How to Hire an SEO Expert and Grow Your Online Traffic

The higher you rank on Google, the more likely users will click on your website. In fact, moving up 1 spot in search results will increase CTR (click through rate) by 2.8% on average.

But to get those high rankings, you must optimize your website for search engines. However, using a free SEO tool or following SEO best practices isn’t enough, and may not differentiate you from competitors.

Crafting a unique SEO strategy yourself is tricky without any in-depth knowledge and experience.

That’s where outsourcing comes in.

When you hire a professional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert, not only do you avoid getting stretched out too thin across all company requirements, but you also get to focus better on tasks that do require your expertise. So what can you expect an SEO strategist to take off your plate?

Here are a few examples:

• Boosting online visibility and ranking higher on SERPs

• Building your company’s reputation and local presence

• Optimizing your written content and incorporate link building to increase sales and click-through rates (CTRs)

• Adapting to industry trends

• Updating your site content according to algorithm changes

• Giving your business a competitive advantage

• Improving user experience and conversion rates

In this article, we’ll take you through the 8 essential steps of hiring the right SEO expert for your business.

Step 1: Understand your goal first

Before you hire an SEO expert, understand your company’s goal. Many business owners think of SEO as a means to improve their rankings. Deep dive into your problem statement to specify an action item to communicate to the SEO consultant.

An example of your specific business goal could be something like:

• Increasing newsletter signups

• Boosting conversion rates

• Maximizing your home page age speed

• Reducing bounce rate from the checkout page of your e-commerce website

• Improving online & offline visibility for your restaurant

• Increasing organic traffic to your company blog

• Growing overall company branding

• Improving and optimizing social media content marketing

Step 2: Find the type of SEO that aligns with your business goals

You might think, “Why do I need to know all of this if I’m hiring an expert to do it for me?” Understanding your SEO requirements ensures you only invest in necessary tasks.

But don’t worry. You don’t have to understand SEO in-depth to know what type of SEO service you’ll require. Here are a few examples that specify which SEO strategy aligns with a business objective.

Note: If you’re just starting, you’ll need to cover all bases. Consider getting an SEO audit to know where you stand.

• On-Page SEO: Used to improve individual web pages to get traffic and rank higher. This includes optimizing meta tags, headings, specific keywords, or mobile-friendly design. Many SMBs choose to handle on-page SEO themselves with the help of a search optimization plugin or tool.

• Off-Page SEO: Meant to enhance your website’s credibility through external factors. Includes building high-quality backlinks from reputable sources

• Technical SEO: Helps to optimize the technical aspect of a website so search engines can crawl, index, and rank your content. This includes implementing URL structures, creating a sitemap for search engine bots, and improving site speed.

Your business model plays a big role in your approach to SEO. For example, D2C brands and eCommerce shops use digital outreach, while traditional retail and local businesses work on local and Google Maps SEO.

Step 3: Figure out your budget

The SEO industry is forecasted to be worth almost $218 billion by 2030. The average business pays at least $50-$100 per hour for a satisfactory SEO service, according to WebFX research. Then according to Ahref’s study on SEO pricing in 2023, $501-$1,000 is the most popular monthly retainer, and $75 to $100 for an hourly rate.

The budget you set will depend on the type and extensivity of your SEO requirements and the experience of the SEO professional you hire. Many enterprises choose monthly SEO retainers with freelancers instead of full-time hires.

Most SEO professionals or agencies offer an audit for your site, which may be free, so consider the potential cost before your search.

In-house SEO team vs hiring freelancers

Is it more cost-effective to hire an in-house SEO team instead of constantly approaching freelancers or SEO agencies? Let’s break it down.

Ahref’s 2023 SEO pricing survey shows that hiring freelancers is relatively cheaper for companies, especially smaller businesses.

Here are the average costs of consultancies, agencies, and freelance experts on an hourly basis:

• SEO Consultancies: $171.18/hour, on average

• SEO Agencies: $98.90/hour, on average

• Freelancers: $71.59/hour, on average

Agencies and consultancies cost more because ut offers more resources (such as an accounts and client servicing manager, copywriter, UI/UX designer, web developer, etc.) to manage a longer deadline and larger, high-budget projects.

SEO hourly rates 2023. Ahrefs

On the other hand, hiring an in-house SEO team proves to be costlier—especially for small businesses and startups. Most SEO jobs pay an average annual salary of $60,000 per year, which comes down to $30 per hour.

However, hiring a team has additional costs, such as for SEO software, employee benefits, office space and equipment, and resources to put the team together.

Another factor to consider is time.

An SEO freelancer can complete an urgent SEO task. While an in-house team takes more effort and time to build. According to WebFX’s study, 49% of businesses pay for outsourced SEO because it’s more cost effective than doing it in-house.

Your decision boils down to your content strategy and budget.

Unless you’re a large company with a flexible budget, approaching freelancers and freelance websites is usually the smarter and more affordable option for your SEO needs.

Step 4: Find your SEO expert

Wondering where to search for the right SEO expert? Check out these options:

• SEO Agencies: Search online for reputable agencies or get a referral. Always check for client reviews and portfolios.

• Freelancers: Find a freelancer through online communities or via professional networking platforms like LinkedIn.

• Online Platforms: Post a detailed job description on freelance platforms like Fiverr.

How to hire an SEO expert on Fiverr

Here’s how to quickly find the right SEO professional for your business on Fiverr:

1. Sign up for or sign in to your Fiverr Buyer account

2. Explore the Digital Marketing category and select the type of SEO service you want. In this case, click on Local SEO.

3. You’ll be directed to a page that displays Fiverr’s best SEO experts specializing in Local SEO. Use the filters to find a professional that fits your specific SEO needs.

• Service options: Choose from local SEO citations, Google My Business (GMB) ranking, and more

• Seller details: Select the seller’s level (top-rated, new seller, level 1 or 2), language, and location

• Budget: Determine how much you’re willing to spend

4. You can adjust the delivery time using the filter and select an SEO expert accordingly. Each thumbnail showcases a freelancer’s help statement, user rating, and expertise level.

5. Once you select a freelancer’s profile, view their portfolio, client reviews, delivery time, rates, and more. Here, we’ve selected Samira because her delivery time and overall profile matched the requirement of up to 3 days and above $300 for services.

You can always contact them for further discussion.

1. After deciding, select a package of your choice and click continue to get started.

2. Then the freelancer you select will accept your order and you can use Fiverr’s messenger to communicate with them.

Step 5: Conduct interviews and shortlist the right SEO candidate

Analyze the SEO expert’s experience and niche skill sets. When shortlisting or skimming through potential candidates, check for years of experience in the same field or marketplace as your business. For example, if your restaurant business requires SEO work, hire an SEO professional who works with F&B clients. Similarly, understand what platforms they’re more experienced with, such as WordPress and Squarespace, and if that aligns with your business.

Then, look at their past clients and make sure they have good references.

Finally, ensure they don’t make unrealistic claims and promises. If a candidate promises high numbers or too-good-to-be-true figures, take it with a pinch of salt and double check their claims.

Learn more about your candidate by asking them questions like:

• What sets you apart from other SEO professionals?

• What SEO campaign tools do you use?

• How can you integrate SEO into our ongoing social media marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns?

• How frequently do you send out reports?

• What’s your experience working with ecommerce <enter your industry> sites?

• What metrics do you use to measure project progress?

• How do you stay updated with SEO trends or algorithm updates?

What are some green flags to look out for during the interview?

• Honesty: They are straightforward about their process and give realistic timelines.

• Interest: They ask the right questions and try to understand your business at a deeper level. (For example: What is your USP? Who is your target audience? Who are your competitors?)

• Transparency: They mention which SEO tools they will use for any campaign requirements.

• Credibility: They showcase their track record by referencing past projects, providing case studies and demonstrative evidence.

• Soft skills: Apart from their hard skills, take note of soft skills like communication, teamwork, and empathy.

Double-check a potential expert’s credibility by contacting their references and past clients. Consider asking for testimonials in the form of screenshots or analytics that prove the SEO expert’s work has moved the needle in the long run.

A good SEO expert will always include revenue-centric numbers in their portfolio.

What are some red flags to look out for?

When assessing a freelancer, assess how ethical their process is. That’s why an SEO professional promising a #1 rank for your site can be unrealistic and suspicious.

Methods and hacks, such as keyword stuffing, cloaking content or even spamming social media forums and sites with links to boost your website traffic and search rankings are dangerous.

These techniques cheat the system and fall under black hat SEO. These can lead to Google search engine penalties, website suspension, and loss of credibility.

The professional you hire should stick to White hat SEO strategies to prevent your site from getting flagged or blocked by Google’s algorithm. Consider checking Google’s Webmaster guidelines to learn ethical and acceptable SEO practices. Use this knowledge to test prospective clients during interviews.

Step 6: Ask potential clients to conduct an SEO audit

After shortlisting candidates, ask them for an SEO audit.

This will evaluate the professional’s skill level and recommendations, specific to your SEO project’s requirements.

If you conduct a technical SEO audit, the SEO consultant will point out problems in your site like:

• Page Redirection errors

• Page loading speed

• Issues with duplicated content

• Sitemap errors

An on-page SEO audit will analyze:

• Your keyword research, accuracy and usage

• The site’s content relevance to the target audience

• Meta texts and description lengths

• Missing image alt text

Asking your potential hire for an audit gives you a great preview of what it’s like to work with them.

“When we've hired SEOs, we start with one task, before we ramp up our work together,” says Alex Kracov, CEO of Dock, a B2B sales onboarding software. “Beyond functional skills, I've found communication to be the number one reason why freelancer relationships succeed or fail.”

Step 7: Create an SOP

Once you finalize your SEO hire, start drafting an SOP to align with the type of workflow and output you both agree on.

A Standard Operating Procedure will set a process in place for your company to smoothly work with freelancers in the future too.

Include a step-by-step process of the project, and decide the communication structure, deadlines, and system to follow to achieve your end goal.

Keep in mind that experienced and specialized freelancers may already have their SOP in place.

“Most clients don’t have their own SOPs, which I actually kind of prefer because they usually welcome the structure that I bring,” says Kayla Schilthuis-Ihrig, founder of WritingfromNowhere, a content marketing firm. “It took me over 2 years to streamline my process—I send an intake form, FAQs, and an onboarding timeline with weekly project milestones.

Step 8: Ensure success post-hiring

SEO and online marketing strategies are never a quick fix and play a huge role in determining your company’s long-term success. So ensure the SEO strategies and services you pay for continue to thrive, even after the project or retainer is over.

That’s why consistent reports and updates from your SEO hire is a crucial practice. Once you select the metrics to measure SEO success, keep track of your website’s performance.

Find the right SEO specialist for your business

With so many factors in hiring an SEO expert, you may feel overwhelmed. Having a platform that compiles all the right information for you can make that first step a little less daunting.

Get started on boosting your business’s visibility by hiring talent from Fiverr’s vast community of SEO experts.