Just in case no one has told you this yet, businesses can pull off incredible SEO results with a small marketing team. How? It’s all about identifying and hiring an SEO expert who aligns with the business’ goals and someone set on delivering real, measurable results. 📊
However, navigating the SEO landscape can be a real challenge for those who don’t really know what “good SEO” looks like. Let’s be real, you’ll find both highly skilled professionals and less reputable practitioners who may not deliver genuine value.
Whether you’re getting recommendations from your network or conducting independent research, approach your hiring process with careful consideration and due diligence. 🕵️
Keep reading to learn how to navigate the process of SEO specialist hiring according to your business needs!
What Does an SEO Expert Do?
SEO experts think holistically about the best ways to create a digital presence for your brand and by following every best practice or opportunity to optimize how users enter your marketing funnel. This has evolved beyond simple keyword insertion and link acquisition.
The goal is achieving first-page Google rankings for strategic search terms that effectively channel potential clients into your sales pipeline, and that can include content creation or site optimizations. Your dedicated SEO expert will concentrate on many different areas to boost your search performance and website traffic, such as:
- Conduct thorough research to discover the exact search keywords your target audience uses when searching.
- Execute comprehensive on-page and off-page optimization to systematically enhance keyword positions for first-page visibility.
- Develop and implement strategic content marketing plans that attract prospects and potential customers.
- Establish high-quality contextual backlinks from relevant industry websites to strengthen your domain authority.
- Enhance conversion optimization, refine landing pages, boost site performance, and eliminate technical barriers to achieve top rankings.
- Monitor and adapt to the latest SEO trends, algorithm updates, and industry developments.
- Utilize and manage advanced enterprise SEO tools strategically to achieve measurable business objectives.
How Do I Know if I Need an SEO Expert?
If your business is just beginning the SEO journey, an SEO expert will help you establish a strong foundation. This includes setting up new websites, building initial backlinks, and conducting thorough keyword research.
The professional will also analyze and know how to find competitor keywords and develop a long-term strategy to transform organic search into your primary lead generation channel. So, whether you’re taking your first SEO steps or aiming for market dominance, let’s explore how hiring SEO expert can elevate your business at any stage:
Your SEO Strategy Isn’t Tied to the Right KPIs
An SEO expert can also help if you’ve established your market fit but struggle to compete effectively if you don’t have clear KPIs in place. If your SEO results are stagnant, it’s possible that you are ranking only for branded terms despite having some SEO optimization.
A common strategy is to acquire backlinks and develop an SEO-optimized content marketing strategy to improve your visibility for non-branded and competitive keywords. But what do you want from these efforts? Your SEO expert should be able to tie their actions directly to your set KPIs because while everyone loves high traffic numbers, it doesn’t mean much if you’re not converting. 💸
Your Goal is to Reach the Top of the SERP
For established businesses with existing SEO efforts, search professionals provide in-depth expertise to accelerate your growth by digging deeper into competitive analysis and experimental content with site explorer tools.
Usually, the business has a marketing team that doesn’t have deep knowledge about SEO. In this case, the hiring will help you dominate search results across all relevant keywords in your industry and create revenue-focused SEO campaigns.
Your Website Needs to Be Improved
Your site’s health is critical to your overall SEO performance and for many, it can easily be the most overlooked reason to hire an SEO expert. Technical SEO experts help businesses find improvements—whether they’re major or a small boost—on things like site speed, mobile optimization, structured data, SEO user experience, image optimizations, and faulty links.
Having a full-picture of your site’s health is critical to know what is holding you back, and for most SEO experts, they will start the process with a thorough audit—oftentimes using site auditor tools.
6 Tips for Hiring an SEO Expert in 2025
While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for hiring an SEO specialist, understanding key evaluation criteria can help you make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals. 🎯
Here are six essential tips to guide you through the hiring process and ensure you find the ideal SEO partner for your specific needs.
1. Create a Realistic Budget for Strategic Growth
When hiring an SEO expert, it’s natural to consider cost as a factor. However, price should not be the sole determinant in your decision. The saying, “You get what you pay for,” often holds true, but it’s not an absolute rule.
While a higher price might indicate a more established or experienced SEO professional, it doesn’t always guarantee superior service or results. Weigh the cost against the expert’s experience, past results, and the specific needs of your business.
Overall, SEO should be regarded as an investment for the long-term growth and online visibility of your business.
2. Match Your Needs With the Right Type of SEO Expert
The choice between internal hires, freelancers, or agencies significantly influences your company’s SEO execution and team dynamics. 👥
Here’s how each option shapes your strategy:
New Internal Talent
Adding an SEO specialist to your team creates seamless collaboration with existing marketing efforts. They become immersed in your company culture, developing deep product knowledge and maintaining consistent communication.
Freelance Talent
Freelancers offer flexibility and specialized expertise for specific projects or campaigns. They’re ideal for short-term needs or supplementing existing efforts, providing fresh perspectives without the commitment of a full-time hire.
The challenge in freelance SEO specialist hiring lies in maintaining consistency and ensuring alignment with your broader marketing goals.
SEO Agency
Agencies bring comprehensive resources and diverse expertise to the table. They offer scalable solutions and multiple team members if needed, but require clear communication channels and may be more expensive.
While they provide extensive capabilities, the relationship needs careful management to maintain alignment with your company’s vision.
3. Find the Best Channels for SEO Talent Discovery
Each channel offers unique advantages in your search for the ideal professional. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the most effective platforms for SEO specialist hiring. 🧑💼
Your Professional Network
Your existing connections can be a goldmine for finding trusted SEO talent. No matter which social media you are on, look for and join relevant groups where SEO experts gather.
Additionally, asking for personal referrals from friends or colleagues, this approach often leads to the most reliable partnerships, as they come pre-vetted by trusted colleagues.
Specialized Job Boards
Top freelance marketplaces maintain strict verification standards for their marketing talent pool, making it easier to find credible professionals while minimizing risk.
Some popular job boards for SEO freelancers include:
- Upwork: Industry-leading platform combining strict verification with the largest pool of professional freelancers.
- Indeed: Extensive SEO talent database with powerful search filters for precise candidate matching.
- ProBlogger: Specialized marketplace focused on connecting businesses with expert SEO content writers.
- Wellfound: Favored by startups, it offers carefully vetted professionals for niche requirements.
- Fiverr: Cost-effective option with diverse talent, though requires thorough screening to find qualified experts.
Social Media Channels
When your immediate network doesn’t yield the right SEO expert, social platforms offer rich alternatives. LinkedIn’s professional ecosystem makes it the go-to destination for a discovering qualified SEO specialists.
For more targeted searches, Reddit communities like r/SEO and r/SEOgrowth provide direct access to active practitioners. Meanwhile, Facebook’s groups and business pages serve as valuable hubs for connecting with seasoned SEO professionals.
4. Prepare Key Questions to Ask SEOs for Strategic Alignment
It’s crucial to ask questions that reveal the candidate’s experience, expertise, and professional journey. 🧗
While specific inquiries may vary depending on your niche and industry, certain core questions are essential for understanding a candidate’s capabilities and approach to SEO. Here are six key questions to consider:
What inspired your journey into SEO, and how did you develop your expertise?
Look for candidates who demonstrate both formal learning and hands-on experience, with clear examples of how they’ve grown their expertise over time.
How does your experience align with our industry’s specific SEO challenges?
The ideal candidate in the SEO hire process should show direct experience with similar businesses and understand that different industries require unique approaches, from local SEO to e-commerce optimization.
Can you walk me through some of your most successful SEO campaigns?
Seek specific examples with measurable results and clear strategies. Strong candidates will readily share success metrics and explain their methodology.
What’s your approach to SEO strategy development and implementation?
They should outline a comprehensive approach covering keyword research, meta tag optimization, content strategy, technical SEO, and link building, with clear methods for measuring success.
Which SEO tools and technologies do you rely on most?
Beyond basic tools, look for expertise with advanced SEO platforms and analytics tools that demonstrate both technical knowledge and strategic thinking.
How do you anticipate AI changing SEO practices in the coming years?
Strong candidates will balance optimism about AI’s potential with practical understanding of its limitations and impact on SEO strategies. 🤖
What have you learned or changed your stance on within the SEO world?
Humility is a key trait to know whether someone is willing to learn, has made errors, and won’t create a bunch of excuses to please you. Everyone makes SEO mistakes because there’s no exact “official” book to SEO. Seeing how someone has changed or learned from the evolving world of SEO is a great way to see how they adapt and move on.
5. Assess the Expert’s Knowledge to Match Your Needs
Consider the candidate’s qualifications, including relevant degrees, certifications, and practical experience. Request case studies or examples of previous results to gauge their real-world effectiveness—like this story of a car rental app increasing its organic traffic by +257% by implementing Search Atlas!
While not always essential, assessing analytical skills, technical abilities, problem-solving aptitude, and adaptability can provide valuable insights while hiring and SEO expert.
Some companies opt for multi-stage processes with competitive, graded tests using platforms like Codility, Mettl, TestGorilla, or Vervoe.
But remember that SEO is a dynamic field that is always changing, and there are various successful strategies. Thus, these tests may not capture the full spectrum of effective approaches. Allow candidates to share their opinions about the test and discuss alternative strategies they’ve found successful.
How Can I Make Sure My SEO Hire will Get Results?
After hiring an SEO expert, get the right tools to ensure they’ll get results with a smart investment.
While many SEO professionals are familiar with popular tools in the market, some established solutions—such as Semrush and Ahrefs—can be prohibitively expensive, potentially unnecessarily inflating your hiring costs.
Whether you’re bringing someone onto your internal team or hiring a freelancer, consider using an all-in-one SEO tool that’s disrupting the marketing landscape, such as Search Atlas.
This platform offers all the necessary features for a complete SEO strategy at a more accessible price point. The plans start at $99/monthly and includes:
- Keyword Magic Tool: Simplify keyword research with our 4.2 billion keyword database. Get essential metrics, create lists, and analyze competitors to identify optimal SEO opportunities.
- Site Auditor: Comprehensive site monitoring and auditing tool. Crawl up to 1 million pages, identify technical SEO issues, and get “How to Fix” guidance for improving your website’s SEO health.
- GSC Insights: Track 100% of your ranking keywords with daily updates. Monitor organic visibility, access unique data visualizations, and generate various SEO reports effortlessly.
- SEO Content Assistant: All-in-one content creation tool. Research, write, edit, and optimize content with AI assistance, competitor insights, and direct publishing to your website in 1-click.
- AI Content Writer: Leverage GPT and Claude for content briefs, first drafts, and various marketing materials. Includes AI image generation for comprehensive content creation.
- Backlink Analyzer: Comprehensive backlink analysis tool. Benchmark against competitors, assess site authority, and gain insights for link-building campaigns.
- Content Planner: Streamline content strategy with keyword clusters and AI-generated blog ideas. Plan months of content quickly and efficiently.
- Competitor Analysis: Reverse-engineer competitors’ SEO and PPC strategies. Compare backlinks, keywords, and ads to outperform rivals in organic search and Google Ads.
- And much more…
Moreover, All Search Atlas’ includes at least one free OTTO activation, the first AI autopilot for SEO, which can significantly accelerate your new hire’s ability to achieve results with minimal effort.
It automates a wide range of SEO tasks, including technical fixes, on-page and content optimization, article writing, authority building, and even Google Business Profile (GBP) management.
OTTO is not just another AI tool to just make simple recommendations. It can actually deploy changes directly to your website, streamlining the optimization process.
This level of automation ensures that your SEO expert can focus on high-level strategy while OTTO handles the time-consuming implementation details.
Hiring an SEO Specialist and Getting the Most Powerful Tool
While finding the right expert is crucial, equipping them with comprehensive yet cost-effective tools is equally important for achieving optimal results.
Remember: success in SEO requires both skilled professionals and powerful tools working in harmony.
Experience the full potential of your SEO strategy by starting your free trial with Search Atlas today!
