The present content-driven world solely relies on SEO for support, and it is an undeniable prerequisite for any business to flourish. No matter how premium your content is, without search engine visibility, it loses its purpose. So, an SEO consultant is most definitely the need of the hour, and I have explained in detail how you can find the right one for your business.
The right SEO consultant can make or break your business. A skilled SEO professional will ensure you not only get the desired visibility, but they also have strategies to ensure your site ranks higher when people search for topics or products related to your business. Hence, let us quickly see how you can find the desired consultant for your business to achieve those optimal results.
The Importance of SEO for Businesses
A strong online presence is important for businesses of all sizes. And to do that, you have to nail the search engine optimization (SEO) game.
The following reasons will help you understand why SEO must be your topmost priority while creating an online presence:
- Get Found: Strong SEO will help your website rank higher in SERPs. SEO will show your business in the front and center when people are looking for what you’re offering. Discoverability means everything.
- Attract Targeted Audience: SEO will bring the people who are searching for your products or services directly to your digital store. An increased digital footprint can lead to a higher conversion potential.
- Build Trust Factor: High-quality sites are spotlighted by the search engines. These higher rankings will show your business as legit, authoritative, and trustworthy to the audience.
- Sensible Spending: SEO needs upfront investments. But if you think about the long-term, SEO strategies are the most effective. The SEO strategies will help avoid spending on traditional ad channels.
- Stay ahead: SEO optimization will boost your site as a leader in the industry, even while you’re sleeping. This will help you stay ahead of the curve.
- Measure the Hustle: The SEO analytics will help you regularly analyze your site’s performance, improve your digital marketing strategy, and highlight your ROI.
With the growing role of the internet in our lives, businesses need to grow their online presence. And this will make SEO more important than ever before.
What Does an SEO Consultant Do?
Let us understand the purpose of an SEO consultant in your business to justify its need and find the right SEO partner for your business. The responsibilities of an SEO consultant go back and forth within the concepts of increasing traffic and visibility for your website. It also adds an edge to your business by elevating it as compared to your competitors.
Responsibilities and Overview:
- To ensure you have better traffic and visibility, the basics of SEO consulting services include keyword research. Which is basically the keywords someone searches for about the product.
- It also includes the concept of making the search engine understand your product by optimizing your website with relevant keywords, descriptions, and URLs.
- They also help you with technical and contextual insights to elevate your relevancy with the market demand in the smoothest way possible.
Why Do You Need an SEO Consultant?
The needs of an SEO professional are not limited to the size of the business and can be opted for by anyone who wishes to optimize their content. Actually, their functionality is more relevant than ever owing to the dynamic nature of the Google algorithm. Since it keeps on changing, an insight from a professional on the right practices is what's going to ensure organic traffic for your website.
Furthermore, you need to be aware of the basics of your website to understand where you stand. So, insight and analysis by a professional on-site structure, keyword usage, on-page SEO, and technical SEO will help you go a long way.
Another, and the most important aspect of SEO that we often fail to acknowledge, is content strategization. You can only reach your desired goal for your content if you know what the actual benchmark is and what the market demand is. Hiring an SEO expert makes sure you have a content strategy that aligns with what people are searching for.
Qualities of a Good SEO Consultant
Now that the need for an SEO consultant is established and recognized, the next significant thing we need to ask is how to identify the desired professional. Keeping the basic work ethics aside, which is a nonnegotiable for any professional, you can check with the following points and conclude.
Knowledge of industry best practices: We know the ever-changing and evolving nature of SEO is what makes it a challenging yet intriguing line of work. Hence, a professional who is updated with the industry practices is the one who is going to excel. You must look for a professional who is aware of the nitty-gritty of adapting to new strategies.
Transparent communication and reporting: Apart from breaking down the complexities for you, an SEO consultant should be patient enough to make you understand the strategies they implement and their purpose. If they are unwilling to provide actionable insights and just stick to the implementation of strategies, it is not only going to create a communication gap but also an understanding gap.
Secondly, you, as a business owner, need to understand where you stand in terms of organic traffic, keyword rankings, and many other such aspects to plan your business strategy accordingly. So a professional who encourages thorough reporting and is transparent about it should be your go-to person.
Proven track record and experience: SEO is a long-term business venture, and the results do not show up overnight. So you must avoid consultants who provide quick fixes and opt for the person who has proven their merit. Someone who is able to show their work in terms of traffic or ranking should be your ideal choice. In fact, opting for a consultant who knows the industry niche and has worked in its volatile environment is always the right choice.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring an SEO Consultant
Honestly, it can be an overwhelming decision to entrust an individual with your business, especially if you are still in the growing phase of it. However, apart from checking in with the above pointers, you can ask a few basic questions, as written below, which will most definitely help you with a bit more clarity.
- What is your experience level, and do you have any certifications?
Asking this question will help you understand the credibility of the professional and also assess expertise based on their certification and said experience.
- Do you specialize in specific areas or offer a full-service package?
If you have any confusion about what the consultant brings to the table, this question will help you understand what exact services you will be paying for and benefiting from.
- Have you worked with similar clients?
A consultant working with a similar client to your business is going to be well aware of the tricks of the trade and will be able to assist you better than an inexperienced consultant. You can surely give a fresher a similar opportunity with a lesser package, but it may not yield the same result as with an experienced professional.
- What will you need from me to complete the job?
Establishing good communication is the key to any good business, and it also helps you reach clarity. Moreover, dealing with questions like this beforehand will help you avoid any lack in the future. For example, you might not be able to provide a premium tool, which is a non-negotiable for a consultant, which might result in friction if not communicated earlier. Not only that, it will also hamper in generation of optimal results for the services you are paying for.
- What are your payment options, and is the schedule flexible?
It is wise to discuss these two important parameters before jumping into a contract to ensure you both are on the same page. Both of these factors are critical for any professional in business, and having clarity from both ends is the only way to go about it.
- What specific SEO strategies will you use for my website?
You can be a novice about SEO, but like any other service, you should thoroughly inquire about what their package is that the professional SEO Consultant offers and how it can benefit you. Not only that a quick understanding of the packages will facilitate you to take the right decision in this case.
- How often will we communicate, and how will updates be provided?
As a professional dealing with others, you must respect their time and get the same in return. So, fixing a schedule beforehand for communication on updates can benefit you and your entire work cycle greatly.
Tips to Avoid When Hiring
- False Promises: As a business professional, you know there is a fine line between branding oneself and making false promises. Consultants who assure you that you will be the top-ranking website in no time ignore the overall SEO environment. Moreover, they rarely focus on organic engagement or user experience and website functionality.
- Technical SEO: The practices of SEO go beyond the concept of just ranking. A consultant who doesn’t employ much thought on the aspects of speed, mobile-friendliness, SSL certificates, and URL structures is not the one for you. An ideal SEO consultant should be able to focus on the overall health of the website and not limit themselves to just one aspect.
- Black-Hat Techniques: You must avoid professionals who use black-hat techniques at any cost. Black-Hat techniques are nothing but unethical ways to manipulate Google’s algorithm with tricks like hidden texts and links, keyword stuffing, and clickbaiting for cloaking, for more views. These practices can blacklist your business from Google permanently and cause irreparable damage.
- Lack of Track Record: As we were discussing earlier, this is one of the critical points you should consider before choosing your consultant. If the professional is unable to provide any tangible source of proof of their expertise, it is advisable not to consider them for the role. This will not only help you assess them but will also assure you that in case of any SEO crisis, like slow growth or a change in the entire algorithm, they will be the savior.
- Team Player: Your SEO consultant should be willing to communicate with the other teams, like content and marketing, since they are interdependent. A solo player is not going to achieve any feasible outcome in the ever-changing SEO environment.
Conclusion
Well, those were the few points that you should keep in mind before investing with an SEO professional for your business. Identifying the need for one doesn’t solve the purpose, but you also have to make sure that you keep in mind the above checks so that you have the guarantee of finding the right professional for you.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How do I know if my business needs an SEO consultant?
The telltale signs of requiring an SEO consultant for a business are quite simple. Along with missing out on rankings even though adhering to certain self-taught SEO practices, if you notice the technical lags in your website, you will know that it is time to hire a professional. Apart from not being able to rank on the first page even with business-specific keywords and seeing various glitches like page loading, broken links, and duplicate content is your sign to opt for a professional.
2. What qualifications should I look for in an SEO consultant?
You must check that the professional you are planning to hire has sound technical knowledge and prior experience to establish credibility. Moreover, they are well-versed in content strategy and are up-to-date with the recent changes in the SEO world.
3. What are the most important questions to ask an SEO consultant?
Some critical questions you can ask an SEO consultant are as follows:
- What is your experience level, and do you have any certifications?
- Do you specialize in specific areas or offer a full-service package?
- How long have you been in business and worked with similar clients?
- What will you need from me to complete the job?
- What are your payment options, and is the schedule flexible?
- What specific SEO strategies will you use for my website?
- How often will we communicate, and how will updates be provided?
4. How much does it cost to hire an SEO consultant?
The package of the SEO consultant will depend on the line of business and the service you opt for. Moreover, it is also largely dependent on the complexity of your business and the consultant’s experience and expertise.
5. Can an SEO consultant guarantee results?
No SEO consultant can guarantee you results, owing to the varying nature of Google’s algorithm and the rise in competition each day.
