SEO has become one of the hottest topics in the discussion of Internet marketing. With over 1 billion people online, the amount of daily search engine use is staggering to even think about. For an individual or company who is thinking of marketing their products or services, the internet can be a virtual limitless Gold Mine of potential customers.

For those who are serious about increasing website traffic, growing your business or just lowering customer acquisition costs, search engine optimization is the best choice along with online advertising. Search engine optimization has become a marketing option for many firms and organizations in order to make your website list on the top pages of the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

Thousands of companies and firms are available in the market offering multiple SEO solutions. But the Question is how to find an affordable SEO. Finding an affordable SEO is not as simple as it seems. You must know your exact requirements and on that basis a cheaper option can be found.

Points to be considered

1.Beware of False Claims - Beware of SEO's that claim to guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.

2. Don’t trust Secretive Companies - Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.

3. Avoid SEO's providing "free-for-all" links - Avoid SEO's that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines, at least not in a way you would consider to be positive.

4. Choose wisely
While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry.
5. Keep a track on expense
Be sure to ask any SEO your consideration on which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which to apply toward temporary advertising.

6. Use Reference
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe, hold off until you find a firm that you can trust.

7. Make sure you are protected legally
For your own safety, you should insist on a full and unconditional money-back guarantee.

8. Beware of clever SEO's
Some SEO's may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar. Most such proposals require users to install extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications