finding the right contractor

finding the right contractor
By Cell Jacela, Lead Search Engine Marketing Consultant Cellconversion.com Getting a reliable, cost-efficient and competent seo outsourcing partner in the Philippines mighthave been difficult some 5 years ago when most seo consultants where still building their careers as either designers, programmers or offline marketers. After 5 years of honing and refining their skills, online marketing companies in the US, Europe and Australia have come to rely on the SEO skills of Filipinos on delivering quality and effective campaigns.

Last year the Philippines hosted maybe the first Search Engine Marketing Convention in the East Asia Pacific Region where online marketing gurus like Aaron Wall and Todd Malicoat provided informative insights on the current online marketing strategies.

The Philippines is the largest English speaking nation in the region with its culture heavily influenced by its American Colonial roots. The same reason why it has captured a bigger part of the customer service industry.

Relative to your needs, you can find SEO professionals to cater to any of your online marketing needs. From SEO, PPC bid management, content development and web data analyst. Logistics will be the first issue we will tackle.

Cost:
The cost of doing business in the Philippines is relatively cheaper than building or training a team of SEO specialist in the US. In reference to the last SEMPRO report on salary range of online marketing professionals going between US$18- US$30/hr . A competent team composed of a link builder, content writer, SEO specialist and a PPC bid manager could range between US$2500 - US$5000/ Month - rates may vary to the individuals experiences.

To initially cut on cost start by hiring consultants who can work from home and who have access to a good DSL connection. A DSL connection (378kbps) in the Philippines ranges between US$30 -US$40/Month if you want to provide your consultants
with reliable online access. Getting a vonage VOIP package ($15-$35/month) will also be very helpful in facilitating your projects.

Once you get your team connected, you might need to invest in some 3rd party application for project management and monitoring their performances. Relative to your management style you may require your consultants to log in to a certain schedule. Some companies may just require "core hours" for coordination and may set defined objectives and targets.

Getting the right mix of people from your initial "virtual" team of consultants may take some time but again this worth the investment prior to making the big step into to starting a bigger service provider.