7 Things to Look for When Hiring an Affordable Search Engine Optimization Company

Are you looking to hire an affordable search engine optimization company to help you grow your online business in 2011. Below is a list of the Top 7 Things to Look Fore When Hiring an SEO Company.
1.) Experience and Background
You want to look for a SEO company with with at least (5) years of SEO and internet marketing experience. If the company you are looking to hire hasn't been in business for (5) years, make sure the owners and those managing your SEO campaigns have the experience to handle your SEO marketing strategies.
2.) Short Term Links
This means that if you ever decide to walk away from your current SEO company, they will delete all previous campaigns or replace all your contact information along with your website address with a competing company willing to pay them for your spot. If this is the case, do NOT hire such a company!
3.) The Cost
Just remember you get what you pay for. It's hard to place a price on a SEO service because you are not really buying the "package" but the results produced. If you are looking to pay $200 per month for reliable SEO service, don't expect too much. Search Engine Optimization is an ongoing process and if you will want to compete and destroy your competition, you're going to have to spend just a "lil" bit more money!
4.) Do They Offer a Guarantee?
Don't be fooled by the hype of 1st Page Google Rankings- the marketing ploy that many so-called SEO companies are using today. I don't care how affordable search engine optimization service is, if a SEO company tells you they can guarantee you 1st Page Google Rankings for your selected keywords, run! No SEO company can promise you that as we don't own the search engines and algorithms change almost daily.
5.) Setting Expectations
Be sure the the SEO company you are looking to hire is setting clear expectations for your SEO campaigns. You want the SEO company to understand your needs and provide detailed goals to be reach at certain times. just be aware that SEO takes time and is not a get-rich-quick kind of deal. Expect 3-9 months to see any significant results from your SEO efforts.
6.) Communication and Reporting
The lines of communication must flow like a pleasant stream on a summer day. Make sure the SEO company has an effective communication tool in place to where you can get ahold of the person(s) handling your SEO campaigns if you have any questions or concerns. You should have to jump through hoops to get your questions answered. 
You should, at the very least, be receiving analytics and reporting on a monthly and quarterly basis. The reports should be easy for your to understand. If you don't understand the reporting of your website and campaign data from the reports, be sure to ask to have them explain in detail for you.
For an example of a good communication and reporting tool, visit our demo back-office for our SEO clients at our website.
Login and spend as much time as you like. We also offer 24/7-365 LIVE client chat support so if you have a question inside the demo account, feel free to click the big green button to start a chat. We'll thoroughly answer your questions without all the sales pitches.
7.) SEO Consultants
SEO Consultants is an awesome site that you can go and get free quotes from vendors who have been screened by the team at SEO Consultants. If I was a local business owner looking to grow my business online, the first place I probably go would be here. I respect these guys and they offer a good service. Feel free to visit them at seoconsultants dot com. 
Just remember whenever you are looking for a reliable SEO service that can handle your needs, be sure that you both are a fit for each other. Both parties have to be able to have good communication and each have to do their part. This is a process and if handled with care, a beautiful long term relationship can prosper and grow into something amazing.