What Questions to Ask When Looking for an SEO Specialist

Is your website having trouble being found on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo? If so, then it sounds like you need some help in the SEO department. For those that don’t know, SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) is the digital marketing practice of using keywords, links, and backend web design to enhance your ranking on search engines. That way, when someone searches for something related to you, your website pops up at the top of the list.

While SEO is a difficult topic to master, the good news is that you don’t have to be an expert. There’s an entire industry of professionals dedicated to performing high-quality SEO services and enhancing your search ranking. However, when it comes to hiring an SEO specialist, there are a couple of questions you should ask both them and yourself to ensure that you get someone that understands your goals and what you’re looking to accomplish. Check out our list of questions to ask when looking for an SEO specialist.

Question 1: Do You Have a Portfolio?

When it comes to SEO work, you should never hire someone that cannot provide you with their past work. A good SEO expert will be able to show what they’ve done for their previous clients, including their current search rankings compared to where they used to be, keywords they’ve established, and high-quality links they have put in place. Remember to always ask for a portfolio as it can provide you with a preview of what to expect from their services.

Question 2: What Tactics Do You Use?

There are a million and one ways to affect someone’s SEO ranking. While some work better than others, there are a few tactics that are downright wrong and will damage your SEO ranking in the long run. Asking this question will prevent that from happening.

Stay away from SEO specialists that refuse to tell you their tactics and don’t allow them to brush their methods as magic. Highly skilled specialist aren’t afraid to tell you what it is they do what they do.

Question 3: How Will I Know The Status of My SEO Performance?

One of the most important factors of enhancing your SEO ranking is measuring its performance. Any specialist you decide to work with should have an efficient way to measure your current SEO performance and report it back to you.

Whether it’s Google Analytics or any other platform, you should know where your SEO ranking and keyword performance stand, as well as what can be done in order to improve it.

Question 4: Will Changes Need to be Made to My Website?

As previously stated, there are many factors that can affect your SEO ranking; one of them being your website’s current design. Now while you may love your current layout, there’s a chance that you may have to make some changes for the greater SEO good.

Whether that includes making it mobile-friendly, adding or removing content, or the addition of new videos and images, these are all things that should be discussed with your potential SEO specialist beforehand.

Question 5: How Can I Get in Contact With You?

Communication with your specialist is pivotal when it comes to your SEO ranking. With them potentially making changes to your overall site design and format, it’s important that you stay informed every step of the way. Sending emails back and forth can get very tedious and time-consuming, especially if they are the take-two-days-to-respond type.

Try to set up some sort of communication schedule with your specialist like a bi-weekly phone call to discuss performance and a progress report sent via email. They should also be able to provide you with set times where they are available to speak.

Question 6: What are Your Rates and Fees?

And now we get to the biggest deciding factor: money. From the offset, your potential specialist should know what you are willing to pay. On the other hand, you should know how much they charge and at what rate. Some SEO specialists work on an hourly rate while others are contracted and are paid before and after a set period of time.

Another important thing to know is how long it will take to achieve your desired search ranking. While SEO doesn’t occur overnight, there are specialists that can work a lot faster for more money and vice versa.

Conclusion

Finding the right SEO specialist for you is never easy. It’s going to require some research, online reputation management, and of course, asking the right questions. Hiring an SEO specialist that is qualified and understands your goals and objectives is the best way to enhance your SEO ranking along with the number of people that view and visit your website.

Are you looking for an SEO consultant to increase your website’s traffic and enhance your visibility in the search engine result pages? To find one, visit the Target Points Inc. website.