Google Gives Recommendations on Hiring an SEO Specialist

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Google Gives Recommendations on Hiring an SEO Specialist
15 February 2023
On December 5th Google gave a new set of guidelines on hiring an SEO specialist. Those pieces of advice are pretty fundamental, and therefore they will definitely help you pick the right person, and what’s strictly connected with that, increase your website visibility on Google.

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Before giving a straight answer on how to pick the right SEO consultant, Google explains what the scope of work of a typical search engine optimizer is. From the long list of responsibilities, Google seems to consider the following the most important:
  • analysis of the web structure and content
  • giving tips on technical SEO (e.g. hosting, redirects, errors, design or JavaScript)
  • content development
  • managing online business development campaigns
  • keyword research and analysis
  • SEO training
  • expertise in particular markets or geographical areas
We’re actually happy to hear that because at Delante we handle all of the above, and even more! Here is what else we occupy our hands with:
  • implement changes on websites
  • design, write and optimize web content
  • advise on UX
  • mind your business’ buying persona while creating content plans
  • handle special missions with our in-house dev team
Moreover, Google emphasizes - again! - that organic results are free of charge, meaning Google Ads has zero influence on the organic search results. It doesn’t mean though that this online advertising platform is of no use or that it has no benefits because it clearly has. The thing is that it serves a different purpose. Coming back to hiring an SEO, Google recommends partnering with one, especially if you:
  1. are about launching a new website, or
  2. need to make changes to the existing website.
what to ask potential seo company

Choosing an SEO Specialist - Tips from Google

Google points out 5 (actually 4) factors that are supposed to help you hire the right person for an SEO specialist position.

1. Always Implement the Recommended Changes

If you can’t make time to introduce the improvements suggested by the SEO specialist, or if you don’t intend to follow those recommendations in the first place - perhaps it’s not the right time for you to work with an SEO agency. Not just yet. After all, this is how we understand the message given by Google. Indeed, open-mindedness and the willingness to introduce the recommended changes to the website is the key to reaching better results on Google. Devoting time to implement those modifications often reduces the cost of working with an SEO agency. Nevertheless, if you currently don’t have the resources to follow the recommendations, it’s not a problem. We adjust our services to each client individually and also handle the implementation for most of them.

2. Have a Talk with Your Potential SEO Specialist

Google gives several ideas on the questions you may consider asking your potential SEO expert. In case you’re thinking about partnering with Delante, we’re also going to answer those questions - just to save you time. What are they? QUESTION 1 Can I see some of the websites you worked on? Do you mind sharing some of your personal success stories? Sure thing, take a look at our case studies! QUESTION 2 Do you offer any digital marketing services or advice as an extension of your standard search engine optimization processes? No problem with that either. If you need our assistance with drawing up your digital marketing strategy, we can offer you our assistance with running Google Ads campaigns. You also may be interested in our SEO consulting services or SEO audit. QUESTION 3 What results can I expect to get, and how long will it take you to deliver them? How do you measure your success? It’s hard to answer those questions using just a few sentences, therefore we wholeheartedly encourage you to read our blog posts where we explain how to evaluate an SEO agency’s performance and how long it takes to optimize a website for search engines. QUESTION 4 Do you have any experience optimizing websites for businesses from my industry? By far we’ve optimized 500+ websites - and still counting! - so there is a great chance we have a good insight into what does and doesn't work in your industry. We guess it would be best if you check our case studies, or ask us this question during our first talk. QUESTION 5 What’s your experience in my country/city? You bet, we have it! Check how we handle international SEO services and local SEO. When you finally go through all the questions, you may also try to find out if the SEO specialist you’re talking with is actually interested in you and your business. This point is immensely important to cover if you want to make sure that the SEO agency will not only introduce suggested modifications but will also focus on your business objectives and KPIs. Here is another set of questions suggested by Google you may consider asking an SEO:
  • What makes your SEO agency/service unique? Why do your clients like it?
  • Who are your clients?
  • How does your SEO agency benefit from doing SEO for other businesses?
  • What are the marketing channels you use?
  • Who are your closest competitors?
We, as Deante, are going to ask you more questions because we want to get to know your business better. You can expect us to ask you about your current business goals, the results you want to achieve, and which products or services you consider the most important.

3. Check an SEO Specialist’s Job References

Google suggests trying to get in touch with the past clients of a particular SEO specialist or agency. From our point of view, we recommend taking some time to read case studies of agencies the SEO specialist works for or used to work for. Reputable SEO agencies offer their portfolio, showcasing the results they achieved for their clients. In case you would like to take a look at our biggest successes, click here: delante clients portfolio

4. Ask Your Potential SEO Specialist to Check the Technicals and Search Potential of Your Website

What for? Simply to see what the SEO specialist considers faulty, and what results they are able to deliver. Google indicates that once you ask a search engine optimizer to run an SEO audit, you will probably be asked to pay for the audit. It’s also worth realizing that website evaluation requires access to analytical tools. This means an SEO will need you to give them access to Google Search Console (note: make sure it’s read-only access at this stage). And most importantly:
“If they guarantee you that their changes will give you first place in search results, find someone else.” ~Google
Truth be told, checking the website metrics is crucial. That’s why we always run a thorough SEO audit before implementing any changes on the client’s website.

5. Decide if the SEO Specialist is the Right Person for You

This is what the process of finding a good SEO specialist may look like. Don’t worry about some minor deviations - after all, SEO specialists are just humans. However, keep in mind the above pieces of advice to stay away from the agencies that do a snow job on you, doing the sweet talk and promising the first positions.

3 Extra tips from Google

  • No one can guarantee the first position on Google.
Google claims that the company doesn't make any agreements with any SEO agencies. Therefore, if a specialist you are talking with boasts about having a special relationship with Google, you better finish the conversation.
  • Be careful when an agency seems to be hiding something and is reluctant to tell you how they’re going to improve your ratings.
  • Adding links to the SEOs shouldn’t be ever requested.
Google suggests steering clear of being involved in any kind of link popularity schemes. Staying away from “specialists” offering such shady solutions is strongly recommended by Google. If you feel like learning more on how to stay sharp while recruiting an SEO specialist, read the full Google Search Central post or watch the video: [embed]https://youtu.be/NWsyr-D06Ck[/embed] If you want to partner with one of our SEO specialists - feel more than welcome to do so! Fill in the contact form.
Author
Diana Samiczak Marketing Delante
Author
Diana Samiczak

Marketing Specialist

She supports the development of marketing strategies. She derives great joy from shooting videos and collaborating with other people.

She is a student of international management at the Jagiellonian University. As a hobby, she plays in the Ecce Homo Theater and follows Marvel characters.

Author
Diana Samiczak Marketing Delante
Author
Diana Samiczak

Marketing Specialist

She supports the development of marketing strategies. She derives great joy from shooting videos and collaborating with other people.

She is a student of international management at the Jagiellonian University. As a hobby, she plays in the Ecce Homo Theater and follows Marvel characters.

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