Getting Started - No time for DIY

[MeSoPrivate]

I run a small business to business professional services firm. No, we don't provide any SEO or other online marketing to our clients.
We have been successful consumers of various forms of SEO since 2001. However, being in top 7 on Google in "our part of town" is no longer satisfactory. We want to grow.

Some of our clients have made in excess of $2M in a single year via Google arbitrage, etc... and then Google makes a change, and they are lucky to make $30k the following year.

Bottom line, our company plays a long game with our clients. We need our SEO work to support our long game (No overnight success only to crash and burn).

Questions:
1. What should we look for to be sure the SEO work is in line with our goals (e.g. no total white hat, but no bottle rocket either)?
2. Any suggestions on Key Metrics we could use to measure results that would be fair to both parties?
3. How can we know a fair price when we see it? We are not Fortune 500, nor Fortune 5,000. So money spent must translate into sales closed.

***** Please don't respond in broken English about 50,000 Facebook likes for $5. We know better.

 

[wizard04]

sir 50 000 likes fur $10 guarnatee real lakes

 

[ItsBlinkHere]

sir 50 000 likes fur $10 guarnatee real lakes

Seems legitness! Any review copies kind sir?

 

[luisk]

OP, You have been buying SEO services from 2001, so even if you are not the one that handles the all SEO task you must know 2 or 3 things about that.
1. look for someone who is willing to answer all of your questions about the task (All of them), hiding something because they are "protecting" their business trying to avoid reverse engineering is... just a smoke curtain.
2. too lazy for this one.
3. A fair price is the one you can afford to keep your business profitable.
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4. thinks like ""***** Please don't respond in broken English about 50,000 Facebook likes for $5. We know better."" won't get you good answers. Try to be more subtle the next time.