When selecting an SEM agency to commission, it is important to ask the right questions in the RFP (Request For Proposal) stage. With targeted questions, you should quickly be able to identify the agencies that know what they are talking about from the fly-by-nighters, trying to make a quick buck online.

A Few Pointers
#1. Budget - Keep in mind that the budget allocated to your SEM project will slightly alter the types of questions you would ask an SEM provider, as budget will drive the scope of the project.

#2. Speaking with the right people - You may need to speak with a couple of people in the agency, namely the pre-sales business consultant as well as the account manager who will be dealing with the day-to-day technical aspects of your account.

#3. Pre-sales experience - If your pre-sales consultant is unclear of processes, this may indicate that there are none. If you are made promises that sound unrealistic, this may evince that you are being ‘sold’ on the concept and you may be in for a reality check once you’ve signed the dotted line. In the business of SEO, only the search engines can make guarantees. Do not be sucked into ‘#1 positioning guarantees’.

#4. Targeted, not overdone - Do not swamp the SEM agency with 40 detailed questions sent via e-mail or request that they be covered in the proposal. If you implement such a ‘Nazi’ approach to finding an SEM provider, you may well scare away some of the best companies and fall into the ‘too hard‘ category. As much as finding company fit is important to you, the SEM agency is also looking for the right types of clients for their portfolio.

#5. Asking the right questions – So, ask questions, but do not ask every question that you find on the Internet! Be reasonable; put forward the questions that really matter to your business. Do not ask technical questions unless you are qualified to understand and evaluate the credibility of the answer.

General Business Questions
These questions will give you insight into the how the particular agency works, what drives the firm and learn more about intricate internal structures.

1. Who will manage my account on a daily basis?
2. How much contact / feedback can I expect from my account manager?
3. On average, how many clients does one account manager handle?
4. What fraction of clients fall into my business vertical?
5. Is there a conflict of interest in meeting my business goals and those of other clients in my vertical?
6. What type of reporting can I expect? Is this weekly / fortnightly /monthly?
7. Are there any other fees of which I should be aware that are not included in the contract?
8. How many full-time employees work at the agency? What are their roles?
9. Do you do all the work in-house or do you outsource?
10. Are you able to provide the URLs of your outsourcing partners?
11. What is your client turnover rate?
12. Request case studies and references (but be wary, most firms can find at least 2-3 clients that are happy with their services)
13. What separates your company from the competition?
14. What is the key philosophy that drives your corporate culture?

What Others Say
When developing your questions, it is worthwhile reviewing a number of resources to garner ideas and ensure that all aspects of potential concerns are covered. Below are a few links to additional articles that provide a range of insights into the types of questions to ask:

1. From Search Engine Land:
The SEM RFP: Questions you must ask
2. On Search Engine Watch:
SEM Vendor Shortlist
3. From the Search Engine Watch Forum:
Outsourcing SEM FAQs –Be prepared to answer
4. On 3Tailer:
20 Questions to ask your potential SEM Firm

This concludes a 5-part article series that covers in detail the research and decision process to undertake when choosing an SEM agency. To read all the articles in order, start at SEM Agency Selection Process which will guide you through the series.

As an alternative to using the search engines, there are a number of independent resources that provide valuable insight into SEM agencies and where they fit into the market. When attempting to ascertain the credibility of a particular agency or searching for a firm that holds a certain market position, the following points assist in developing a benchmark against which to measure providers.

#1. SEMPO or SEMPO Canada Membership
SEMPO is a global non-profit organization serving the search engine marketing industry and marketing professionals engaged in it.

Its purpose is ‘to provide a foundation for industry growth through building stronger relationships, fostering awareness, providing education, promoting the industry, generating research, and creating a better understanding of search and its role in marketing.’

SEMPO membership signifies cohesion between the SEM agency and the mission that SEMPO aims to achieve. One could summarise it as the agency understanding the bigger picture in online marketing and wishing to be a part of it in some way.

However, it is important to bear in mind that SEMPO membership is not the hallmark of agency credibility, nor does non-membership discount the agency’s service offering.

#2. TopSEOs – Independent Authority on Search Vendors
For an independent assessment of SEM agencies, TopSEOs evaluates and identifies companies that provide services and products in the Internet marketing industry.

Independent evaluation criteria are used for each form of online marketing to rank agencies. Only those firms that pass the evaluation procedure are listed in the official TopSEOs rankings.

A willingness to be independently evaluated is certainly a credibility booster, however, note that even TopSEOs has various levels of membership and thus, not every single firm listed on the website has in fact been evaluated.

Only those firms whose membership is above the free Basic level, namely Silver, Official or Ultimate, are eligible to be ranked according to the independent evaluation criteria.

The firms with a free Basic level membership are able to set up a free directory listing on the TopSEOs website. So do not confuse a ranking by TopSEOs with a free directory listing.

However, for those agencies that are listed, even in the free directory, it is useful to review their profiles as it is here that you will learn some interesting company information, such as:
•    Year Founded
•    Number of Full-Time Employees
•    Revenue
•    Core Practice Areas + Secondary Areas
•    Language Capabilities

#3. LinkedIn – Company Search Feature
LinkedIn has a very useful Company Search feature that allows you to review any firm that has composed such a company listing.

This feature is a gem in the company review process and you can use it to search for agencies on your shortlist. LinkedIn facilitates the development of a more complete, internal picture of a company.

What you will find here, you almost certainly cannot find anywhere else:
- An employee breakdown including top management with individual public profiles
- Company size, headquarters location + details of other office locations
- Curious demographic information such as age / gender ratio / tertiary education history of employees / common job titles

#4. Google ‘em
The Founders – Once you have ascertained who the driving force behind the brand is, do a little bit of historical research. Google the founder / CEO to develop a better understanding of those that run the business, taking note whether there are positive press releases linked to the name, articles, blog posts or speaking engagements at industry conferences. You are also looking for any bad publicity; client qualms on complaint sites or even grandiose claims of ‘an evangelist’ having helped hundreds of businesses find their riches online.

The business name – Similarly it makes sense to conduct a few searches under the business name and see what you find. If there is a multitude of negative client review and complaints websites appearing on the first page of the SERPs, this is certainly reflective of both a poor customer experience and a lack of brand management by the firm.

Once you have exhausted the above resources you will have a much clearer understanding of each business in your shortlist and the results of your research may further cut your list. You are now ready to begin contacting potential providers in your search for an SEM agency.

BUT in order to do so successfully, you should be armed with an arsenal of questions to ask each agency. This will be covered in the next post.

Search Engine Marketing agencies offer a substantial number of articles and White Papers, which in great deal cover the many strategies and tactics to implement in order to reduce ‘bounce rate’; make your website ‘stickier’, and ensure your site meets the SEO checklist. Before selecting an SEM agency, check out their website and evaluate whether the agency meets the website criteria that have been identified for online success.

What follows are some of the errors and key points to look out for on agency websites. Some of these errors indicate poor execution or carelessness, thus, if they are occurring on the agency’s online property, the likelihood of such mistakes being transferred to your site cannot be excluded.

#1. Homepage information overload & navigational confusion
You land on the homepage and there is so much information, you do not know where to start or what to read! The page scrolls down ceaselessly and much of the text appears to be redundantly repetitive.

If this is your first impression of the homepage, it may be one of the tactics that the SEM agency is employing to achieve strong search engine rankings. By loading the page with text and keywords, the relevancy of the homepage increases, but only to the search engines, and not to the targeted audience – YOU!

#2. No clear call-to-action on homepage
If you hesitate on the homepage and do not know where to continue on the site, this demonstrates that the company has not thought through its navigational strategy. There should be a clear call-to-action that directs the user to the next level of valuable information in their search.

If an agency does not understand the link between website usability and search engine optimization it may be time to move along. Strong search engine rankings are only one aspect to securing a sale or website conversion. An agency that cannot funnel sales through its own website, may struggle to assist you in solving conversion or bounce rate related issues on your own site.

#3. Outdated blog entries
If the last blog entry dates back to December 2008, the agency may not be adept at prioritising repetitive and ongoing tasks that may sometimes go unnoticed. Whether this is because of poor resource allocation or a lack of attention to detail, neither bodes well for your business.

#4. Lack of Social Media presence
If you have not yet heard of the Twitter rave, do take a peak at what everyone is talking about. If the agency website has no mention of a blog, Facebook, social bookmarking websites such as del.icio.us and StumbleUpon or most recently, Twitter, this may be a sign that the agency has little interest in following the most recent online trends. This ironically, is expedient to online success.

This does not mean that the agency needs to offer Social Media services, as this is a niche segment that not every agency may wish to pursue, however an indication of knowledge of some of the latest social media trends is a requisite to online credibility in 2009.

#5. Spelling mistakes & syntax errors
It is unprofessional, careless and egregious. If mistakes proliferate, consider how successfully this agency would prepare copy for your own business website.

#6. A website built completely in Flash
Though it may not appear erroneous for a professional SEM agency to have a predominantly Flash based website, the search engine robots cannot ‘read’ these types of sites. This means that the web pages cannot be fully indexed and strong search engine rankings will not be achieved. In addition, this is a manifest indication that the SEM agency does not understand the first thing about search engine optimization.

#7. Browser incompatibility
If a website has broken links with text and pages that do not align, this may demonstrate that the website has not been tested across different browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera. SEM agencies should not be guilty of this type of oversight.

#8. Broken links or broken form functionality
You may click on links that lead to 404 errors and pages that no longer exist. Whether they are old press releases or links to former clients who have now gone out of business, is this a harmless error or a presage to similar mismanagement on your site?

#9. Keyword stuffing & over usage
If you notice the redundant repetition of words in sentences that follow each other, this may be a demonstration of keyword stuffing for the purpose of increasing keyword rankings on the search engines, such as:

“We are a full service search engine optimization and internet marketing company. SEO services include affordable search engine optimization and internet marketing.”

The concern is how your web copy will look once the SEM agency has optimized your website. It is important to maintain a balance between optimizing for the search engines and optimizing for searchers who are expected to convert in some way on the site.

#10. Claiming top rankings for obscure search terms
Be wary of SEM providers who proudly display client search engine rankings for long tail type search queries that are not very competitive and do not receive high search volumes. Examples of this may be ‘Motor Home Rentals in Vancouver’ or ‘Buying Real Estate Investment Property in Canada’.

What you are searching for are top rankings for high traffic key phrases that are between one and two words long. If an SEM provider achieves 1st page client rankings for phrases such as ‘conferencing’ or ‘accommodation Whistler’, this is illustrative of quality results that are a worthy case study of agency capabilities.

For another perspective from SearchInsider on finding an SEM firm, take a look at Want to Hire an SEM Agency? Check Its Site First

When researching SEM providers, upon developing your selection criteria, the search can commence on the search engines. This is where the SEM competitive struggle takes place. The key is to research systematically without being overwhelmed by the volume of results.

So, How Do You Search?
This requires some lateral thinking. Points to consider are as follows:

• Think about the types of keywords that are of strategic importance to an SEM agency in promoting themselves through the search engines. Consider keywords that are focused on marketing in the online space.

• Remember, if you are searching for a Canadian provider, look under ‘pages from Canada’, as these results will be more targeted to Canadian businesses.

• Include local search terms in your search, as this will highlight the local listing results in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Many SEM providers will strive to have a strong presence in their local market.

• Search under keyword variations that broadly encompass the SEM field. They will provide a wide cross-section of businesses to consider in your search, including:

General Search Queries:
-    ‘Search Engine Marketing’
-    ‘Search Engine Optimization’
-    ‘SEO’
-    ‘Internet Marketing’
-    ‘Internet Marketing Services’
-    ‘Online Marketing Consultant’
-    ‘Online Marketing Services’

Businesses that feature in the top organic listings for the general search queries have a strong national presence as the results returned for the above phrases are an amalgamation of the key SEM players from each local market. These SEM agencies will arguably have a stronger national client portfolio by targeting their own search engine positioning to a national audience.

Local Search Queries:
-    ‘Vancouver Marketing’
-    ‘Vancouver Search Engine Marketing’
-    ‘Internet Marketing Vancouver’
-    ‘SEO Vancouver’
-    ‘Search Engine Optimization Vancouver’

Searching under local phrases in key markets, such as Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and so forth, will highlight the positioning of SEM agencies in their local markets.

The image below creates the framework for your search. It shows the first page of the search engine results pages (SERPs) for a local search query, such as ‘Vancouver Marketing’.

Clearly outlined are the three key areas on a SERP that provide valuable search results. Consider businesses in each of the defined areas individually.

- The sponsored links are the paid search results. Businesses bid in an auction model to be listed in this area.
- The local listings show local businesses on Google Maps. Businesses are added by creating a listing in Google’s Local Business Center.
- The organic listings are the natural search results. Most businesses that appear at the top of the organic results are there owing to long-term and targeted search engine optimization.

• Limit your search to the first page of the SERPs. With 10 organic results, up to 10 results (A-J) of local listings and perhaps 5-8 paid search results, there can easily be up to 25 businesses to research on the first page alone.

Paying Attention
• When searching under the various search queries, take note of the business names that reappear on the first page of the results. This will start to paint a clearer picture of the serious players in the SEM market.

• Do not limit yourself to just the first few results at the top of the page, however do take note of the businesses that are listed above the fold.

• Bear in mind that not all businesses will target the same search terms for which to rank highly on the search engines. The SEM industry may arguably be the most competitive online, given the resources and expertise each business commits to maintaining its online presence.

• Your goal is to broaden your options by critically evaluating businesses that you find for a number of search queries.

Picking one of the top three ranking businesses for ‘search engine optimization’ may not be the most strategically optimal decision for your business.

Now that you know what to look for on the search engines, the next consideration is how to appraise each business website on which you click. A post on website evaluation criteria will follow shortly!

In a continuation of the topic – SEM Agency Selection Process – this is the first of five blog posts that detail a number of implementable steps to minimize risk when choosing an SEM firm.

Finding a fitting SEM agency is a complex recruitment process that requires you to identify your business goals and selection criteria, prior to initiating your search. With the proliferation of SEM businesses in the market, offering a wide cross-section of services at varying price points, it is important to identify how SEM services fit into the achievement of your business goals.

Similar to being directly responsible for a poor recruitment decision when hiring your business employees, this accountability is applicable in selecting an SEM agency.  Have you clearly identified your business goals? Do you know which strategy gaps you would like the SEM provider to fill? Enter the SEM discussion with a clear idea of what you are looking for in order to critically evaluate the service proposition.

Step 1:  Determine business goals & online marketing goals
You need to establish your short-term & long-term business goals and formulate what role SEM will play in successfully meeting these objectives.

Various business objectives will tie in accordingly with the online marketing goals required to achieve them. For example, growing brand awareness will require a different online strategy to increasing website driven sales. An SEM agency will more effectively address the online marketing goals if you assist them in developing a detailed understanding of your business goals.

iProspect, an SEM company recognised 5th in the Advertising Age’s Search Fact Pack 2008, Top 25 Search Marketing Agencies, addresses online marketing goals in their white paper “How to Select the Right SEM Firm”.

Step 2:   Identify any unique selection criteria
Upon outlining your online marketing goals the next step is to identify any selection limitations that will make your search more targeted. These limitations will be dynamic to each business. A few are discussed below:

• Budget – Should a particular budget constraint limit which company’s services you are able to commission, identify this budget range and search for indications of pricing on SEM agency websites. Many firms will provide some budgetary guidance on their contact forms, indicating the minimum required to take on the project.

Should the services of a preferential SEM agency be inaccessible owing to cost, perhaps bookmark the agency for future reference. Given the myriad of providers, a service offering that meets your current business circumstances may not be applicable within a couple of years.

• Location – It is common for an SEM agency to service clients nationwide and even internationally. Given the nature of online work and the vast range of communications tools available to agencies, face-to-face contact is no longer a prerequisite to doing business.

However, for some clients this criterion may be a ‘deal breaker’. If you wish to work with an agency that has a local presence, factor this into your search criteria.

• Size & Years of Experience – This is a subjective assessment, however clients often enquire about company size and years of expertise.

Given Google moved into the mainstream in the last decade and only started offering its paid search marketing service in 2000, the online advertising industry remains on the cusp of its revolution. Many of the industry’s top entrepreneurs find themselves under the age of 30, while even the most established SEM agencies have only been in operation circa 1996.

Do not make hasty judgements based on age. Social media remains fledgling but looks promising, and the gurus best placed to magnify your social media presence will no doubt be young mavens with a few years of priceless experience.

Company size may cast a light on service expectations. Small agencies, with 1-10 employees may present a more boutique offering while a larger company will present a structured and scalable service.

Company size will not be a definitive indicator of service quality.

A consultant that works alone may undertake a limited number of projects and will offer a more personalized approach, however a larger company offers the benefit of pooling resources and is capable of presenting a wider cross-section of services.

Upon outlining your online marketing goals and ascertaining your selection criteria, you can then commence your search. Effectively utilising the search engines to find a SEM provider will be covered in the next post.