choosing the right company doesn't need to be. Selecting an SEO company is simply an exercise in establishing trust. You'll be forming a lasting business relationship, and, as when forming and maintaining any good relationship, trust and good communication are key. But how do you find an search engine optimization company that excels in both these capacities? There are several ways, and here are five of them:

1) Do the homework - Research is never thrilling, but always necessary. And this is where the confusion comes in. Research will reveal a lot of options in the SEO world. Some will immediately not match your goals - too expensive, too good to be true, too long-term (maybe a 2 year contract with built in maintenance), or too short term (give credit card number and relationship over). Compile the ones that do fit your goals and start to isolate their key differences. You can usually do this through scanning the website and writing an email requesting more info. And, if a company does not respond to an email, they are either bad business people or you are not a large enough "fish" to afford their service.

2) Talk to the companies - Once you narrow down the playing field and have a few companies in mind, call or request a phone call. You will have questions anyway and talking to the President, the Marketing Director, or an Accounts Manager will answer those questions and give you a feel for the company's trustworthiness and skill level. Once you select a company, you'll be working with them for a while, so a good phone call is a good sign for the future.

3) Ask for references - While you have the search engine optimization company on the phone, if things are going well, ask to speak with or email current clients. Confidentiality may prohibit them from sharing client's SEO results with you directly, but they can always ask a clients' permission to give out an email or a phone number. And many clients will say "yes," so don't let an SEO firm weasel out of sharing references.

4) Call these references - If an SEO company gives you a client's phone number, you know the recommendation will be good. But you might be surprised about the honest information you can get with a few simple questions. Try these: Does this SEO firm respond quickly to your emails and requests? Do they keep you posted on the status of their work? Were you happy with the search engine results? Are you going to continue your relationship with this company once the contract is over? Have you recommended this company to anyone? If there were one thing about them you could improve upon, what would it be? Take a look at the answers you get, and you'll know if it's the right firm.

5) Meet with the company - If at all possible, arrange a meeting with the company shortly after, or right before, you hire them. That does not mean the firm needs to be local. Companies travel for trade shows and for other clients, and it never hurts to ask. Realistically, a firm cannot typically travel for an account spending much under $10,000, and that limit will rise if the SEO firm is dealing with mostly large, public companies. But if you are spending $10K or more, ask. And if they say, "When can we come see you?" then you've got a winner.

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