LinkedIn Ad
< BACK TO ALL INSIGHTS

How to Hire an SEO Expert

Shutterstock 583869832

If you are looking to hire a new SEO expert, you are not alone. The turnover rate for tech positions is astonishingly high and the market is tight. According to the experts at the compensation database company PayScale, the average employee tenure is hovering around two years or less, with 23% of the companies surveyed reporting a number that drops all the way down to just one year. This constant movement between jobs is due to a host of factors — including pay, generational differences, stress and more —but it is a trend that appears to be here to stay. Since you always need high-performing SEO specialists on your staff, 24 Seven Talent thought we would help by laying out some of our tips on how to hire an SEO expert to match your particular needs.

What Do You Need?

Unlike those baseball hats you get at the gas station, SEO experts are not one-size-fits-all. Before you embark on your search, you have to know exactly what you need. We suggest talking to people in every department to get a comprehensive view of the skill set required. This can run the gamut from communication skills, coding expertise, a track record of achieving higher search rankings or improved ROI, and more.

Eight Questions to Ask

Once you've found a pool of acceptable applicants, the interview process can begin. While a resume/CV can tell you a great deal about a job seeker, it is critical to hear them discuss their skills in context. Here are eight areas to explore with the candidate that 24 Seven Talent feels can uncover key information:

  1. To see how effective they've been in the past, ask if you can access their client list. By visiting their websites, you can use a variety of SEO tools that can tell you if they've been successful over time by providing you with insight regarding what SEO techniques they utilize and if they practice white hat or black hat SEO

  2. Inquire how specifically they plan on improving your search rankings

  3. Discover if they understand and stay up-to-date with Google's strict Webmaster guidelines. This is a proactive way to avoid hiring someone who might get you banned by Google due to a lack of industry knowledge

  4. Because local search is such a major component of current SEO success, get a feel for their ideas on this topic

  5. Ask what analytics tools they are comfortable with, and how they will assess whether their strategies are successful during their time with you

  6. As with any other prospective employee, discover if they are company-focused, with their eye on team growth, or if they are in it just for themselves. This can give you some insight how they might interact with content providers and other team members

  7. Engage in a serious discussion about how long they see themselves at this job. This is especially critical if their resume shows high levels of self-imposed turnover

  8. Finally, don’t forget to ask how they ensure content is high-quality and how they previously have measured ROI to determine success

 Getting your SEO strategy on the path to success begins with accessing the right talent. At 24 Seven Talent, we have over 500,000 freelance and full time candidates to choose from including hundreds of SEO experts. To learn more, contact us today or visit our website now.