Just yesterday I received a magazine (unsolicited) from a major SEO Evaluation firm and in this recent issue, they were listing companies that had won their top awards for being quality web marketing firms.

So, what makes a quality web marketing firm? Well, for most of the SEO Evaluation firms out there it is money. That's right, the more a marketing firm pays, the better ranked they are and the more they are touted as being one of the best firms. Ok, so the company has enough money to pay for this award, does that mean they deserve it? Not At All.....

Don't be fooled by credentials - marketing firms can pay to be listed in just about any publication and most of those publications offer some sort of an award category as an incentive to get people to pay for inclusion.

If you really want to know what a company is like and what they will offer to you, talk with them, talk with their clients, get references, etc. Then, find out who the team members are that will be working on your project and Google them. You will be surprised what you find out about them.

You should also make sure that their company is willing to put their techs on the phone and let you get the scoop from them - most marketing firms that aren't as reputable as they should be will often times keep you talking with the sales rep. What you really need to know is what the process entails, what is expected of you, what is expected of the marketing firm, how they will implement suggested changes, what marketing programs they will include you in, etc. - Get The Details.

The more time you spend talking with the sales rep and the tech team, the more you will see how much they are willing to communicate. Remember, if you have a team that won't communicate with you, the chance of your success greatly diminishes.

Bottom line, don't settle for just any old firm simply because they have been ranked top by major online and print sources - chances are they are paid credentials.