You may be a small business that has yet to venture into the realm of SEO, or you have some knowledge of the topic but not enough to expand your platforms the way you’d like. Whether you want a second opinion on your website or someone who will take it to the next level, hiring a professional SEO expert is the best way to go. 

However, you may be wondering: how do I hire an SEO expert? What am I looking for? What qualifications do I ask for? While the process of finding the right person for your company can be overwhelming, we will provide you with all of the essentials. After reading this blog, you will know exactly how to hire an SEO expert and the best questions to ask to find the right candidate. 

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fundamental practice to drive traffic towards your website by ensuring you can be easily found on search engines such as Google. It improves the quality and quantity of traffic your site experiences, thus increasing your rank against other sites. 

SEO benefits

Search Engine Optimization is a practice proven to be beneficial for any company. If you are looking to grow your business online and have yet to consider SEO, now is the time. If you aren’t convinced yet, here’s a look at the various benefits that SEO can provide for your business:

• Improve user experience

• Increase amount of leads

• Higher close rates (leads that turn into sales)

• Enhance conversion rate

• Better cost management

• More foot traffic to physical locations

• Higher brand credibility and awareness

• Gain market share

• Improve website speed

• Competitive advantage

Keeping these benefits in mind and ready to hop on board the SEO train, let’s look more in-depth at what a professional SEO expert can provide and how to find the best one for your business.  

What is an SEO expert?

A Search Engine Optimization expert or specialist will analyze, test, and make changes to your website to ensure it is optimized for search engines. They can either be an employee trained in SEO, an individual consultant, or an SEO consulting firm. Any qualified individual will be able to make adjustments based on data so that your website will rank higher in search results on major search engines.

Finding the right person can be challenging, so we will provide you with all the right questions to ask during an interview and what to look for in your prospects. 

Ten questions to ask an SEO expert during an interview:

1. What sets you apart from other SEO experts?

This question is common to ask during an interview, but a good one. When deciding between several candidates, sometimes it's best to hear straight from the interviewee why exactly they stand out. Learning more about their most valuable qualities and services will help you decide if they are the right fit for your business. 

In addition, their answer can provide you with some insight into the depth of their SEO knowledge. Depending on their ability to explain their skills, you can gauge what level they're on and the benefits they'll bring to your company. 

2. Can you provide an outline of your SEO process?

This question is not asking for a full rundown of their work but instead how they approach a situation. The SEO expert can provide you with their usual strategies, tips, and tricks for better site performance. 

At this time, you can also throw in a realistic example and see how they respond. Find out how they would handle the situation and what they can do to make improvements. Again, providing an example will allow you to see how they examine real-world problems and what to do to manage them effectively. 

3. What tools do you use for SEO campaigns?

To diagnose your web page’s condition, an SEO expert might use various tools to build an SEO campaign properly. These tools can also assist with learning more about backlinking practices and competitors' success. Depending on what the specialist uses, your strategy may or may not see success. If you are interested in hiring an SEO company, knowing that they use high-quality software versus standard tools can distinguish them as an established group of professionals.

4. How do you measure progress?

Countless metrics can guide your campaign and let you know how it is performing. Asking what features determine if your site is doing well from the SEO experts’ perspective will indicate how they measure success. This element goes hand-in-hand with the company's business goals and will show you if they align with your objectives. Often, they will mention key performance indicators (KPIs) as a way to measure progress, and if they can relate one to the direct benefit of your business, you can be more confident.

5. How often do you send out reports?

Reports from an SEO specialist can be a great way to see developments on your site along with areas that still need improving. A report will allow you to stay in the know on what elements are successful. Finding out if the expert will provide weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports is a reliable way to maintain communication between your business and them. 

6. When should I expect to see results?

Getting a clear idea of how long it takes to start seeing a difference in ranking is helpful to know when deciding between applicants. If one individual states that it could just take a few weeks compared to another person that mentioned a few months, the former can be a potential red flag. Results don’t come easily, and some experts may be inflating their answers with unrealistic expectations. However, having them provide you with the average amount of time it takes to see results from previous experience is a good indicator of what to expect for your website. 

7. Which keywords would be beneficial for our company to use and why?

This question will put them slightly on the spot but show if they’ve done a little homework on your company. It's helpful to find out more information on the direction they want to go in and potential keywords they think would benefit your company. However, watch out for experts who will focus on unproductive terms and then overstate their ability to help with ranking. 

8. What do you expect to achieve as an SEO specialist working for our company in the first six months?

Listen carefully to this answer, since it will outline the objectives for your company over the next few months. This question will allow the specialist to provide you with more information on their intentions for your company and what they feel is achievable. At this point, you can communicate your expectations and see if it aligns with what they have in mind. If not, it’s the perfect chance to address any concerns or potential expectations you have for your website. 

9. How do you stay on top of SEO trends?

Search engines are constantly improving while introducing new opportunities for SEO experts. Therefore, it’s essential to keep on top of the trends and know the best course of action during the appropriate period. Google currently has over 200 ranking factors, and ensuring that the specialist can find out and learn about new ones promptly is an essential element to consider. 

10. Can you provide a few examples of SEO case studies?

If the SEO expert or company has previous experience in the field, they will produce case studies to display their work. It could consist of success stories or even work in progress. Either way, it will provide you with an idea of their proficiency and ability to produce positive results. 

What to look for in an expert:

With the various interview questions you have ready to go, you should know which to ask the SEO specialist that will provide you with the best information to make your decision. With this in mind, here are important qualities to look for in an SEO expert during the interview process:

Communication skills

As a small business owner, you may have a vast knowledge of SEO or know very little. Despite your level of expertise on the topic, you want to look for a prospect with excellent communication skills. They must have the ability to communicate issues and results to you and explain them in a way that anyone can understand. It's highly beneficial to hire someone who can specify what changes need to be made while also communicating with you along the way. 

Years of SEO experience

Anyone can become an ‘SEO expert’ overnight, but do they know what they’re doing? Several aspects fit into the big picture of providing SEO services for a company, and it can take several years of experience to grasp what needs to be done. While everyone may approach a situation differently, an expert with valuable experience will know what needs to be done to see results. Pay attention to years of experience but also what they have learned from those past positions. 

Align with company culture

This is more of a general quality that will dictate how the individual will fit into the company. Whether you run a small business of only a few members or have a larger team, culture is important. The SEO expert may need to communicate with various people within the company, and if they don’t align well with the culture, it can be tricky to do the job correctly. They may need assistance from others, and issues among team members can affect productivity and progress. 

Understanding of company goals

With each company comes different objectives. Maybe your focus is on conversions, or bounce rate, or simply driving traffic to your site. The SEO expert will need to understand your intentions and goals to know what needs to be changed to achieve that mission. You can communicate this in the job posting or discuss it in the interview. Either way, making sure the specialist understands what the big picture is for your company will help them give you the results you expect. 

Marketing expertise

SEO involves plenty of technical issues; however, it also requires expertise in traditional marketing. The main objective of SEO is to provide the consumer what they're looking for and make it appealing, and by doing this, they will also be employing marketing strategies. If an SEO expert has a clear background in marketing, it’s a bonus that they will always keep the target audience in mind. 

Hiring an SEO expert

Venturing into SEO can be exciting for any business, especially since hiring an expert is an excellent long-term investment. With hiring the right person comes all the benefits that SEO has to offer. You now have the questions to ask and what qualities to look for to go forward with the next step. Keeping each of these points in mind will ensure you will find the right match for your company and start seeing positive changes to your website. 

FAQs

What is an SEO expert?

A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert or specialist will analyze, test, and make changes to your website to guarantee it is optimized for search engines. In addition, they will ensure that search engine results are relevant in order to grow website traffic, brand awareness and create a positive user experience. 

How much does it cost to hire an SEO specialist?

The cost of an SEO specialist depends mainly on a few factors. First, they can either be an employee trained in SEO, an individual consultant, or an SEO consulting firm. Depending on the route you take, each one will charge different fees and offer you various services. In addition, if you were to hire an employee trained explicitly in SEO versus a freelancer, the cost might be in a salary compared to an hourly or project rate. 

Do I need an SEO expert for my business?

If you’re looking to optimize your website in any way, a professional can be a tremendous assistance. Think of it as a long-term investment into your company. After a few months of working alongside an SEO expert, you will see results and can expect improvements in all aspects of your business. A few examples of what SEO experts can do for you are to help you learn more about your audience, identify content gaps, gather valuable data and analytics, and probably most importantly, increase sales.

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