Google’s Tips for Hiring an SEO Specialist

Published on 4 May 2020

How to hire an SEO specialist? is it worth hiring an SEO expert? Lots of questions will comes to your mind before hiring an SEO specialist. But let me tell you that deciding to hire an SEO is a good decision; which will help to improve your site, generating leads and save time. In this article let us discuss Google’s Tips for hiring an SEO specialist.

How will you hire? What skills are required? You need to make sure that His/Her SEO strategies won’t damage your site and online reputation. Working with an inexperienced SEO professional may do so.

Google Webmasters has shared tips for hiring an SEO, which will be helpful for the companies who may be hiring for the first time. The advice was provided in the episode of Search for Beginners [Episode 9] by Google Webmasters on YouTube. The video explains the advantages of having SEO on your site and recommendations for hiring.

Now let us check the best practices to follow when looking for the right SEO consultant.

Table of Contents

#1. Conduct an Interview

Conduct an Interview for SEO — Designed by yanalya / Freepik

First, Conduct a direct Interview with your potential SEO consultant. Google advises making sure that the SEO Candidate focused on the right things.
This means apart from focusing only on search engine rankings, they should be focused on how they can help your business by improving how you appear in search results.

Also, Google Suggests; Good SEO consultants tend to ask questions like:

What makes your business, content, or service unique and therefore valuable to customers?
Who is your target customer?
How do customers currently find your website?
How does your business make money?
Do you use offline advertising?
How search is helping to generate leads?
What other channels are you using?
Do you use social networks?
Who are your competitors?
How are competitors performing in online and offline?

#1.1. Reject Those Who are Not Interested in Learning About Your Business

SEO Interview Rejection — Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Google recommends finding someone else If the expert doesn’t seem interested in learning about your business from a holistic standpoint.
Without knowing Business’s goals, Customers how someone can optimize properly?

I the video they also warn those who give unrealistic guarantees of ranking first in Google. Let us Check what webmasters are saying about the experts who promise #1 ranking position.

“No one can guarantee that. And often those who try to guarantee that, do so by engaging in practices against Google’s Webmaster guidelines. This could result in your pages or website being permanently removed from Google’s results if there are particularly strong violations.”
– Google Webmasters

2. Check References:

Google’s second tip for hiring an SEO expert is to check references.

What all the things you need to check?

When checking references; Google advice to check with past clients.
Ensure their search engine results were sustained rather than temporary.

“A good expert will help SEO become a part of your general business operations. They should be focused on long-term plans and helping your brand.”
– Google Webmasters

#3 Request a Technical and Search Audit

The third tip from Google Webmasters for hiring an SEO Expert is to Request a Technical and Search Audit.
After analyzing references and questions, its time for a technical round. Ask the candidate for a Technical and Search Audit of the Website.

If you trust your SEO Interview Candidate, you can give them a restricted view of Google Search Console and Analytics. (This suggestion is strictly personal. Not Give full or write access to GSC and GA).

In the audit, the SEO expert should prioritize issues and suggested improvements. These suggestions should be based on data about your site.

Strategies should be for a human audience and not just for search engines.

The audit also should estimate the overall investment and business projections like, how it is going to impact business in terms of traffic, leads, etc.

Conclusion:

SEO experts in India, itself has a Good Search Volume. Happy to hear most of the companies are looking for SEO Experts.

I hope the above tips from Google Webmaster will help you to find the best SEO Candidate for your business. Beware of SEO Experts (not really, but they call) that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google or any other Popular Search Engines. What are some other things you will consider? or What was your experience in hiring an Expert. Share your thoughts on Tips for hiring an SEO specialist through comments.