Hiring an SEO consultant can be a great way to free up time and resources for other business growth initiatives. Whether your business is scaling, revamping its website, or simply preparing for increased organic traffic, an SEO expert can help you stay competitive online.
Choosing the right freelancer for your needs requires a bit of due diligence. Look for the following traits in your ideal SEO consultant:
Experience
The quality of an SEO consultant can have a significant impact on the results you’re able to achieve. While some candidates will focus solely on the technical aspects of optimizing a website, others will have a more holistic approach. This can include keyword research, content writing, and link-building. In addition, some may even offer social media marketing services as part of their overall SEO package.
The first step in finding the right fit is to consider your own unique needs and goals for hiring a SEO specialist. For example, you may want a consultant who is experienced in working with your specific industry or niche market. This will make it easier for them to understand what your business is about and how they can help improve your search engine ranking.
You should also consider how you want to interact with a potential candidate. Find out whether they prefer to communicate via phone, Skype, text, or email and how often you’d like them to contact you with progress updates. Also, ask what their pricing model is. Some may charge hourly while others will work on a project-based basis or by retainer.
A good search engine optimization consultant should be able to provide you with a list of clients and testimonials from their previous work. You should also check out their online profiles, including Google searches and reviews. If a candidate makes unrealistic promises or claims, such as guaranteeing top Google rankings, it’s probably best to move on to another candidate.
While it’s important to hire a skilled SEO professional, you should also ensure they are aligned with your broader marketing strategy. This means that they should be able to create content and strategies that will appeal to your target audience and convert them into paying customers. They should also be able to coordinate with other service providers, such as social media or email marketers, to optimize the impact of your digital marketing efforts. The ability to do this is known as “synergy.” Test your candidates with a tool like TestGorilla to assess their abilities. The right SEO consultant can help you stay competitive in your niche market and drive more organic traffic to your website.
Knowledge of Industry Trends
It’s important for an SEO consultant to keep up with the latest industry trends and best practices. This will help them develop new strategies and implement innovative tactics that can boost their clients’ search engine rankings. They also need to be able to anticipate and adapt to changes in search engine algorithms, which can impact website traffic and ranking performance.
The best way to find out how well an SEO expert knows their craft is by asking them for references from previous clients and performing a quick web audit using a tool like Ahrefs’ Site Explorer. This will allow you to see how much organic traffic has increased over time for a specific website and what improvements were made. You should also ask the consultant about any other marketing efforts they have been involved with, such as social media and email marketing, to make sure they have a well-rounded understanding of digital marketing.
When hiring an SEO consultant, it’s also a good idea to look at online directories such as Clutch, UpCity, and G2 Crowd to see what others have to say about them. However, it’s important to take these reviews with a grain of salt as they can be misleading. For example, an SEO consultant with a great reputation might have paid for positive reviews from their competitors or they may have just won a client through a referral.
A reputable SEO consultant will be able to provide you with case studies and testimonials that prove their expertise. In addition, they will be able to explain what strategies they used and the results that were achieved. If a consultant makes unrealistic claims such as guaranteeing top ranking results on Google, it’s best to steer clear.
Once you’ve compiled a list of potential candidates, it’s a good idea to use an assessment platform such as TestGorilla to evaluate their skills and knowledge. For example, you can create a test that assesses candidates’ technical SEO skills or a writing test to see if they are able to write keyword-optimized content. This will allow you to choose the best SEO consultant to meet your business needs.
Advanced Tools and Technologies
Whether they work as freelancers or as part of an agency, SEO consultants need to have access to and use the best tools available. To be effective, they should also have an in-depth understanding of how search engines operate and the latest SEO trends and strategies. This is what helps them improve a website’s visibility and organic traffic.
They often research the client’s industry, target market, and competitors to choose the most relevant keywords or phrases to optimize their website. They may also help with the content and code of a website to ensure that it is search-engine friendly. They can also develop and execute a link-building strategy to improve the website’s domain authority and credibility.
To assess their skills, you can test them with an online assessment tool like ours. Our free test allows you to build an assessment for up to five questions that will evaluate your candidates’ knowledge of technical SEO, on-page optimization, and keyword research/planning. It will give you a clearer picture of who is the best fit for your company.
If you’re considering hiring a search marketing consultant, it’s important to set clear goals and expectations for them from the start. This will help avoid miscommunication and potential conflicts down the road. It’s also essential to make sure that you understand their working style and communication skills. If they can’t communicate with your team effectively, it will be difficult for both parties to collaborate and achieve a positive result.
Finally, you should check their background and previous projects. This will help you determine how well they’ll be able to perform on your project and provide you with references that can attest to their quality of work.
Flexibility
SEO is a long-term game, and you need an expert who can help you sustain your results. Make sure your consultant provides monthly reports that detail current rankings and the work they’ve completed. These updates will help you keep track of your ROI and determine whether their services are working.
When choosing an SEO consultant, ask about their communication style and customer service standards. You want someone responsive and will treat your business as if it were their own. Find out if they prefer to communicate via phone, email, Skype, text messaging, or other channels. Additionally, consider how often they’ll reach out with status updates and other information related to your project.
Additionally, it’s essential to find out what they specialize in and how this relates to your business. For example, if your business is local, you’ll need an SEO expert who understands the nuances of optimizing for local search results.
Moreover, it’s important to find out if they have experience with your specific industry and what strategies they use for their clients. For instance, if your business is in the fitness industry, you’ll need a specialist who knows how to promote websites that provide workouts and nutrition advice.
You should also look at the types of businesses the SEO consultant has worked with in the past. Find out if they have a portfolio on their website that lists some of the companies they’ve helped and what their organic traffic growth was like. Additionally, check out online review sites and contact previous clients to get a better idea of what it will be like working with them.
Hiring a professional SEO consultant can help your business grow by boosting its visibility and online reach. In addition, it can free up your time so that you can focus on core business activities. Ultimately, SEO is an investment that will pay dividends over the long term. So, don’t hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity and hire an SEO expert for your business. By doing so, you can be confident that your business will thrive in the digital age.