How to hire the right SEO expert?

Got a business website to rank in search engines? Or, maybe, you have a general website or blog for which you want to improve your search rank position. You need an search engine optimization expert.

How to find an SEO expert? It’s the question that you need to ask before hiring anyone.

SEO Consultant - Green Tick Mark

Everyone claims to be an SEO expert

Anyone with a basic understanding of SEO and tonnes of self-importance starts thinking of himself of an SEO expert. Don’t end up taking such claims seriously.

Most people know what’s SEO – search engine optimization. They are aware of the basics of on-page SEO: which involves things such as content optimization, using the right keywords and using H1 & H2 tags. They also know that they need to get backlinks for better ranking.

SEO is much more than the common knowledge. It’s a specialized skill. If you aren’t ranking your website for important keywords, you don’t have the real hang of SEO.

No amount of theoretical knowledge about SEO makes it appropriate to claim expertise.

Verify that the SEO is truly expert

When every other person thinks he is an SEO expert, how do you find the right one? Let’s say you want to hire an SEO for your small business in San Diego, CA. You need to hire an SEO expert in San Diego.

Here are the main things to check for validating the claims of your prospective SEO.

  1. Past performance: Ask for the SEO projects they have worked on. Get references and cross-check.
  2. Experience: How long has the person been in the trade? Is the person currently active as an SEO? If someone has worked on website SEO in the past, it doesn’t give them a right of passage. SEO changes every year, or even few months. So, hire someone who can navigate the latest SEO landscape.
  3. SEO Roadmap: Any good SEO will provide you an outline of the SEO work for the project at hand.
  4. Transparency: Is your SEO transparent about how the search optimization plan will be executed? If there are any ambiguity in the SEO plan outlined, ask for clarifications. Is the SEO able to provide satisfactory answers? Many SEO agencies tend to provide a vague outline or work proposal. Ask for a clear plan of action.
  5. Flexible Contracts: If you are hiring a new SEO expert, you might want to start with a short contract, or even a month-on-month contract. Entering into a long-term contract might be counterproductive if you fail to find the right SEO agency. You should start on a trial basis, and take further action based on your real experience.
  6. Measurable Results: Is your website SEO work helping your website? Any good SEO will provide you with updates on ranking and traffic. Take note of your rankings and traffic on a weekly or bimonthly or monthly basis. If your website rankings improve in 6 months and continue to improve, it should be taken as an indication of positive results. No ranking change or consistent decline for months indicates bad SEO. Your SEO agency might be able to provide reports using tools such as Ahrefs, Moz and SEMRush.
  7. Real & Honest: Are you really communicating with a real person or agency? Though it sounds incredulous, there are bloggers and website owners who don’t really exists. Many clever folks simply use a pen name or even create a fictitious identity. They even create social profiles for their fake identities.

Still not sure how to find an SEO expert for your business website? Do you have trouble finding the best SEO agency at affordable price for yourself? Send us your requirement for a free quote within 24 hours.