{"id":1032,"date":"2018-06-28T19:51:35","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T19:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cildermansolutions.com\/?p=1032"},"modified":"2023-11-04T13:27:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T17:27:12","slug":"need-seo-expert-services-hiring-tips-save-time-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cildermansolutions.com\/need-seo-expert-services-hiring-tips-save-time-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Need SEO Expert Services? 3 Hiring Tips to Save You Time & Money"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unfortunately, search engine optimization marketers or \u201cSEOs\u201d tend to be the \u201cbottom-feeders\u201d of the marketing industry. How many times a day do we all get spam messages from these sort of SEOs promising us \u201c1st position in Google!\u201d? Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ve got the tips to help you find and hire the right SEO Expert to grow your business and revenue!<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Searching<\/p>\n

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?<\/h2>\n

Ok, you\u2019re here because you realized you need professional SEO help. But what is SEO? Before we begin, let\u2019s make sure you have a basic understanding.<\/p>\n

Search engine optimization has to do with the design of your website and the user experience that you create. When we break it down a little further, the user\u2019s experience is influenced by the layout, images or videos, and text; it is also affected by more technical issues like page load speeds, mobile usability, or even broken links.<\/p>\n

Not only is user experience important, but you have to make sure to take additional steps to optimize for Google\u2019s crawler bots and this might include areas like metadata, keyword usage, crawlability, etc. If this sounds a little intimidating, don\u2019t worry. We\u2019re gonna help you find an SEO Expert to handle these tasks for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evaluating SEO Expert Services: The 3 P’s of POWER<\/h2>\n

A simple checklist of questions to ask or red flags to watch out for will never be dynamic enough to help you interview various SEO expert services. So, we\u2019ve created three essential areas to evaluate as you interview these Search Professionals.<\/p>\n

Evaluate Their Priorities<\/h3>\n

Do They Make You Feel Comfortable?<\/b><\/p>\n

You\u2019re about to enter into a partnership with your SEO, invest money, and possibly give them administrative access to your website. You need to feel comfortable with them. \u00a0Remember, you aren\u2019t just looking for an SEO Expert, you are also looking for a partner. Do they listen to your needs or are they talking over you, trying to prove their expertise? Do they seem a little too \u201cslick\u201d or are they genuinely interested in helping you? The best advice I have for you, here, is to \u201ctrust your gut\u201d!<\/p>\n

Do They Want a Long-Term Relationship?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, sometimes search engine optimization is a one time project, but for the most part, SEO is an ongoing process, a competition with your competitors to be found by potential clients who are looking to hire you. Even if you have a limited engagement with the SEO Professional, you want someone who thinks long-term and who wants to foster a relationship with you or your company.<\/p>\n

Dishonest SEO Consultants have been known to employ tricks that will cause your website to immediately skyrocket in rankings and then become penalized by Google (ultimately, ending up much lower than where you started). By the time you notice the problem, these types of SEOs are long gone with your money in hand.<\/p>\n

Remember, you want to partner with someone who is interested in helping you and your business succeed over the long term.<\/p>\n

Do Your Budgets Align?<\/b><\/p>\n

Can the SEO Expert work within your budget? Sometimes quality Search Marketers have a minimum level of engagement (yearly or monthly budget) that they require to take on a new client.<\/p>\n

Optimization efforts can often be broken down or segmented into smaller projects. Is the SEO Expert flexible enough to create monthly or periodic packages to help you meet goals within your budget?<\/p>\n

Evaluate Their Process<\/h2>\n

The Search Professional should be able to clearly articulate their process for diagnosing and fixing issues.<\/p>\n

Red Flags<\/b><\/p>\n

When they explain their process, here are a few red flags to watch out for:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The SEO should not promise 1st position in Google<\/b> (except maybe for your own name, branded search, etc.).<\/li>\n
  2. There are no gimmicks or hacks<\/b> to quickly ranking well; making it to the first page comes through hard work, creating optimized content, and a user experience that is superior to your competitors.<\/li>\n
  3. Be careful if they talk about \u201clink-building<\/b>.\u201d Executed poorly, this can severely hurt your reputation, rankings, and revenue<\/b>. As explained above, the safest way to earn links, and rank higher, is to create the best, optimized content and then promote it. If the content is worthy, the links and higher rankings will follow.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Expectations & Goals Setting for SEO<\/b><\/p>\n

    A discussion of their optimization process will naturally lead to expectations and goal setting.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Unless your website is in disrepair (then a fix might have immediate, positive results), search engine optimization is often a process that takes time. You should know up front to allow at least 3 months before fully judging efficacy.<\/li>\n
    2. In order to determine the success of your SEO efforts, you need to start by setting goals. Setting goals for SEO can be tricky. You are not just looking for better rankings in search results, you are looking for increased rankings that bring your website traffic. However, you are not just looking for traffic; you are looking for targeted traffic that will hopefully, convert to customers. This topic is worthy of a whole separate article<\/a>. I would recommend that after doing some basic research, you work with your SEO Expert to come up with goals that best fit your situation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Evaluate Their Proof<\/h2>\n

      Let\u2019s be honest, you are taking a necessary risk when you hire someone. One of the ways to reduce this risk is to look for proof of their SEO expertise. Examine their results, case studies, and reviews.<\/p>\n