Search engine optimization is a complex process that requires a lot of time and effort. It is not always something that you can do on your own or that you have the time to do as a successful website owner.  You may need to hire an SEO Consultant who will make sure that you are following the right steps and implementing the most effective techniques.  But how do you ensure you find the best SEO expert with the skills to match?  Read on for five of the top tips when it comes to finding and choosing an SEO consultant for your business.

Firstly, what is SEO and why does my website need it?

Search engine optimization (shortened to SEO) is a digital marketing technique used to increase the number of visitors to a website by increasing the rank of the website in search engine results. There are many reasons why you might want to do this, but the most common one is that it will make your site more visible on search engines and drive more traffic to your site.

There are many ways to increase traffic to a website, such as social media marketing, offline marketing methods and other ways, but SEO is one of the most effective because it focuses on bringing visitors who are already interested in what you have to offer. The goal of SEO is to get high-quality, relevant traffic that converts into leads and sales.

There are many techniques that can be used to optimize your site for SEO including both on-page and off-page methods such as content marketing, social media marketing, link building and user experience. The word "organic" SEO refers to any strategy that does not require paying for placement in search engine results pages or paying for links from other websites. In contrast, "paid" refers to any strategy that requires payment to be successful.

What does an SEO consultant do?

SEO consultants are professionals who have the knowledge and experience to help you with this process. They will help to build the number and quality of inbound links to your site, as well as improve the content and usability of your site. An SEO expert will provide everything from consulting, keyword research, and link building to social media marketing.

The main tasks of an SEO consultant are to research, analyze and evaluate the keywords that are relevant to the business, identify potential online marketing strategies that can be employed by the business to increase its visibility on search engines, investigate and assess the competition of a website or business in relation to its targeted keywords, identify potential negative factors that may affect the visibility of a website or business in relation to its targeted keywords, recommend changes or improvements that can be made to a website so as to improve its rank in search engine results pages.

An SEO consultant also provides guidance on how best practices in content development and design can help improve a website’s search engine ranking.

5 tips to find and choose the best SEO consultant and expert for your website

The best SEO consultant is someone who knows what they are doing and can provide you with the best advice.  In order to find the best SEO consultant for your website, it is important to have a checklist of what you need before you start looking.

SEO experts with proven results are not always easy to find and there are many things that you need to keep in mind before hiring one. Here are 5 tips on how to find and choose the best SEO consultant for your business:

Tip #1 Ask your network for their recommendations of SEO consultants 

It is always important to do your research before hiring an SEO consultant. One of the best ways to find a good SEO consultant is to ask for referrals. You should ask for recommendations from your network as they will be able to provide you with the best advice on who to trust and who to avoid. The best way to find referrals is to ask the people you know who have worked with SEO consultants in the past, but if you’re not sure then reach out to other professionals in your industry through networking events or on social media and ask for their recommendations.

You may even have friends or family with business websites who you can reach out to and ask if they’ve ever used an SEO expert with success.

Tip #2 Search for an SEO expert within your niche or industry

Ideally, you will need someone with relevant experience in your industry or niche. This is one of the most important things to consider when looking for an SEO consultant. The person should have experience in your industry, so they know what needs to be done and how to go about it.  SEO requirements for a local business will be different to SEO for a nationwide business, as will SEO for an information website that makes money from ad revenue compared to a website that is selling physical goods.

Tip #3 Check out the profile of SEO consultants online

Once you have recommendations of SEO experts, or if you use Google or other methods to find them, be sure to check out their visibility online and their profiles.  Ideally, they should be easy to find on Google, especially if they’re an expert in search engine optimization!

You should look for someone who has the experience, education, and certifications in SEO. You should also make sure that they have a strong portfolio of successful projects to show you.  Seeing the proof of how they grew previous clients businesses through successful SEO and the results of their SEO campaigns will show what they might be able to achieve for you too.

You should look for someone who has a proven track record of success in the industry and can guarantee their work. This will help you feel more confident in their abilities and ensure that they are worth the investment of your time, money and effort.

You can also check if they have a social media presence and if they have been active on it recently. Social media is a great way to see their professionalism and how they interact with potential clients or existing clients in public. And, of course, see if you can read reviews online and check their LinkedIn profile.  Reviews can be found on websites like Yelp and Google Reviews, but also on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.  They may even have a testimonial page on their website and you could reach out to any previously mentioned clients to confirm they were happy with the SEO consultant and they do recommend them. 

Tip #4 Get detailed quotes from SEO experts to compare pricing and the tasks they will undertake

Once you have found a few candidates that seem like they might be a good fit, it is time to ask them some questions about what they do, who they work with and how long they have been doing this type of work.  It’s time to reach out to them and get quotes for the SEO work you require.

As with most quotes you receive in your business or personal life, it is advisable to get quotes from at least three SEO experts before making your choice, so that you can be sure of getting the best deal for your budget.

There are many reasons why you should get a detailed quote from an SEO expert before hiring them. One of the main reasons is that it will give you an opportunity to compare prices and see what tasks they will undertake. It is important to note that not all SEO experts charge the same rates and some may offer more services than others.

The other reason is that it gives you an opportunity to find out how much experience they have in SEO as well as what their process is for getting your website to rank higher in search engines.

Ultimately, getting quotes is another step that ensures you’ve done your research and found the best company for your needs.

Tip #5 Ensure your chosen SEO consultant can work within your budget and timeframe

If you are not looking for a full-time SEO consultant, but instead want to hire one for a specific project, then you need to make sure that they are willing to work with your budget and timeline.  You can't just hire the first person that comes along and hope they will do everything that you want them to do. You need to make sure that they are willing to work with your budget and timeline, so you can get the best results.

Make sure this is a part of the conversation when you get quotes as it will save a lot of time and disappointment if you are reaching out to experts that are far beyond your budget or have a waiting list for taking on new clients.  The best way to find an SEO consultant who can work with your budget and timeline is by asking them these types of questions:

• What are the costs of their services? Do they charge per hour, per project or can they create a custom package based on your budget?

• How much time does it take for them to complete a project?

• Do they offer discounts for clients who have fewer resources such as small businesses or startups?

• When can they start their services?

And if they can’t meet your timeframe or budget, there’s no harm in asking if they have any recommendations for an SEO expert who can.  Likely they have networked with or know other SEO consultants who can provide the service you need.

Final word

Finding the best SEO consultant is not easy. With so many agencies in the market, it is hard to find the one that can provide you with what you need. Hopefully, the above advice will get you started on your journey to finding and choosing the best SEO expert for your website.