8 Key Questions to Ask An SEO Specialist

The process of hiring an SEO specialist must not be taken lightly. Before looking for the right search engine optimization specialist, research and learn as much as possible about the various candidates. Also, ensure that the candidates are available and accessible at all times to respond to your questions.

This blog will look at different aspects of hiring an SEO specialist and how you can go about it.

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8 Questions To Ask Before Hiring An SEO Specialist

Finding a qualified search engine optimization (SEO) consultant can be challenging. One thing to keep in mind is that your website’s overall marketing plan begins with SEO. If you or your hiring team lack the necessary skills or information to evaluate a candidate’s quality, you risk waiting without receiving any results. 

Here are eight important questions to consider when hiring an SEO specialist:

1. How will you improve my search engine rankings?

Any SEO consultant can explain how to increase your visibility online, but none of them can guarantee quick results. Regardless of how excellent your SEO is, you may still not get the required traffic. The reasons could be many: Google’s algorithms are constantly changing, your competitors’ websites are constantly changing, new competitors may enter the picture, or someone may write a negative review about your business.

2. How would you measure the success of your SEO campaigns?

As you already know to measure the success of any project, you must first be aware of your goals. Every project needs to have SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, timely, and relevant. You won’t be able to define these during the initial meeting, but the SEO expert should be able to give you an idea of what type of goals were set for other organizations based on the results they sought.

3. Did you work to enhance local search results?

If your website is “local SEO” optimized, it should appear when someone in the area searches for a keyword related to your products. Ask the candidate if they have experience with local SEO and if they can include the location and state of the company in the title tags and product description of the website. A local SEO specialist should be able to give you positive answers to this. 

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4. How do you stay up-to-date on industry changes and Google updates?

As a business owner looking to hire an SEO specialist, you want someone who stays on top of all Google updates and industry changes. Look for someone who follows popular industry blogs and participates in SEO forums and discussions. In addition, an adept SEO professional will also conduct their own research and monitor the potential signs of algorithm changes. 

5. Can you provide case studies/examples of past clients you’ve helped with SEO?

A reputed freelance SEO specialist or agency can feel free to share information about his past clients and project case studies. These references can be used to assess a candidate’s efficiency and confirm that they have experience working on particular SEO strategies.

6. Which SEO tools do you use?

This question is not to know what tools they use as an SEO expert but how they can explain why they use a particular tool.

You may ask the following questions:

• What tools do you use for keyword research, and why?
• What tools do you use to monitor rankings, and why?
• What tools do you use to monitor backlinks, and why?
• What tools do you use and why to conduct competitor analysis?

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7. How long will it take to see results from SEO?

Although effective SEO takes time, an experienced SEO professional should be able to provide you with a timespan for results. Typically, you should start seeing results six months after using reputable SEO strategies. Depending on how well-maintained your site is, you can see results sooner. 

8. How much do you charge for your SEO services?

It is important to ask this question to analyze whether the freelance SEO specialist suits your company’s budget or not.

When Should You Hire An SEO Specialist?

If your website is not receiving the traffic or generating the leads it should, it may be time to hire an SEO specialist.

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Here are a few signs that indicate your website could benefit from SEO services:

• Your website is not ranking in search results.
• Your website traffic has plateaued or declined.
• Your website is not getting any organic traffic from Google.
• Your website conversion rate is low.
• You’re getting lots of web traffic, but it’s not translating into leads or sales.

If you’re experiencing any of the above issues, then it’s time to consider hiring an SEO specialist. An experienced SEO professional can help improve your website’s visibility in search results, increase organic traffic, and improve your website’s conversion rate.

Reasons to Hire An SEO Specialist

1. Brings technical expertise

When hiring an SEO specialist, you can expect them to have the technical know-how and latest industry updates and be aware of algorithmic penalties.

2. Saves time

An SEO specialist can help you avoid the guesswork and save time by implementing well-researched and proven SEO techniques and strategies that can bring tangible results.

3. Increases sales and revenue

According to a study, search engines produce more than 53% of all internet traffic and account for 40% of all online sales. In fact, SEO leads are 8X more likely to close than leads from outbound marketing tactics, with a close rate of over 14%! For this reason, SEO simply cannot be ignored.

4. Helps you stay on top of industry updates

The SEO landscape is ever-evolving. It is important to stay on top of all industry trends and algorithm updates, and an SEO specialist can help you do that.

5. Safety for your business

SEO specialists know the threats and penalties and what to look out for. An SEO specialist can keep an eye on tools like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, and others to look for major issues and offer safety for your business.

Wrapping Up

Working with an SEO expert can be tricky. Not only do you have to make sure that they have the skills they need, but they also must have a personality that matches your business. We hope you found this blog post helpful in your research to find an SEO specialist for your business. 

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