Where you get your information from matters, this is true for both myself and those looking to hire an SEO consultant. There's plenty of poor information on the web, it's my job to filter out the dangerous and useless to get to the heart of what SEO techniques are tested, respected, and allowed by search engines. I then use these techniques on my own websites as a "canary in the coal mine” before implementing for clients.
It's a potential client's job, with possibly a little help, to select an SEO provider who gets their information from experts, utilizes best practices, and one who doesn't just preach what they sell.
One thing is absolutely true in the automotive SEO field, some providers go against what the experts in the industry suggest not because they know better, but because the fact is the website provider they work for does not offer what the experts recommend. So the SEO arm of the company ends up recommending things to a client that any respected SEO consultant would warn businesses to stay away from.
An example of this that is seen over-and-over again is Flash websites. No matter how many times Danny Sullivan (editor-in-chief of SearchEngineLand.com), Google's Dan Crow or Google's official blog warns of using Flash for a website, some "SEO consultants” will still try convince businesses that they are not a detriment to their rankings. Why would they go against the experts? Because they work for companies that sell websites powered by Flash.
I always stress to people looking for an SEO firm or consultant to do their homework and ask lots of questions. Do some reading yourself from trusted sources like SEOBook.com, SEOmoz.org and SearchEngineLand.com to familiarize yourself with the challenges of SEO, then point those at your prospective providers. If a "consultant” is saying something contrary to accepted truths by those link to in this paragraph, then you'll want to look elsewhere.
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