When it comes to performing SEO or being a Search Engine Marketer, it is best not done by yourself; unless of course, you have a lot of time in your hands and plans to take it steady but slow. If not, hire a professional who's been there, done that. You could save yourself a lot of time in trial and error, besides being able to manage other very important aspects of your business.

Ready to hire? Prepare yourself for the task of searching an expert. It could be a daunting task, but sure pays off well, over time. Be picky if you want to, but you will at least make sure that you'll get what you want. If you decide to be picky though, read the next 2 or 3 lines very carefully.

Do not believe these things: I will submit your website to 50,000 search engines, We will not touch your website but will rank you high real quick, #1 ranking guaranteed in 15 days. Forget it. All these are promotional gimmicks that either don't work or have some weird sort of catches. Why would you want to submit your website to 50,000 search engines anyway? Of course, you might about a few tens of links from that BIG 50,000, but is the price worth it?

The second one says 'We will stuff a blog or website of our own with keywords (and keywords only) and will bring a lot of traffic to your site'. Dubious, absolutely. 15 days and #1 Spot? You wouldn't even be doing business online for something that's not there online already, at least by the keywords. Besides, a fortnight is not enough to see any results at all, let alone the top spot.

Prepare a checklist specific to your requirements, and put it in front of your prospective Search Engine Marketing vendors. By and large, you are suggested to categorize the questions under sub-heads like PPC (Pay Per Click), Organic Optimization, Vendor Qualifications and Experience (including client references and case studies), Social Media presence, etc.

While the questions may repeat, the categories will bring in different answers. So, repeating questions is okay. Ensure that you evaluate every response of each vendor, thoroughly. Don't just fall for long experience. Often, it's fake and/or worthless, in reality.

Understand the process a vendor is going to undertake, in your case. Analyze if it is worth doing every bit of what he / she recommends. Directory submission, one way links and back linking, improved results or money back guarantee (partial or full), etc. are very important factors in SEO. Such services must form a part of any search marketing strategy online.

It's not good to sell yourself short, and your probable vendor certainly knows this well. So, let not the goody goody talks lure you. Discuss the process in depth, as maintaining transparency is very important. All the more important is one factor that you should look for in a Search Engine Marketer ? Can you trust him/her? Having the trust (confidence) in this person will ease your mind when you're opening up your wallet.