Learn · Strategy · Beginner
Learn how to turn Google's page on hiring an SEO into a checklist: what to read first, which questions to ask, what access to give and which promises to walk away from.
Google publishes a short page called Do you need an SEO? Tips for hiring an SEO. It covers when hiring help is worth considering, which questions to ask, what to be careful about and what to do if you feel deceived.
This guide turns that page into a checklist you can fill in before you agree to work with anyone, whether that is a freelancer, an agency or a consultant. You do not need any SEO knowledge to follow it.
Google describes hiring an SEO as a decision that can improve visibility and save time, but one that can also risk damage to your site and reputation if the provider is irresponsible. It also says that you are ultimately responsible for the actions of any company you hire. Read Google's hiring guidance once, then use the steps below to check a provider against it.
Google says a small local business can probably do much of the work itself, and recommends starting with its SEO starter guide. It also says reading it helps you spot a provider who proposes a technique that is not recommended or is strongly discouraged. You do not have to master it; skim the headings.
You will know it worked when You can name three topics the starter guide covers and you know where to look when a provider uses an unfamiliar term.
Copy Google's suggested interview questions into your document. They ask for examples of previous work, whether the provider follows Google Search Essentials, what results they expect and how they measure them, their experience in your industry, country and with international sites, how long they have been in business, and how they will communicate and explain changes.
You will know it worked when Your document has one question for each of those topics, with space under each for the provider's answer.
Google suggests asking past clients whether the work was useful, easy and produced positive results. It also suggests checking that the provider shows interest in what makes your business unique, who your competitors are and how customers find you. A provider who asks nothing about you is a signal to note.
You will know it worked when You have contacted at least one previous client, and you have noted whether the provider asked about your business.
If the provider offers an audit, Google says to consider what is involved and to grant read access to Search Console only at that stage, not write access. It also says an audit should give realistic estimates of improvement and of the work involved. If a provider has server access, Google says they should be willing to explain every change they make.
You will know it worked when You have granted no more than read access, and you have a written description of what the audit will include.
Compare what you were told with Google's warning signs: a promise of rankings, a claimed special relationship with Google, a priority submit, secrecy about what will change, link popularity schemes, or any request that you link to the provider. Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking. Ask whether each recommendation cites Google's own documentation, and treat any tool described as approved by Google with caution, because Google says it does not endorse third-party SEO tools.
You will know it worked when You have crossed off each warning sign, or written down the provider's explanation next to it.
Send Dean the questions you asked and what each provider said. The reply is an honest read of the answers, not a pitch.
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