If you are thinking about hiring an SEO consultant, such as myself (hello!), then you are looking for help in the promotion of your website within search engines and possibly to increase the number of site conversions too. In reaching this page you’ve probably searched to see why you should hire an seo consultant (or something like that) because you are unsure about spending some hard-earned cash to get some help for your website. Being unsure in this way is all part of the normal process, and it’s why I wanted to write this post.
Note: It’s important to know from the outset no SEO can guarantee you top rankings, and no SEO has a ‘special’ relationship with Google. Anyone claiming such things is typically performing Black Hat SEO which can permanently harm your website now and in the future.
In this article I want to explain some of the top reasons that companies of all sizes, from self-employed merchants to multi-national organisations, turn to SEO experts for help.
Why Should I Hire an SEO Consultant?
1. Seeing Timely Results
It sounds like the most ludicrous thing, but an SEO expert can really speed up how quickly you see rankings improve and the number of conversions increasing on your website. This is because, usually, an experienced SEO can perform many tasks much quicker than is possible with a DIY-seo approach. In addition to this an experienced SEO consultant will know where to find information they need to push your site that little bit further.
2. Save Yourself Time and Hassle
Whether you are running your own business or are part of a team, you are always pushed for time. In order to get results for your website, you need to be able to put resources into the website in a focused way. Hiring an outside SEO will allow you to maintain your focus on the main function of your job, reliving you of extra work and potentially freeing up time for more important activities.
3. Prevention is Better Than a Cure
As an SEO consultant I regularly take on clients who have made mistakes and/or have been penalised by a search engine. In my experience these issues can generally be cured with a lot of hard work and skill, but this is costly for the client. My belief is that prevention is better than a cure because, like an illness, if you can protect yourself from problem arising it is better in the long run. Accidents happen and mistakes are made, but if you hire an seo consultant before this happens they can be prevented, and you will save yourself a lot of money and time.
4. SEO Techniques That Are Tried & Tested
Hiring an SEO company means that you have (near) instant access to SEO experts, whom have a wealth of knowledge and resources to help you and your website. The experience of an SEO consultant is, as with an expert, built over time, this means that they have tried hundreds (maybe thousands) of techniques and approaches to promoting websites online – they know what is likely to work for your site and can implement it quickly, and they will also know what will never work for your site and ensure you don’t waste time with it.
5. A Higher Return For Online Investment
SEO may feel like it is just to improve your rankings and gain you more traffic, but it is more than that. Great SEO from an experienced SEO consultant will drive a higher quality of traffic to your website, because it is a better quality it is more likely to convert into a sale or lead, thus immediately increasing your ROI. In addition to this Great SEO is about looking beyond the search engine and understanding that the user of a website needs to come first, this means that they will work with you to analyze and improve your website to increase conversions further. Finally, an experienced SEO isn’t rigid, they will always customise your seo strategy to help you achieve more and continue to improve your ROI.
6. Saving Yourself Money
There is an old saying “you have to speculate to accumulate”, and in the case of SEO this is very true. By hiring a professional seo to help you, you are freeing up your own time – time you can use on your own business, using the skills that you are employed to use to help grow that business. In addition to this you will also save yourself money on the time taken to research and learn techniques, and the cost of materials and tools.
Tips for Selecting Your SEO
Selecting an SEO can be a nightmare, trust me I’ve heard the horror stories. So here are my tips to finding the best SEO for your company, without a whole bunch of stress!
- Look for an SEO pretty local to you (same country at least)
- Research a number of SEO’s and keep notes (10 is good)
- Cross off any who look to have spammy websites or use spammy SEO techniques
- Email those SEO’s who are left on your list
- Strike off those who don’t reply within 3 working days
- Strike off those who can’t provide case studies and references
- Ask the remaining for a quote based on the exact SAME specification of work
- Discuss the work required, the techniques they would use and the return the expect
- Consider the cost and ROI over the first year
- Make sure you are comfortable and get on with the SEO, you’re going to be dealing with them regularly.
Original SEO Content by SEO Andy @ Should You Hire an SEO Expert?