Hiring an SEO expert or any other type of expert to grow your company online can be a tricky process, so it is important that you do your research and look out for certain things before moving forward with just any SEO. You want to know whether or not the person is right for your business. In this article I will highlight 5 things you should look for.
Hire an expert with a proven track record
If the expert has done work in your industry before, this is good sign. If they have worked on other companies that are similar to yours, it's even better. The best would be if their previous clients know them and recommend them. Chances are, if their business grew while they were working with the expert, it will grow further while he/she is working on your company as well.
But don't take my word for granted - do a couple of background checks and make sure to get a list of clients the expert has worked with before so you can contact them and get a general opinion of how the work went.
Hire an expert with extensive knowledge in your field
The more specific knowledge an SEO has on a certain topic, the better he/she will be able to handle the task at hand. For instance, if you need help with a car-selling website and hire someone who has worked with e-commerce stores in the past, you're going to have a hard time finding good results. The expert might know best practices but will not be able to really dive deep into search engine optimization for your field because he/she simply doesn't know it well enough. Here are some topics that an SEO should be knowledgeable about:
- how search engines work
- SEO best practices for your industry/niche
- local SEO (if applicable)
- web analytics, keywords etc.
Hire an expert with a flexible approach
Many people fall on the mistake of hiring somebody who promises them the best results in the shortest time possible, regardless of whether or not it's true for their company. You need to know that some activities take longer than others and that what works for one business, might not work as well for another. The best SEOs will focus on your company's needs, not set a strict schedule and present you with a "one size fits all" solution. Flexibility is key when it comes to doing business online and even more so in the case of search engine optimization.
Hire an expert who can produce actionable reports
I know that when I hire someone to help me with something, I expect to get a report with the progress so far in the beginning of every month. The best experts will provide you with an extensive monthly or bi-weekly report where they analyze what has been done so far and why it worked. If you are not getting reports, it means that your money is not being invested properly.
Hire an expert who can focus on long term success
A lot of people will promise you instant success with whatever the task at hand might be. That's definitely something to look out for because after a while, if your website traffic or rankings don't increase as they promised, you will be disappointed and feel like you lost your money. It's important to hire somebody who knows how to work with search engines and is interested in growing your company long term. If you want the best results, focus on finding somebody who can create a strategy that guarantees success for many years ahead.
Summary
To recap, here are the 5 main things to look for when hiring an SEO expert:
1. Hire somebody who has done work in your industry before
2. Hire somebody with extensive knowledge of your niche/field
3. Hire somebody flexible, not set on a strict schedule
4. Hire somebody who can produce actionable reports that show you what's been done
5. Hire somebody with long term plans for your company's success online
Contact
Don't hesitate to contact us if you want help improving SEO for your business! Visit SEMhawaii today & fill out the contact form or email info@semhawaii.com today!