10 Great Tips To Find A Professional SEO Consultant

10 SEO Consultant Tips

One of the fastest growing online services that can be seen across many businesses today is organic digital marketing, most commonly referred to as search engine optimisation or SEO. For any business to grow, an expert SEO consultant can help to propel relevant organic visitors and conversions to sale.

How do you find a SEO consultant who is an expert at creating a long term, scaleable, ethical SEO strategy that works ? Here are 10 great tips when sourcing a SEO expert:

• Experience versus theory – Ensure the SEO consultant has a decent track record of deploying effective online SEO solutions. Experience is key especially if the SEO expert can demonstrate the ability of building organic success across various industries. It is also useful to be aware if the SEO has a diverse skillset from building a new SEO solution for small family-run businesses, to enhancing an existing SEO program for national and international “blue chip” corporations. 

• Brand versus “drumbeat” SEO – Does the SEO specialist explore key questions around the business brand and commercial goals ? This is essential. Any SEO professional who does not focus on finding out more about the business’ history, core market, targeted audience, key brand messaging and long term SEO goals, is providing an incomplete SEO analysis of the business. 

• Team collaborator versus “silo” SEO – For any SEO solution to blossom, it is crucial that the effective natural search professional is wholly comfortable working with other internal teams including Brand, Public Relations / Internal Communications, Product Managers, Technical Engineers, Social Media, Content teams and key Directors. Can the SEO present an organic solution clearly, simply and effectively to all relevant internal departments ? 

• Technical SEO – Is the SEO professional coherent with website code management and the importance of improving mobile device download speeds ? Are they familiar with structured data and the corresponding benefits ? Can they create a SEO backlog in priority order for Release deployments ? 

• Engaging and unique content – Can the SEO consultant create a content calendar, manage a content team, inspire the creation of engaging and converting content that users wish to share ? Do they understand the importance of creating various content types for different audiences / personas ? 

• SEO Outreach & Influencer Marketing – How will the SEO help content to be more engaging and shareable ? How will the organic expert build new, relevant influencer relationships that drives quality visitors and quality backlinks to the target website ? 

• SEO versus PPC – Is the search engine optimiser skilled at managing a “dovetailed” approach for organic and paid search marketing channels ? How can both marketing channels assist each other ? What is the “sweet spot” of the two marketing methods working together ? 

• Voice Search, Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence – Will the SEO expert future proof a business to be prepared for new search technologies ? Do they understand how such technologies will effect SEO ? 

• SEO versus Amazon – Is the organic specialist aware of the growing trend of users searching for products initially on an Amazon platform ? How will this affect the future SEO strategy ?

• Measuring and reinvesting SEO success – A successful SEO consultant will apply a best practice strategy across all business departments. They will reinvest successful SEO strategies back into the business to drive further growth. Can the SEO consultant demonstrate via analytics, proven data and comprehensive SEO reporting a healthy organic return on investment has been achieved ? 

If you encounter a SEO consultant who is unable to clearly demonstrate their understanding of the above 10 key areas, continue to search for a SEO professional until you do.