How to Hire an SEO Expert for your Website Optimization

If you're serious about increasing Google search traffic to your blog and you have money in your budget to hire a search engine optimization (SEO) expert or company, then you need to read this article to make sure you ask the right questions, get the right information, and choose the right SEO expert to help you meet your blogging goals. Following are five questions you should ask any SEO expert that you consider working with so you can make sure you invest in hiring an SEO expert who can bring in the results you want and need.

1. What Is Your SEO Experience?

Not only should you find out what experience experts actually have with SEO, but you should also find out what kind of SEO experience they have in your market (i.e., in your topic and with your audience). An SEO expert who has numerous projects in his or her portfolio related to your blog topic and audience could have a leg up on the competition in terms of knowing how to ramp up your SEO initiatives quickly. Of course, experience doesn't always equate to positive results, so be sure to ask the other questions on this list to get the full picture about the SEO expert's abilities.

2. What SEO Techniques Do You Use and How Do You Use Them?

There are many SEO techniques that an SEO expert could use to increase Google search traffic to your blog. Ask each SEO expert whom you contact to discuss the specific techniques that would be used to increase search traffic to a blog like yours, and compare the responses. If you're not familiar with an SEO term or technique, ask the expert to explain it to you, and do some research on your own to learn more about that technique. Also, ask each expert to send you a detailed proposal outlining what they would do to increase Google search traffic to your blog along with timing and milestones. The more information you have, the more educated your decision will be when you actually choose an SEO expert to hire.

3. Are There SEO Techniques that You Won't Use?

This question is very important because it can help you weed out SEO experts who use spammy techniques. It's important that the SEO expert you hire follows Google Webmaster Guidelines and avoids techniques that could potentially do more harm than good to your blog. A vague response to this question should be a red flag. Instead, look for an SEO expert who quickly lists the various "blackhat" SEO tactics.

4. Could You Show Me Specific Examples of Your Work and Provide Referrals?

Specificity is essential, so make sure the SEO experts you speak with give you all of the details about the techniques they have used successfully in the past and plan to use to help you increase Google search traffic for your blog. Professional SEO experts will be able to show you websites, Google Analytics reports, search results, and more to demonstrate their previous success. Don't just take the SEO expert's word for it. Make sure you ask for the contact information for previous clients and reach out to them to discuss the results they experienced while working with the expert.

5. What Results Should I Expect to Get and How Long Will It Take to Get Them?

Increasing Google search traffic the right way (meaning without using spammy techniques) doesn't happen overnight, so be wary of SEO experts who promise big results too quickly. Instead, look for an SEO expert who gives you a realistic timeframe for achieving your goals. The best SEO experts will provide you with updates along the way and specific details about each tactic they use while working with you. They'll also explain their ongoing analyses of your blog along with the reasons they implement specific tactics while working with you.