I can only imagine how hard it is to hire someone in SEO.
We’re almost quite literally known as the snake oil industry.
That doesn’t start us off on the right foot does it?
SEO itself isn’t a snake oil industry but we have many players who act as snake oil salesman.
While I’m sure you’ll do plenty of research before hiring an SEO consultant, I wanted to put together this article to help you narrow down your search.
Step #1: Before Hiring an SEO Consultant, Understand What Your Specific SEO Goals Are
Start the consultant search by understanding what you’re trying to achieve.
Do you want to:
- Get more people to your site?
- Rank for more keywords?
- Increase leads?
- Reverse declining traffic?
Set some numerical goals, like getting your keyword rankings to the top 3, getting your website to double its traffic, or increasing organic revenue by X%.
This will give you a better idea of what you’re looking for and how you want to achieve it.
Make it clear what your goals are.
Step #2: Let The Consultant Know Your Budget Prior to the Engagement
Be honest with consultants about how much you’re spending on SEO each month or year.
That way, they can come up with solutions that fit your budget.
Don’t just ask for a “proposal” without setting out how much you’re willing to spend.
If you want to pay based on how much traffic, ranking, or conversions you get, be flexible with your marketing budget.
Most SEO consultants will start with an audit to help understand how involved your website will be.
How to find an SEO consultant that’s aligned with your budget and goals
When it comes to pricing, it’s important to understand the different types of SEO services you’re working with.
Some agencies will charge you for certain services, like content creation, while others will charge you for everything.
It’s also important to compare the prices of different services to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Some agencies might charge more for certain services than others, so make sure you know the trade-offs.
Step #3: Ask the consultant to share case studies from past clients
If you’re looking for an SEO consultant to work with, don’t just rely on client references.
When starting your vetting process, do some research online and look for reviews on sites like Google and Clutch.
See if there’s any bad news like leadership changes or legal problems.
Also, check out how many people are visiting their website and how well their SEO is doing.
To me, that’s the best indicator of an SEO who actually knows what they’re doing.
Do they practice what they preach?
Step #4: Do your homework on the consultant
Reputation is a measure of how good an agency is at what they do, so make sure you find one with a good track record of successful SEO projects and ethical practices.
Here are a few ways you can gauge a company’s quality:
- Always Start With Genuine Client Testimonials and Online Reviews
- Look at the Potential SEO Consultant’s Years of Experience
- Ensure Your SEO Consultant Actually Specializes in SEO
- Review the Agency’s Past Performance Metrics
- Consider the Depth of the Agency’s Team Expertise
- Gauge Their Responsiveness Early On
- Investigate Their Client Retention History
Step #5: Make the next steps clear during and after the engagement
Some companies will actually lock you into a contract and make it hard for you to leave if you choose to do so.
Review the full proposal before you sign it. These contracts will sometimes sneak things in, hoping you’ll miss them.
Usually, it works best if you work with a company that offers month-to-month contracts. Anything else can be a major red flag.
Step #6: Set KPIs and monitor progress throughout the engagement
If you end up working with this company, especially if it’s month to month, measure the progress being made each month, and if you’re seeing movement.
Just know that SEO is a channel that requires patience, so this may require a bit of trust for the first few months.
By month 3, you should be able to tell whether the needle has moved at all.
SEO consultants should know there’s more to it than adding keywords to a page
Choosing the right SEO consultant is a big decision, but it pays off in the long run for businesses.
The right partner has the expertise and know-how to optimize complicated sites, plus a history of making a difference for brands in your industry.
They create data-driven strategies that fit your business’s needs and goals.
But the wrong agency can lead to wasted money and a lack of impact on your digital marketing strategy.
Veting responsiveness, skills, fit, and past performance can help you avoid regret down the line.
If you’re a business owner looking for the right partner, you need to look beyond the qualifications on paper – culture, work ethic, and adaptability.
A Few Questions to ask your potential SEO consultant
I figured this could be helpful too. Here’s a few questions that can help you know if that consultant is sh*t or legit:
- What do your past results look like?
- What do you recommend doing for my website?
- How long will it take to see results? (there’s a difference between a guarantee and estimate)
- What do you hope to help me achieve?
- How do you structure your engagements?
- What type of content should we be creating?
- What makes you different from an SEO agency?
- What tactics should we start with?
- How do you measure progress?
Red Flags to Watch Out For
So I figured this would be helpful, but here are a few red flags that can come from SEO consultants:
- They’re offering guaranteed results. Nothing is guaranteed in SEO so there can never be any promises made
- No proven results. They should at least have some case studies on their website
- Pricing that makes them the cheapest option. In SEO, the cheaper you go, the more you’ll pay overtime by fixing their mistakes
Looking to Get Started with An SEO Consultant?
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