SEO - what's your hat color?

If you have been operating an internet business for any short amount of time, you've probably heard the term "SEO" before too long - Search Engine Optimization. Business owners who are looking for an extra edge in the world of organic search ranking, or who are tired of the cost of unpredictable and expensive PPC campaigns might look to an SEO company to help their company optimize their website and get closer to the top of listings like Google or Yahoo.

Unfortunately the web is peppered with accounts of businesses whose organic ranking was actually hurt by unethical "black hat" methods used by their SEO contractors. There are many different SEO companies out there, each with its own stance on white hat versus black hat techniques. And like any ethical debate, there are many who fall in-between with their practices.

If you want to be sure that your SEO money is going towards a worthy and long-lasting cause, your best bet is to check references and reviews before selecting an SEO company. Most "fly-by-night" startups won't have a proven track record, and therefore should be avoided, regardless of any guarantees that they may offer. Instead, find yourself a company that has been around for a while, with posted examples of previous clientele. One such example that I noticed at PPP is the company SERR.biz, started by Michael Zittel, who has been dealing in SEO since 1999. They also post a copy of their code of ethics directly on their site. If a company's SEO promises sound too good to be true, and they don't detail their SEO ethics policies in any way, you should probably avoid them.

SERR.biz also offers SEM PPC services for those who haven't found their place in the organic listings just yet.

Sponsor post commissioned by Serr.biz