Your company website might already look quite attractive, filled with interesting content and attention-grabbing media. But if your site isn’t continuously attracting new visitors and turning them into regular customers, then it might not be doing its job properly, ultimately hurting your company’s revenue and success. In that case, the best option might be to hire an SEO consultant, a person who specializes in analyzing and optimizing websites in an effort to improve their rankings on search engine results and generate new leads. Before you make this decision, however, here are some important things you should look for when selecting the best SEO expert:
1. Years of previous experience
As Google started emphasizing domain strengths and page rankings more and more each year, a wide array of SEO experts suddenly appeared. And while it might seem like you have plenty of choices, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all consultants know what they are doing. Google is continuously changing its algorithms and ranking factors, and only a true expert will be able to stay on top of these changes and know what will work best for your company at this moment. For that reason, you should look for an SEO consultant that has years of experience in this field, in an effort to achieve optimal results.
2. A successful track record
Experience shouldn’t be the only deciding factor; a good SEO consultant should have a successful track record as well. It’s one thing to sell a good story and use articles and blog posts to learn about SEO techniques. But it’s another thing entirely to have a long list of happy and satisfied clients. When you’re looking to hire an SEO expert, it’s always advised to check at least three relatively current references. Talking to other clients will help you realize how the specific SEO specialist allowed them to succeed, and it will give you the opportunity to make a better, more informed decision on the right person or company to hire.
3. Professionalism and expertise
In combination with previous experience and success, a good consultant should also have a deep understanding of different SEO levels and tactics, an extensive knowledge of the necessary SEO tools they will have to use, as well as a well-rounded perspective and a motivation to continue learning. Australians, for instance, are well aware of the importance of such professionalism, which is why they often decide to hire experts in SEO from Wollongong for their optimization needs. By doing extensive research and finding the best solutions to your specific needs, such professionals can help you rank for more relevant keywords, optimize your content, and drive organic traffic to your website, thus allowing you to achieve SEO success.
4. Additional marketing knowledge
In countries like America, on the other hand, companies believe that SEO experts should possess extensive marketing knowledge as well. These two fields are quite similar, after all, as the main goal of both is to create specific content that outlines the value and appeal of certain products or services in an effort to achieve sales. In both areas, quickly responding to the needs of your audience and attempting to engage and retain them with interesting content is key. To that end, finding an SEO consultant that has additional marketing knowledge might be of help, although not an entirely necessary aspect of SEO.
5. Great communication skills
When it comes to their style of communication, the best SEO consultants should be able to clearly explain why certain changes and investments in your site are needed, and in a non-confrontational manner, that’s easy to understand. As their job is not to do everything by themselves, but rather work in conjunction with you in order to understand your needs and deliver the most relevant results, an SEO expert will have to be skilled at getting their point across to all team members, regardless of their position or level of knowledge on this topic. Top consultants need to know how to work with different types of people in order to finish their tasks quickly and efficiently.
6. Understanding your business goals
For many companies, SEO efforts are only one part of a larger digital marketing strategy that already has certain goals and objectives it wishes to achieve. In an effort to achieve success when working with an SEO expert, they should be able to fully understand your main focus and important goals. Similarly, it would be quite beneficial if the SEO consultant you choose fits well into your company culture. A person whose personality type, organizational style, as well as integrity align with your business’s objectives will be more likely to work well with your team and deliver the best results for your company.
From interpersonal and communication skills to experience and expertise, there are many qualities you should look out for when hiring an SEO expert. As long as you make the right choice, such a qualified professional will be able to understand your company goals and consequently lead your business to further success.
