You know by now that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique used by website owners to drive "natural" traffic to their website. You also know that SEO is performed by publishing keyword-rich articles and by playing around with the html code. But do you know that SEO is not as easy as it sounds - it needs an experienced firm to perform SEO, and it needs some time and research to hire such a specialized firm?

But we've made the task simpler for you and here is a checklist you must use when it comes to hiring a SEO firm:

Is the firm reputable? The SEO firm you are employing must be on a sound footing and it must stand head-to-head with its peers in the industry. This is not to say that we have anything against small SEO outfits who are just starting out - go with them if you feel they have the credentials and the capacity to do your work, but at your own risk.

Does it have an established client base? If an SEO firm is good, clients will flock to it automatically. So, does your SEO firm have a list of esteemed clients, or is it into SEO for websites who should be confined into the web junkyard? Find that out and go with an SEO firm that has a solid client base.

Does it use black hat techniques? Black hat techniques stand for unethical ways of performing SEO. If an SEO firm has ever spammed, or lifted articles, or created web farms to generate traffic, or used any technology to fool the search engines, then stay away from such a firm. You can find out if a firm is into black hat techniques by looking at their client list and talking to the clients, specially the old clients.

Does it have the right employees? Your SEO firm should not just have technically qualified, experienced employees - it should staff them in adequate numbers too. There's really no point of going to a well reputed SEO company that has 5 employees and a roster of 200 large clients.

Does it offer all the SEO services? A good, well-established SEO firm will offer all SEO services under one roof - sourcing and submitting articles, programming, directory submissions, blog posting, search engine submission, link building, etc. If your SEO firm offers only a part of such services, ditch it, because you can't be running around to two or more companies trying to perform SEO on your one and only beloved site.

What about its employees' skill sets? You can get the best articles published and the best of sites to link to your website, but that won't do a lick unless your website's design, layout, navigation is search-engine friendly. The employees at a good SEO firm must be experts in website design, programming, understanding how search engines function, link building, directory submission and web traffic analysis, and these guys must be working in-house - these skills must not be outsourced.

How does the SEO firm respond? Does the firm respond in quickly or do they return calls in a few days. If they take over 24 hours to return your call, don't even consider them.

Once you have determined that an SEO firm fits your requirement, check to see if their costs will match your budgets and if they have a person on board whom you'll be comfortable working with. And if everything seems okay, go for them.