Run a query on Google for a term that is related to your business, but not something you want to directly compete for. Find a business on page one that is not a competitor of yours, reach out to them and ask if they can recommend a good SEO. They are likely working with someone or an agency that has a proven track record in your vertical, which is proof positive that they can help you as well. Hopefully they can connect you with someone good, and if not pick a different company on page one to reach out to.
It's a difficult sub-sector of marketing to understand if you have no prior knowledge, and there are a lot of "third-party resellers" eager to answer your question, so be careful. I always suggest that you work with someone you can talk to, who understands and is genuinely interested in your business. Expect some work is done upfront in analysing your project, as this will allow you to understand their skill level.
LinkedIn connects you with qualified SEO consultants worldwide through one quick search. Simply search for “SEO consultant”, filter by People, and you’ll have roughly 85,000 SEO consultant profiles at your fingertips. It is the world’s largest professional network after all! You can narrow your search even further to find a consultant that best aligns with your business by filtering for specific locations, industries, hashtags, and languages, among other settings. A good SEO Consultant will have a strong LinkedIn profile with solid experience and glowing recommendations.
Unfortunately, as with any industry, there are some SEOs out there who only care about their own profit. You need a trustworthy consultant who will give you impartial advice to allow you to invest wisely. Meet and discuss your needs with candidates face to face, either in person or on a video call, and use your gut instinct to establish whether you can trust each candidate. Good SEOs know that SEO isn't a worthwhile investment for every organisation - so one question you could ask is "can you tell me an occasion where you have advised a client not to invest in SEO?". Failing that, "can you tell me an occasion where you wouldn't recommend SEO to a client?". If they can't answer either, that's a definite red flag. If your client has done some background research before the call, and discusses how you can build your topical relevance and authority, then you're onto a winner.
A modern SEO consultant should have an understanding of multiple aspects of marketing, such as human psychology, the target audiences' culture, the social media landscape, web analytics, web design, content, product, business models and more. Making decisions that are only beneficial in the short term, without considering the overall marketing plan or business goal can be detrimental. To gain an insight into the person's overall knowledge of marketing, two steps can be taken: ask specific questions during the discovery call that will inform you whether or not the person has an understanding of the big picture and take a look at their LinkedIn, Twitter or blog to get an idea of any broader knowledge or experience they might have.
There are numerous of SEO consultants, some of them are great, some of them are not. Personally, I would avoid using 'marketplace websites' where consultants can offer their services. Rather, I would look for consultants using Google Search (because if they can make themselves findable, they can - hopefully - make you too findable) or I would ask business relations for recommendations. In both scenarios, it's important to ask for the projects they've worked on, how they're collaborating with you as a client, what their experience is, and what their view on SEO is. It's better to spend a bit more time on getting to know a consultant than to switch to another consultant after one year. That would be a waste of time and money.
SEO consultants should be filtered by their understanding of your audience. To find an expert that can really help you in your organic growth, find a super specific keyword to your ICP looks for, with a somewhat vague intent. Then ask your potential consultant about their content strategy for ranking on this specific topic and other factors that contribute.
Sadly, because of bad practices and experiences, SEO has a bit of a reputation. However, there are some amazing SEOs who are working hard to do good work, and improve the reputation of the industry. It's so important for brands to know the signs of consultants using bad practices as their actions could have a negative impact on your site's visibility, but also on your brand as a whole. Some red flags to look out for include; lofty promises for small budgets, guaranteed number of links (this often results in buying links) and promising number of ranking keywords.
What makes a good SEO consultant for you depends on your specific situation. Choosing someone with a proven track record in your industry or niche greatly increases the chances of success. For example, if you're a B2B SaaS, search for consultants with clients and case studies in that category. You could even narrow it down to "eCommerce B2B SaaS". SEO strategies vary from one industry to the other. Choosing an experienced consultant will accelerate the execution of a plan that is more likely to yield results.
Search online for local SEO meetups that you are able to attend. This is a great way to speak to SEOs about your project and find the right one for you. You have to remeber some SEOs have more knowledge in particlaur niches and finding one who has experience in the niche you are working in will be to your advantage. Remeber to turn up with a few questions that you can ask to help you make the right decision. I'd ask questions around experience, rates and expectations when it comes to deliverables.
No SEO worth their salt will tell you I will get your website number one for [Insert Keyword] by the end of next month. The best will underpromise and over-deliver. Do not be lured by guarantees. Especially guarantees that can’t be backed up by a third party or data. A legitimate SEO will be very willing to share case studies and testimonials. Ask for testimonials, not guarantees!
Find a consultant who is happy to share processes and impart knowledge. A good consultant is confident in their ability to retain clients by keeping themselves relevant so gatekeeping information isn’t needed. Shared knowledge allows consultants to pass work to internal teams leaving the consultant room to continuously push the strategy forward. Zoe Ashbridge Co-Founder & Senior SEO Strategist https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoeashbridge/ www.forank.com
Not all SEOs know how to do SEO for your product/service. Every industry has its own search behavior. Having all the necessary SEO skills is not enough to take advantage of what SEO offers. SEO strategies are different across industries and niches. SaaS SEO, E-Commerce SEO, Web3 SEO, Local SEO, and Publisher SEO each have their own technique. Always ask your SEO consultant if they have proven experience in your industry
SEO is all about gaining higher visibility in search engines. So, if a Business is looking for an SEO Consultant, they're most likely to turn to a Search Engine first. An SEO Consultant, good at their job, should be able to optimise their own profile, to show up in the top search results. With 875 million users, LinkedIn is the most powerful search engine for professionals. Once you find the top-ranking SEO Consultants, review their profile, and get in touch with a few. You're sure to find a mutual fit through this process.