Need tips on what to look out for when hiring an SEO Expert

[WebLinkr]

Some basics for interviewing SEOs:

# You need to build authority and content

If your site can’t be found by name – which most are – then you’re clearly starting at low authority. Content isn’t going to generate authority on its own or any time soon. So you need someone who can help or advise you on how to build your profile – this could be via business networks, partnerships, outreach….but they need a strategy other than “google loves my amazing writing”

Keyword Research

Somoene who’s worked in a similar space

Do you have a store? Maybe you need some local SEO

How do you measure traffic?

Why industry are you in?

What are your competitors doing?

# Red Flags from previous conversations

Some highlights of what people have come to r/SEO with in the pasT:

* Its been 6 months and I dont know if my SEO is doing anyhing
* My SEO has access to my sie but hasn’t made any edits
* My traffic hasn’t changed
* I can’t get hold of my SEO

[SEO Company doing anything at all??? : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1jlop55/seo_company_doing_anything_at_all/)

[how long does it actually take to see results from seo? : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1g8ox8a/how_long_does_it_actually_take_to_see_results/)

[How to Determine if a SEO Specialist is Good : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1hxt7b3/how_to_determine_if_a_seo_specialist_is_good/)

[How Do I Know if I am Doing OK? : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1honat4/how_do_i_know_if_i_am_doing_ok/)

[How does a non-expert even determine if their SEO company is being effective? : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1mpmzu9/how_does_a_nonexpert_even_determine_if_their_seo/)

[how long does it actually take to see results from seo? : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1g8ox8a/how_long_does_it_actually_take_to_see_results/)

[How soon before I conclude my SEO strategy is under-performing? : r/SEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/18zkmli/how_soon_before_i_conclude_my_seo_strategy_is/)

SEO Company doing anything at all???
byu/compiled_with_errors inSEO

[WebLinkr]

# Quick Punch list for Hiring an SEO Expert

* Hire someone with 4-5+ accounts in a similar space
* References need to be 3rd parties you can talk to
* Ask about revenue and traffic
* The SEO strategy must make sense
* KPIs must be something you both understand
* Automated SEO “audits” are worthless
* Just fixing SEO “tech” issues aren’t going to do much
* How will you move faster to catch up with your competition
* Wil the reports show you’re mosing closer tto the goal?

[whodis123]

Find someone who’s own site ranks

[Pretend-Werewolf-716]

Thanks a lot everyone

[WebsiteCatalyst]

The determining factor will be how much it is worth to you, financially, to rank Top 3 for your keywords.

[AdamYamada]

Ranking for job board and talent marketplaces is a bit special. 

With the jobs it’s best to use Google Indexing API to make sure they get crawled and published immediately. You also need to make sure they have correct job formatting for Google for Jobs. 

Even if you do this it’s not a given Google will list jobs from a job board. If those jobs exist on too many other platforms they won’t rank. 

You also need a content strategy for offering good advice in this niche. 

[Lucifer19821]

Look for someone who actually audits first, not just promises ‘rank #1’. They should talk about technical SEO (indexing, site speed, sitemap), on-page optimization, and local/schema setup before link building. Ask for case studies, not screenshots. Also, make sure your site’s indexed — sometimes it’s just a robots.txt or Search Console issue, not a full SEO rebuild.