How to hire in the right SEO specialist for your business

Understand the value of SEO for your business. Hiring a great SEO starts with understanding it yourself. Just like owning a business, if something is needed, it is of imperative importance you do the correct due diligence on the way in. You need to do as much research as you can and you need to be sure on the added value this service will be able to offer and deliver to you too. It does of course help for you to hire the correct people for the job in hand.

Internet usage is booming, and you need to navigate the search engine playing field to survive as a business. You know that search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential, but hiring SEO experts can be intimidating. With all of this in mind, you need to take the right turn and in turn get the best people to do your all important SEO work too.

In short, how this works

Before you buy an SEO package, it’s helpful to learn the SEO basics so you can properly vet your SEO prospects. If you have an existing in-house marketing department, you might have a decent grasp on digital marketing. Essentially, you’re looking to organically show up at the top of Google, Bing, and Yahoo’s rankings – meaning you earn the spot rather than buy it.

How to start looking between the lines from provider to provider

As you browse the best SEO companies, you’re narrowing down your options to land on the best fit for your business. It’s useful to hear straight from candidates about their most valuable qualities and services. Getting a company to describe their methods and experience is wise because they have to pitch themselves to you. SEO specialists should have a foundational sense of marketing, and their answers to the question, “What makes you different?” are telling. You need to fully vet the SEO specialist you are in talks with.

Getting a key summary of the methods used

Within SEO methods, there are multiple ways to approach and refine your site to top search engine rankings and drive traffic. Ask the SEO specialist to lay out the usual cornerstones to their strategies. Offer the SEO specialist a practical example and let them respond with their tips and tricks for better site performance. Contextual scenarios can help you observe their real-world capabilities. Full-service agencies should be able to discuss their full range of Internet marketing skills. They will also go into good detail in how they can support overall success. If you also run pay-per-click (PPC) ads and do social media marketing, then it’s beneficial to explore how SEO plays into these efforts. A combination model is a well-rounded option, but it’s even stronger with an integrated campaign.

Being open regarding key website edits

In SEO, your website is going to get shaken up with code-level changes and structural transformation. Everything from the aesthetic appearance to the navigation is liable to change, which means you can end up with a total makeover. When your SEO specialist is transparent about major site components, it’s a good indication. Hiring an SEO specialist that’s straightforward about their methods keeps you away from black hat SEO and penalties. Later on, you can experience problems from deceitful SEO if you’re kept in the dark about your site. From here, your business and website could suffer.

Look at their reviews to date from other clients

Is it easy to find positive reviews? When evaluating skill level, look for comments with substance. Give more weight to feedback from seasoned professionals or mature businesses, versus inexperienced solopreneurs who don’t yet understand search and are simply excited to see their brand name show up in results.

Also have a good think too of the wider working process

Think about the on-boarding process, initial site audit, and any on-going meetings. Some businesses prefer a do-it-for-me approach, while others want as much education and training as possible. Regardless of your preference, good SEO consultants will usually kickoff with an in-depth discovery meeting to learn about your business.

Take note of the following though

It’s understandable why many people believe the best SEO agencies rank the highest in search engines. However, it’s important not to solely rely on Google rankings to make a decision on what agency to hire. Where an SEO agency ranks isn’t always an indication of their ability to rank their client’s site. Believe it or not, there are excellent agencies out there who are delivering significant results for their clients. In turn, they are so busy providing a five-star service and winning business. This is through word of mouth so they don’t put the time into fully optimising their own site.

Also what to look out for

Sometimes agencies devote a lot of resource into improving their SEO because they aren’t getting the volume of clients they’d hoped for through other methods of client acquisition. You should also bear this in mind when it comes to agencies who pay for ads. With that being said, it’s important that we emphasise we are by no means saying not to hire an agency that ranks highly in the SERPs, we are simply saying there are so many other factors to consider. Therefore, searching for the best search engine optimisation agency or the top SEO agency for your company may involve sifting through more that one page of search engine results.

Don’t just look at price

As you do your research, you’ll quickly realise that the fees SEO agencies charge for their services varies greatly. In the world of SEO pricing isn’t always an indication of quality. You’ll find SEO agencies that charge relatively low fees but deliver great results. You will also find agencies who charge relatively high fees and under deliver. Whilst ‘cheap SEO packages’ might sound attractive they are not always the best option. This is continually when hiring the best SEO agency for your business. This is because the delivery of high-quality SEO services is both labour and capital intensive. If a company is offering cheap packages it may be an indication that they lack the resources required to get excellent results for your company.

Overall

Every business is unique, therefore, if an SEO company is offering a package, be sure to check if and how they tailor their packages to their client’s individual businesses. Another reason why it is important that you do not hire an SEO agency on the basis of them being cheap is that they could value your custom less. Think of it this way. An SEO company that has adopted the simplistic business model to charge much lower than competitors will attract a higher volume of clients. This business model is not conducive of the formation of long-term business relationships. Therefore, if you aren’t happy with the SEO service that they deliver, losing you as a client won’t bother them. This is as much because they’ll have a string of new clients lined up.