Search engine optimization (SEO) is a never-ending game of cat and mouse. You can never fully master it because Google, as well as other search engines, are constantly updating their algorithms to make it harder for sites to reach the top of their rankings with tricks and black hat SEO techniques.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get started with SEO on your website today. There are many simple techniques you can use to help bring more traffic from search engines to your website. A local SEO Company can be a huge asset if you want to take your website’s SEO efforts to the next level.
As an online business owner, you might not have the time or resources available to take on another project right now. But as we’ll see in this post, finding an expert is not that difficult if you know where to look and what qualities to look for in a potential candidate. Here are ten tips on how you can find a great SEO specialist fast:
Know what to look for
Depending on the work you want to be done, hiring an SEO specialist can either be pretty simple or extremely challenging. If all you need is a standard SEO audit, you can find plenty of freelancers online who do this kind of work.
If you want to go a step further and hire someone to develop and execute an SEO strategy for you, you’ll want to make sure they have a few key skills and qualities:
- SEO experience: Make sure they know the latest SEO strategies, which may differ depending on the industry you’re in.
- Strong knowledge of your industry: If the person you’re considering hiring doesn’t have experience in your specific industry, they may not be able to bring you the results you’re looking for.
- Ability to work independently: You don’t want to micromanage your SEO specialist. However, you also don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t take the initiative and needs to be told exactly what to do every step of the way.
Network, network, and network
If you know people in your industry, see if there are any SEO specialists among them. You might be able to get a recommendation or two. You can also ask for tips on finding the right SEO expert for your business.
And don’t just limit yourself to people you know through business connections. Even if you know absolutely no one in your industry, there are several online networks where you can find potential candidates.
A few networks worth checking out:
- LinkedIn: Use the search feature to find people in your industry who work in SEO.
- Facebook groups: Join groups related to your industry and see if anyone is offering their services as an SEO expert.
- Reddit: There are several subreddits dedicated to SEO professionals.
Estimate the cost of hiring an SEO expert
Another thing to consider as you look to hire an SEO expert is how much it will cost to do so. SEO experts typically charge by the hour (sometimes with a minimum charge of a few hours). You can find a wide range of rates depending on the experience and reputation of the SEO expert you’re considering hiring.
In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from $40-$100+ per hour for an SEO expert. A good rule of thumb is that for every $100 you want to spend on SEO monthly, you should expect to spend $1,000 upfront on an expert.
So if you want to spend $1,000 per month on SEO, expect to pay $10,000 once you hire an expert. However, don’t be afraid to negotiate with an expert on price. If they’re good at what they do, they’ll be worth every penny. But you may have some leeway when it comes to negotiating their rates.
Don’t just hire the first expert you find
Remember, you’re entrusting your company’s SEO strategy to this person. You want to make sure they know what they’re doing. So don’t just hire the first person you find. Instead, follow these steps to ensure you find the right person for the job:
- Create a list of 5-10 potential candidates and reach out to them for an initial consultation. You can also set up a Google Hangout or Skype call if you prefer to do so remotely.
- Outline your goals and expectations for the SEO work. Make sure to thoroughly go through what you want them to do for your business and have examples ready to show them if needed.
- Ask them any questions you have. This is your chance to make sure they know what they’re talking about, as well as to find out if they’re the right person for the job.
Check out their past work and reviews
One way to make sure you’re hiring the right person is to look at the work they’ve done in the past. If they’ve worked with other companies in the past, you can find their website or social media profiles and check out their past work. You can also check out their reviews and ratings on platforms like Yelp, Google My Business, and other review sites.
If you find a lot of negative reviews, or if their past work is not up to par, you may want to consider hiring someone else. You can also ask for examples of their past work if you think it will help you make a decision. If you want them to do some specific work for you, ask for examples of their previous work that is similar to what you want them to do for you.
Run a quick SEO audit yourself
If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on hiring an expert, you can do a quick SEO audit yourself and make sure your site is ready for the work an expert will be doing. Run a search on Google for “quick SEO audit” or something similar, and you’ll find a few helpful guides.
An SEO audit is a way for you to evaluate the current state of your website and its ability to rank in search engines. It’s a good way to identify areas where you can improve your pages’ ranking and get more traffic. You can perform a basic audit on your website by following these steps:
Set your expectations beforehand
Before you hire an SEO specialist, make sure you both have an understanding of the work they will be doing for you and your site. You don’t want to be surprised by their work or have the work they do for you not meet your expectations.
Try to you have a clear vision of what you want your site to accomplish and how you want it to be optimized. Then make sure you communicate this to your potential SEO specialist. This will help them better understand what they need to do for you.
Plus, it also gives you an opportunity to screen out SEO experts who may not be a good fit for your business. If they don’t understand what you want or if their proposed SEO strategy doesn’t fit what you want to achieve, you can cross them off your list.
Summing up
Hiring an SEO expert is an excellent way to take your SEO strategy to the next level. However, finding the right person for the job can be a bit of a challenge. With the tips outlined in this article, you should be able to find a great SEO expert in no time. Once you do, you can start implementing their SEO strategies and bringing more traffic to your website.