What to Ask SEO Experts before You Hire Them
It isn’t easy to find the right B2B Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company or freelance service provider, because the market is full of people claiming that they can deliver the best results. However, anyone can claim that, even if they don’t have the experience or the resources required to take your site higher in the search rankings. Therefore, you need to be selective when you choose an SEO service provider to ensure you find someone who can really help your business.
Here are some of the most important questions you should ask when hiring a natural SEO expert or agency-side service provider.
What are your thoughts on the current iteration of the site?
Hiring SEO experts or marketing companies who knows what they’re doing will first assess what your business’s site currently looks like and how it’s setup. It’s important that you see what they think of your site, because that will help you figure out if their vision for your site meshes with your own. You can also get an idea of their skill and experience by what they tell you about your site.
It’s a major red flag if an SEO service provider gives you a price quote before they’ve gone through your site, as this indicates they’re focused more on money than results.
Have you worked on this content management system?
There’s a vast difference from one content management system (CMS) to the net. For example, when we are developing top WordPress websites our strategies will be far different from working on a Magento site. This can be a deciding factor on which SEO service provider you choose, because each CMSs like SquareSpace and WordPress that run 29% of the internet will require intricate knowledge of how that particular CMS works.
Take Magento as an example. This CMS typically requires development work, and if it’s not handled correctly, there can be duplicate content made on product pages. You’d need an expert who knows Magento inside and out to get the best results.
Check if the provider has worked on this CMS before, and if so, the number of sites they’ve worked on with that CMS. You want someone who has plenty of experience.
Do you check out Google Analytics?
This is one of those crucial questions where you want someone who answers with a “yes.” It’s a good sign when a provider doesn’t mind spending the time to better understand your business before jumping in, without charging you for this. They should also give you some free advice. A provider who says Google Analytics isn’t important or one who tells you they don’t need to check the analytics is someone you should avoid.
Before a provider can work on your site, they need to understand its current position. Otherwise, they won’t be able to develop the right SEO strategy. It takes knowing where you rank right now, and that requires checking the analytics.
Which SEO Tools Do You Use?
What SEO Tools do you use for monitoring performance as well as reporting of monthly rankings improvements? What metrics will the campaign be tracking does it include Majestic Trust Flow or just MOZ Domain Authority (DA).
What are you most concerned about and what’s your timeline on making changes?
When the provider has taken a look at your site and analyzed it, they should be able to tell you what they think the biggest problem areas are and explain what solutions they can implement. They can figure all this out with site audits, Google Analytics, campaign data, competitor analysis and so on.
Once they’ve explained the changes they can make to boost your WordPress SEO experts efforts, you need to see what kind of time frame you’re looking at. Don’t make it about results, just make it about when they can have the changes done. No matter how good a provider is, they can’t guarantee you’re going to get certain results.
Who is handling the site and account?
You should always check to see who will be doing the techinical SEO optimizations and white-hat link building on your site, even if you’re communicating with a freelancer who has a one-person operation. You never know if an agency or a freelancer contracts work out to third parties. If someone you haven’t met will be working on your account, it’s a good idea to set up a meeting with them, as well, to ensure that they are also the right fit.
The typical B2B SEO expert package or new site project for an e-commerce site should require about 30 to 60 hours. That includes time for historical analysis, competitor analysis, creating the content, building backlinks, performing audits on technical and on-page SEO, keyword research and many other tasks. On your end, it’s important to choose someone who has the requisite skill and experience. Be patient and don’t just hire the first person you meet. Check out a few options to ensure you’re making the right choice.
If the normal agency billing rate is $75 an hour your small business SEO strategy may cost as much as $4,500 a month. Invest wisely with those that seem to be the best fit your teams communicating and dedication to reaching and setting new goals. If you want to discuss how WordLead managed SEO can assist your organization reach out to us today.
