If you wanted to find a top-quality (SEO) partner, either an agency, a contractor, a consultant, or someone to handle your SEO needs, where are you going to start from? Finding the best SEO services is not a simple task, and do not put your website in danger because of poor decision making when selecting the best SEO company.Beyond the essentials of getting the best company, what about getting best SEO services that are a cut above any norm, that are done by an experienced SEO partner who is someone you will trust?Scammers manyIt must be noted that SEO is just riddled with low-quality expert providers, fakers, and scammers. As an open field (on the open net, no less) SEO is part of the untamed west. You will not at one time get sanctioning firms, and third-party companies that can vet when it comes to offering SEO services. This is the simple reasons just why anyone can get out and do SEO without knowing what works and what does not work, because you do not need a license (or even more sadly, without knowledge), the SEO industry is widespread with, honestly, crap.Tied with this reality is the truth that SEO is a blend of art and science. This makes its practitioners to a kind of hard-to-define intuitive and artful understanding of the search engines, with the hard information of analytics and metrics, semantic markup and log file parsers.SEO is based on information, on delving through the technical problem and issue solving. But its top greatest opportunities are achieved from combining its analytical side with an artful understanding of users as well as the search engines, and then making use of experienced hunches in order to gain a competitive edge.SEO is in demandProfessional SEO is in great demand. There are huge sums of money at stake, as well. Ranking and traffic improvements really mean millions of dollars for any firm’s bottom-line spending.This is what has made a market of SEO providers who are skillful when it comes to selling search engine optimization services, but then, less skilled when it comes to carrying delivering the results. Many SEO services do just little to move the bottom line of the company.How to select a quality SEO partner?
Nevertheless, it’s not really as bad as it seems to be. There are bright spots on the SEO field as well. Here are some of the tips to help you get the best SEO partner.Know what you wantIn everything that you are looking for, you should know that there are specialists as well as talents, and SEO is no different. If your website is a publisher that is need of traffic increases, you will have different requirements than when it comes to an e-commerce website that is looking for better product-level conversions. Do you need the best link building services, technical knowledge, and a premeditated partner for SEO growth? Defining what your site really needs is the very first step toward getting the best SEO partner.Ask aroundThere are chances that somebody you know has an opinion when it comes to an SEO consultant or company. Ask them. Make use of your social connections such as LinkedIn and Twitter to influence your trusted network, as well. Note that the best leads will be though the word-of-mouth and referrals from people you trust.Dip a toe in the waterDo not get afraid when it comes to asking for a pilot or a test for a specific SEO plan. This offers you an opportunity to see what will be the best SEO Company, which will bring the best on the table, and as a result, saves you up from just committing to anything while you are still unsure.
Finding the Best SEO Company Online
Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?
There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.
In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.
But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.
Different Types of Financing
One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.
Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.
But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.
Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.
Alternative Financing Solutions
But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:
1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.
2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.
3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.
In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:
It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.
A Precious Commodity
Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).
Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.
Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?