What is your process for figuring out why your SEO isn't achieving the best results? While I would love if everything we did with SEO instantly bore fruits, I have enough experience to know that troubleshooting terms and campaigns is something that you will need to do a lot as an SEO marketer. By asking the candidate how they approach it, it lets me know that they are used to adjusting their campaigns for best results and will serve as a good benchmark on their level of experience.
As an SEO marketer, it's crucial to consider the integration of offline and online marketing efforts to create a holistic approach. I would ask the candidate about their experience and strategies for aligning offline marketing initiatives with SEO strategies. For example, I would inquire about how they have coordinated SEO campaigns with print advertising or events. Their answer will provide insights into their ability to think strategically and leverage diverse marketing channels for maximum impact.
My question: "What's the biggest SEO mistake that you or your team made?" And then, depending on how much they're willing to share up front, the following follow-up questions: - "Why was this a big mistake?" - "What were the business impacts? Short term? Long term?" - "How was the situation managed? What did you do to correct the issue and how long did that take?" What I'm looking to learn from this question is to understand (1) How honest are they - will they come to me if they've made a mistake? (2) What's their business acumen? (3) Do they take agency in solutions and resolution? (4) What was the scope of projects they were working on before.
When I interview someone for an SEO position, I ask them to tackle an SEO problem that I am currently dealing with. That is a real quick way to grasp someone's SEO knowledge and how they would deal with a particular issue. It also helps me weed out the typical "generalist" answers. For example, I was trying to get a client back on the first page for a particular keyword. The website we were looking at was built on 3D cart. One applicant pointed out that the URL was dynamic (3D cart is nefarious for creating not totally humanized URLs). That's one of the aspects of 3D cart that one must live with. One thing to take note of in some of the answers provided below. I don't like thinking of making someone choose between SEO, PPC, and Facebook ads. If you're paying for SEO only, PPC only, or FB only, you're not going to succeed long-term with marketing. You have all these things as part of your marketing budget.
I usually have a quiz that I have SEOs take to qualify their knowledge. It will ask what type of topics are best to go after, how to set up a redirect, and how to go about building links. But I’ve found the best way to gauge an SEOs knowledge is to ask them who they follow in SEO. If they say Neil Patel, it’s almost always a red flag. But if they say Chris Long or Mike King, I know they know their stuff.
Having been in the SEO game since 2006, we know there's a LOT to cover when seeking new (pre-talented) SEO staff. However, when it comes to meaningful questions, I would say the biggest and most important would be: "Provide examples of high rankings you have personally achieved, and talk me through the process you took to rank them." This will eliminate most of the fluff, and puts the candidate into a position whereby they have to provide some substance (actual rankings they acquired) and tangible strategy to achieve results.
What are your favorite SEO analytics tools that you've used in the last two years? I want this to be a quick response, as analytics are everything SEO and knowing that your SEO marketer is actually leveraging their analysis skills rather than spitballing keywords is very valuable during an interview. Recent platforms are best, as the field moves quickly, so having examples from the last few years is also pretty useful.
As someone who has experience hiring digital marketers, the question I ask SEO marketers in interviews is: "What strategies have you implemented or advice can you give to ensure that your SEO efforts are effective?" This question allows me to get a sense of the potential hire's knowledge and expertise in this field. It gives me an opportunity to learn more about their thought process and whether they have experience with either keyword optimization, content marketing, link building, etc.
My name is Roy Lin from Genius Hub Marketing in Hong Kong, and I have substantial expertise in this area. One question I find most illuminating when interviewing an SEO marketer is not the standard "How will you improve our search rankings?" but rather, "How will your SEO strategies directly translate into customer acquisition?" I'm not saying traffic and rankings are irrelevant; they're the stepping stones. But the end game is always customer acquisition. We once worked with an SEO marketer who, instead of opting for high-volume keywords, focused on long-tail keywords that our target B2B decision-makers were likely to search for. The result? A 30% increase in qualified leads within a quarter. It's essential to cut through the dominant SEO narratives and seek innovative ways to add real business value. The right question can make all the difference in the hiring process.
I've interviewed many SEOs and digital marketers over the years and have learned that you can easily waste a lot of time talking about the ins-and-outs of Google's algorithm updates and the right SEO success formula, such as whether you should buy links or use generative AI to write content at scale. The truth is, no one really knows the secrets to Google's algorithm, and almost every SEO you interview will be knowledgeable enough talk a good game. So for this reason, I ask every SEO, "What is your optimization process?" The most capable SEOs, the ones that have made a significant commercial impact in their previous roles for their employer or their agency's clients, will set out several logical steps of a continuous process of optimization and improvement. More than SEO specific tactics, I'm looking to see that it starts from gaining a deep understanding of the business and its target audience, its goals and resources and that it includes rigourous observation and testing.
When interviewing potential hires, I've always liked to ask about the interviewee's biggest wins in SEO, *and* their biggest losses. As SEOs, the results of our work can be determined by countless outside influences, and the same strategies can have wildly difference results depending on the web properties they are applied to. All we can do is our best - if that's not enough, I need to know that you at least understand why, and what could have been done differently to achieve a better outcome next time.
Could you describe your methodology for conducting keyword research and offer an instance of a fruitful keyword strategy you've previously employed?" The purpose of this inquiry is to evaluate the candidate's fundamental competencies. Evaluate Core Skill: A key component of SEO is keyword research. This test assesses the candidate's knowledge of one of the most important search engine optimization components. Shows Practical Experience: By requesting a detailed example of a keyword strategy that has worked, you're pushing the applicant to present hard copies of their prior work, which will demonstrate their practical experience. Measures Analytical Abilities: You may assess someone's analytical skills by knowing how they go about doing keyword research. A strong response should demonstrate the capacity to find pertinent keywords, evaluate competitors, and choose the best ones for the task at hand.
When hiring SEO marketers, I challenge them with real-world scenarios to assess their technical know-how, problem-solving abilities, and composure. A favorite question involves a severe negative SEO attack, asking candidates to detail their response steps, immediate actions for damage control, client communication strategies, and long-term preventive measures. This evaluates their proficiency in SEO practices, ability to handle crisis situations strategically, and communicate effectively under pressure. It ensures we hire well-rounded individuals capable of safeguarding our clients' digital presence and rebuilding their online reputation. If the SEO rankings have taken a hit, I delve into their recovery strategies, asking how they plan to bounce back, clean up the negative SEO impacts, and what specific strategies they would implement to regain lost ground and strengthen the site's resilience against future attacks.
Industry Knowledge When hiring an SEO marketer, there's one question I always ask: "Can you give an example of how you've tailored an SEO strategy to a specific industry, especially in a field similar to SaaS?" This question is crucial. It goes right to the heart of what we need – someone who's not just an SEO wizard, but who also gets the unique beats of our industry. Another thing I look out for is their curiosity about our specific product and service. So, I ask, "How would you approach SEO for a company like ZenMaid, considering our unique position in the SaaS space?" This isn't just about their SEO know-how. It's about seeing if they're eager to dive deep into what makes our business tick. That's when the magic happens. When they combine their SEO prowess with our insider knowledge, it's like striking gold. It results in a strategy that doesn't just generate traffic, but resonates deeply with our audience.
In my experience as the founder of CodeDesign, a prominent digital marketing agency, I've found that one of the most crucial questions to pose during an SEO marketer interview is: "Can you share an example of a particularly challenging SEO problem you've encountered in your previous role and how you approached solving it?" This question allows the candidate to demonstrate their problem-solving skills and provides insight into their ability to tackle real-world SEO challenges. It goes beyond the basics of SEO knowledge and delves into their practical experience and adaptability, qualities essential for success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Assessing SEO Marketers' Skills via the Most Relevant Question One crucial question to ask an SEO marketer during an interview is, "Can you share a specific example of how you improved the organic search traffic for a website and its SERP Rankings? What strategies or tactics did you employ to achieve those results?" This question will assess the candidate's practical experience and problem-solving abilities. Look for answers highlighting their ability to target relevant keywords, optimise product pages, and build quality backlinks. Moreover, they must be familiar with data analytics to track and adjust their strategies according to the outcome obtained. A successful SEO marketer should be capable of demonstrating their work's positive impact on driving organic traffic, improving rankings, enhancing visibility, fostering credibility and ultimately facilitating sales for the organisation.
As a tech company CEO, I'm always looking for SEO marketers who are able to collaborate effectively with other teams. That's why one question I always ask during an interview is, "Can you describe a time when you had to collaborate with other teams to achieve a common SEO goal?" This question helps me understand how candidates approach their work and how they interact with others. It also helps me assess their ability to work well with others and achieve common goals. For example, a candidate might tell me about a time when they worked with the product team to optimize new product pages for SEO. Or, they might tell me about a time when they worked with the content team to create and promote a new blog post series. The best candidates will be able to provide specific examples of times when they have collaborated effectively with other teams to achieve a common SEO goal. They will also be able to explain how their collaboration helped to improve the company's SEO results.
This question aims to assess the candidate's ability to integrate technical SEO elements while maintaining a user-centric approach to content creation. It highlights the need for a balance between technical optimizations and creative storytelling. A strong candidate might discuss their methodology, such as conducting keyword research to inform content creation, optimizing on-page elements, and using data-driven insights to measure success. They may also mention the importance of user experience, ensuring that content resonates with the target audience while still adhering to SEO best practices. For example, a candidate may explain how they optimized a blog post by strategically incorporating relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags, and internal linking, all while ensuring the content remained engaging and valuable to readers.
When I hire an SEO marketer, one question I always ask is "Can you tell me about a successful SEO campaign you have managed in the past?" This question allows me to get a better understanding of their experience and expertise in the field. I want to know how they approach SEO strategies, what tactics they use, and most importantly, the results they were able to achieve. I also like to ask follow-up questions such as "What challenges did you face during that campaign?" This gives insight into their problem-solving skills and how they handle obstacles in the constantly evolving world of SEO.
One question to ask an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketer during an interview is: "Can you share an example of a successful SEO campaign you've managed, and what strategies or tactics you used to achieve the desired results?" This question allows the candidate to demonstrate their practical experience and knowledge in SEO. It also provides insights into their problem-solving abilities and their ability to apply SEO strategies to real-world situations. Look for specific results, such as increased website traffic, improved search engine rankings, or enhanced online visibility, as these outcomes can indicate the candidate's effectiveness as an SEO marketer.