New business structure calls for new services. Even the best developed e-commerce project can get lost in the boundless Internet spheres without smart promotional actions. Search Engine Optimization became a vital part of an online business visibility which is almost synonym to success. It's hard to determine exactly who pioneered the process of moving sites up in SERP but according to some researches the initiative measures dated as far back as 1984. Today there is quite a big number of agencies that position themselves as SEO experts. What factors do online business owners have to consider while searching for an expert that would be able to optimize their e-commerce project up to the highest level of search-ability?

Reputation

First of all the providers themselves are positioning differently nowadays. A little survey conducted by seomoz showed that out of 618 agencies approximately:

• 22 percent defined themselves as SEO consulting agency focused primarily on search engine optimization;
• 20 percent placed themselves in Inbound/Organic Marketing agency category offering SEO, Social Media Marketing, Content Development, Conversion, Analytic, etc.;
• 19.5 percent of the respondents described their professional grounds as Web design and development with supplemental marketing services;
• the rest of the target group positioned themselves as traditional marketing and advertising agencies and consultants.

It's really up to an online store owner to decide on whether to hire a specialized firm or go with the services offered by their developer as a package.

However here are some very basic points to evaluate before making such a decision:

1. Experience and expertise: feel free to ask for examples of previous work or feedback from hopefully happy clients and the measured success data;
2. Webmaster Guidelines obedience: any SEO expert has to know what the rules are and how to respect them;
3. Expecting results, time-frame and technique employed: even though no one can (and should) guarantee the highest search ranking on the web, a business owner sure is entitled to know how his money spent and what would be the outcome of the SEO activities;
4. Communication: an e-commerce entrepreneur has to know ahead of a time what communication channels an SEO specialist is planning to use to share the information on the progress, recommendations and any changes that the agency is planning to implement.

Pricing

For services such as on-page and off-page optimization, keyword research, content development, link building, social media marketing and analytic the SEO agencies and experts are charging in the following manner:

1. Per hour: most common hourly rate is $76-$200/hr;
2. Per project: the average falls between $1000-$7500/project;
3. Monthly maintenance fee: varies between $251-$500;
4. Profit/revenue share plan;
5. Contract with conditional clauses

Money matters of course. At the same time hiring a professional should be regarded as an investment rather than expense and monitored by the analytic that often provided as a part of the deal. Choose wisely and look out for signals to walk away. If a SEO professional tells a prospective client that he/she can guarantee a number one ranking on a search engine because of some sort of an astound relationship or a special submission channel to the engine consider it a lie and immediately disregard any proposals form such an "expert". No one has any established priority or a connection and e-commerce community has to be aware of that.

Services

Since not only pure SEO agencies are providing an online promotion the range of services varies as well. But in general here are the services that an online business owner should expect from SEO experts and other agencies and consultants:

• Keyword research;
• Content development;
• Web site development suggestions and advice such as JavaScript, error pages, domain hosting, redirect, link building, analytic, web design, etc.;
• Review of the site structure and content;
• Online Marketing Campaigns and Promotional plan;
• Digital and Social Marketing;
• Web design and occasionally info-graphics;
• Testing and Analytic;
• Training;
• User Experience Improvement;
• Performance Optimization

Services' quality and the outcome measured by analyzing business data such as profit, conversion rate, user experience and traffic indexing.

Deciding to hire an expert to improve one's site is a big decision since it can possibly increase business potential and save time but it can also damage reputation and ruin the best of the e-commerce ideas. Research and comparisons make wonders and always advisable before any mind setting action performed. Look for a quality solution provider with solid reputation who can optimize your e-commerce project with the best measurable results.