For an online or e-commerce business, if your website doesn’t show up on the first page of Google search results, you’re lacking somewhere. Not a single soul would know you exist if your search results don’t improve. Hiring an SEO expert can place you in the sky, or drag you in hell.
A good SEO expert or organization can be the reason for millions of dollars in your pocket or your extinction from the game.
Your website rankings lay the foundation for good sales, prosperity and prospective brand value.
If your website is not obtaining the desired result, Question yourself, have done everything right. If not, time to hire an SEO expert.
While hunting for an SEO expert, shortlist them based on 3 parameters: Reliability, experience and Approach. Interrogate them and ask a few requisite questions to gauge their virtue.
How will you improve our search engine rankings?
Avoid SEO candidates reluctant to share their methods in detail. If they don’t acknowledge their ways to drive up your website’s search engine ranking, move ahead and look for a better option. All SEO experts have a set of processes that they follow. A detailed strategy is a key to success.
Also, estimate the duration to achieve your SEO campaign goals you agree on
Ask about their strategies. Ask them if they will cater to the off-page services also.
Ask about the links. Backlinks have been a major part of the SEO campaigns and one good backlink is worth a thousand backlinks.
1. Do you adhere to search engines’ webmaster guidelines?
Google has webmaster guidelines that every SEO expert needs to stick with. Google implements more than 500 algorithms, each serving a single purpose: Provide better results for users.
Beware! Webmaster guidelines are ‘golden rules’ which you shouldn’t dare to manipulate unless you want to suffer.
When you hamper the rules, Google feels bad and ensures the ache is felt.
Google will either penalized or impose a ‘ban’ on you. Both can affect your website traffic drastically and it can take months or years to recover. Presume the loss and make sure your SEO expert keeps you safe.
2.Are you up to date with the latest algorithm changes?
As told earlier, Google implements more than 500 algorithms, each serving a single purpose: Provide better results for users. The majority of them have minimal impact on your website. However, there are few algorithms that your SEO expert should be aware of.
Filter out your incredibly inexperienced SEOs and ‘wannabes’ trying to earn few bucks. Test your SEO expert and ask to describe a few of them, and then confirm their knowledge and awareness.
3.How will you keep me informed of changes you make to our website?
Each SEO consultant has unique customer service standards and communication styles. Find someone whose approach best fits you. Enquire about the frequency of reports and updates submissions. Ask about their preferred mode of communication.
Ask them about the elements of their report. All SEO reports should include details
- Summary of activities
- Search traffic
- Search rankings
- Conversions
4.Can you guarantee my website will achieve a number-one ranking on major search engines?
If you’re spending money, you should seek insurance and returns. This is the easiest way to weed out the SEO salesmen from legitimate SEOs.
Ask them and if the answer is yes, ask them how. It’s impossible to warranty the #1 ranking in any search engine. Though if they claim to, waste no time and find an exit.
5.May I have a list of current and past clients?
A reputable SEO consultant should be transparent with his list of current and former clients, though not all neither you should ask. Ask about their top 3 clients.
Be ready with the following question, ask them the duration of association. You should be looking for a minimum of a year bond.
These references can help you gauge how effective the candidate is, as well as verify their authenticity
6.Are you experienced at improving local search results?
If you’re a small-time business trying to attract nearby customers, the priority should be to improve your ranking on local search engine results. Improving international search engine results is scrap.
Based on your customer, your website should be optimized for what’s known as “local SEO,”. Your website should appear when someone searching for your business nearby.
7.How do you measure the success of your SEO campaigns?
Gauging the success of SEO efforts is equally important, track how much traffic is coming to your website and where it is coming from to filter the relevance. Test your consultants about their expertise in using Google Analytics.
Demand transparency with their plans and ask them to share these important analytics with you. Enquire their prospective plans to continually improve your search engine rankings and website traffic.
8.What happens when we part ways?
For your own protection, get complete details about what are you signing for.
After your contract expires or you terminate it, you should have ownership of all of the optimized web content you paid for.
Ask every detail in written and specified them in the contract from consultants. Whatever they charge, any contract termination fees all should be quoted.
9.What are your fees and payment terms?
You should know how much you’ll be paying. Project-based payments are regular in the SEO consulting industry, but they may vary depending on the project. According to Moz’s pricing survey of more than 600 SEO firms, most contract projects range between $1,000 and $7,500.
Whether you’ll be charged according to industry norms or there are some special charges you would be paying.
Other important payment-related questions you should be aware of are, when you’ll have to make your payments. Find out if there is an interest fee for late payments. Get everything documented to avoid future conflict.
10.Why should we hire you over other SEOs?
This question is out of context and there’s no specific answer to it. Put forward this question just to evaluate your SEO and get the best out of the deal.
Look for Red flags. Which usually are,
- Claims to be cheap
- Promises more backlinks
- Faster results guaranteed
- Or a straightforward, we don’t know.
If you get these answers, Beware!! Step cautiously and take Precautions.
