For this blog I wanted to cover what I am calling… proof of services. And what I mean by that is making sure that the person(s) that is doing work for you is actually doing the work. Now you may not want to nor should have to check up on a company that is doing work for you but you may have to. Plus, it helps you learn a little more about what they are doing by knowing a little more about what they are doing, helps you to confirm what they are doing and keeps you informed about what is going on in and around your business. Again, it is sad but sometimes this is necessarily, especially if you haven’t had the opportunity to build the relationship (know, like, trust) with them.
What are they doing?
First and foremost, you need to know what they are doing, or going to do. Often times this comes in the form of a contract or proposal. I would highly recommend that if you made some sort of verbal agreement on something that you follow up with written communication to verify what is going to be done and how much you’re paying for said services. Similarly, if you are provided with a contract, you hopefully understood it or asked about it and were required to sign it stating as such.
It starts with you. Understand your contract & ask questions before signing. Click To TweetReview the contract
I would suggest taking a look at the contract, proposal, agreement that you made with said SEO company or similar type services or industry and verify what it is if they said they’re doing. If they said they are building links for you, back links, then have them send you a list of the links that 
they’re building at the end of the month. This isn’t something unusual to request and it might be nice for you to see where those links are being built and what kind of websites you’re being linked to.
If you are having SEO services similar to that which I offer (and have explained various components in over the years) like meta tags, title tags, link building, alt tags, etc, I would suspect that you are getting a month report. If not, I would ask for one to include an overview or recap of the specific work they are doing and/or pages/blogs they visited. Hopefully you know your website enough to know that what it looks like and what kind of changes might have been made that weren’t there already.
A side note about the SEO industry
Search engine optimization, SEO, is often seen as something that can’t be verified. This leads to much deception in my industry, which is disheartening for me, however there is hope! While I understand that it may be seen as something that can’t be followed up on, there ARE ways that you can verify that the work is being done. It starts with getting out your contract, looking at what was promised and verifying it… or one step back, knowing a little about what search engine optimization is (as you should if you follow me) and knowing what questions to ask so you are sure you know what is going to be provided, from services to follow up, like in a report.
Reviewing #SEO work done on your site is possible, you just have to know what was promised. Click To TweetA side note about the social media industry
Social media is something that is a little bit easier to get proof of service for, in that you would just go to that social media profile and verify that posts were made on XYZ days. Again you’ll have to look at your contract, proposal, or whatever it is you call it, and verify what days, the number of days, the number of posts per day or whatever the agreement was on whichever social profiles. Then, it doesn’t hurt to check them out every once in a while to see what is there. There’s nothing wrong with checking up, it’s also nice for you to be educated on what kinds of things are being posted on your behalf.
Bottom line
The bottom line is to 1 – know what services that you are paying for, and 2 – make sure that they’re being done, properly or well. Hopefully the latter is not an issue and that you are paying for services by someone that you know, like and trust. If not then maybe you need to work on building better relationships, or a relationship, with those folks that are doing work for you.
Should you have any questions about services that are being offered to you, services that are already being done for you, or you wish to obtain services similar to those mentioned above, please contact me as I would be happy do so. Either way, I hope that I am a resource for you with such things as search engine optimization, blogging, social media and basically digital marketing.
~Kristen
Let me know in the comments below how you ensure you are getting what you pay for?
This is a great guideline, Kristen. And it reminded me, once again, how blessed I am to have the SEO folks I work with. They’re worth their weight in gold!
I hope you let them know that too Susan.
Kristen,
Excellent article and SEO seems to be something that has to well thought out for the articles and the way it is handled. If it is an issue and you are able to out source make sure that he/she is creditable.
Lori English
Yep, thanks Lori
This is so important, Kristen. You absolutely need to know a little bit about the work being done and have an understanding of how it is being carried out. If you completely hand over the reigns without this knowledge you could well be ripped off and you may not even realise it for some time.
That is exactly it Tami! Yes, and thank you!
It’s like proof of life. You should never pay without proof. It is always wise to understand your contracts and be clear in your language and expectations. This makes for a good working relationship.
Yep.. that is exactly it Christy.. we need to be well versed in what we do or at least have some sort of grasp.
Have learned this in the school of hard knocks, and yes, it is essential! Social media is a great thing, but only if done right, and unless I know what “right” is, how can I know if “they” are doing it “right”. So, backing up, learning, and so glad to have many folks to help teach me “right”.
So well said Robin… if you don’t know what is right.. how do you know they are doing right by you! Perfecct
There’s been a big movement in the online community to outsource as one of the ways to be more productive. Some of my friends have found it to be a blessing and a curse. Obligations not honored, things not being sent out in a timely manner or changes taking forever to be made. Kristen, you’re so right about having a contract and making sure what it covers. For the rest of us, we need to schedule enough time, to make sure we cover all the bases ourselves.
And… follow that person or build that relationship so you feel more comfortable with the person doing the work and with whom you are outsourcing to! Thanks Joyce
This seems like something all of us would be assured of before we entrust anyone to begin work on anything for us. I don’t have a separate SEO or social media person, but am really happy with the web developer I ‘found’ online. He is always helpful and available and does what we discuss he is going to do. Can’t ask for much more than that, I guess! Thanks Kristen!
It seems that would be the case.. but I wrote this blog because I hear many horror stories of the opposite to be true. Glad you have a great relationship with your web person Bev.
This is so important to do, especially if you are having work done by someone else 🙂 You have touched on some very important guidelines Kristen, thank you for making sure we know how and what to do if we are using others services 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
You are quite welcome Joan and thank you!
Thank you for this guideline and insight about contracts and how to deal with them. SEO, for example, is something I struggle with especially technical SEO and your tips are always helpful
So glad to help Apolline and if i can ever help you.. let me know, thanks!
Kristen, when I’m ready for SEO, I’m hiring you! I used to outsource work on some contractor sites and learned that some of my work was done by someone completely different than I had interviewed. It was a sad and eye opening experience.
YAY! Thanks Tandy.. I would be happy to work with you! Yea.. I do all my work in house.. I am afraid to outsource unless I know that person personally due to having other folks getting into my clients website, Adwords account or social media accounts… if they mess up.. it is all on me… and those are huge places to mess up!
A great guideline Kristen. I have only ever truly out sourced once and i knew she was doing a great job. You have been a great help with my SEO and i can’t recommend you enough.
Awesome… glad to help you Sonya with your SEO and hope you continue to blossom… let me know if you or your clients need SEO help
I like it! Always ask for a list of deliverables on an agreed upon timetable. Doing so monthly is totally reasonable in my opinion.
Absolutely, as we should, right Jennifer, but you’d be amazed!!!!
Such great tips, always love reading your blog posts! xo
Why thank you April!
Very good suggestions! Proof of services is essential and in this area where I am not an expert I appreciate these tips!
Thanks Catherine… glad to help
This is great information. I’ve been burned a number of times with SEO so I get that. Now I’m looking at hiring an overseas VA so this is coming in super handy! Timing is everything. Thanks :o)
So glad that it is helping Sue for you.. and if you ever need SEO help.. hopefully you know where to come. 😉
Super helpful article – especially as I am just dipping my toe in the water here. and have so much to learn. This was easy to consume and understand.
Thank you!
Glad to hear that you found this valuable and easy to read Katie. Thank you, let me know if I can help.