Because of the way in which a partnership with a web marketing firm will usually be long-term and play a huge role in the success of the business, it’s hardly the kind of decision that should be rushed. More so, it’s also the kind of decision that must be approached with a level head and with a clear idea of exactly what it is you’re looking for before going anywhere near the negotiation table…virtual or otherwise.

But for those that have never delved into the world of web marketing before…thousands of SME owners being in exactly such a boat…how is it possible to accurately evaluate a professional web marketer? It’s not as if these business owners have a high enough degree of marketing knowledge to pick apart everything their prospects tell them, so how can you be sure you’re making the right decision?

It all comes down to laying out both expectations and demands which must be met to the letter across the board. And in conjunction with satisfying the firm’s unique checklist, there are certain questions that should be thrown the way of any and all marketing companies prior to any deal being agreed on.

Are You Currently Representing Similar Businesses in Similar Areas?

This is important for two reasons – honesty and competition. It’s often the way of the marketer to pretend that you and you alone are their be all and end all, but be if you’re paying $59.99 per month for a bog-standard service, do you honestly think you’re keeping them afloat? Of course you’re not – chances are they’ve got dozens of other clients under the wing and many could fall within your industry, so it always pays to ask.

Can You Provide Measurable Evidence of Results?

There should be plenty of case studies on offer for you to peruse and consider, but at the same time it’s worth asking the marketer to produce and go through the data they feel most adequately proves the firm’s merit. The keyword here however is ‘measurable’ – as in the results need to be right there on paper.

What’s Your Take on SEO?

Always a good question to separate the pros from the amateurs, the answer you’re looking for here is one of balance. If you’re told that SEO is dead and rankings no longer count, walk away. However, if you’re led to believe that SEO is the most important thing on Earth and the world revolves around Google and Google alone, you’re also headed for trouble. SEO is still a key marketing element, but is only one core element of a successful strategy.

Do You Outsource Work?

While some marketing companies have their own in-house teams, others outsource their projects and elements thereof to freelancers. Now, the benefit of the latter is that it can be considerably cheaper and produce great results at the same time, though in terms of consistency and accountability, there are trade-offs. Decide what matters most to you and make your choice accordingly.

Can You Tell Me About a Past Failure and How You Handled It?

Again an example of a question that helps determine honesty or otherwise as no marketing business on the face of the Earth gets by without the odd set-back. What matters here is the brand’s willingness to admit they’re human at heart, accept that things can go wrong and most importantly of all show evidence of what they did to overcome the problem or compensate for the shortfall.

Can I Reach Out to Your Current or Past Clients?

Feedback and recommendations are just too easy to fabricate and engineer in such a way as to make them look reassuring. So when looking to strike up a partnership as significant as this, it’s not too much to ask for the details of a select few clients to actually make contact with and speak to. They’ll of course be more than willing to sing the praises of the marketing firm if they’re as good as they say they are, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

Can I Take Time to Think?

Last but not least, this is another one of those questions that serves as much as a test as it does a hard and fast request for answers. The reason being that while you will of course want time to think it over before going ahead, you also want to make sure the marketing group isn’t the sort to try and rush you into decisions before you’re good and ready. Forcing fast decisions or putting any kind of pressure on clients represents desperation and a lack of responsible operations – neither of which are desirable traits.