Search engine optimisation requires expertise and recent experience to make the correct decisions. Hiring any old SEO consultant from London won’t cut the mustard because you cannot be assured of the results that way.
Hiring an SEO consultant is useful to re-assess the position that a website is currently in, and to explore what will be needed to polish it up. By doing that, mistakes are avoided.
How to know when an SEO consultant is required
When your local SEO results are failing to deliver what your business requires, this is the point where a consultant may be hired.
If your business doesn’t appear in the Top 5 results for relevant local search queries, then the organic clickthrough’s to your website will be minimal. At which point, this is a clear indication that a new approach is required to find some success.
What to look for in an SEO consultant
An SEO consultant should not be the newest on the block. When you are looking for an SEO consultant, note that they need several years of recent experience in this field that is demonstrable. One example is DigiVisi who have proven results and testimonials that offer reassurance to new clients signing up.
It’s easy to talk a good game, so seeing results is vital here. So, ask to see recent and live search results for relevant local SEO queries. Any consultant in this field should have numerous results relating to former or current clients. If you need further confirmation, request to see contracts confirming that they were a client. Doing this avoids someone pretending they produced local SEO results that another local SEO practitioner delivered.
Also, enquire how the local SEO landscape has changed in the last three years? If they can provide insights, it confirms the depth of their understanding. If they can discuss recent changes to Google’s ranking strategies or added features to local SEO results compared to a few years ago, then it’s clear that they know their stuff.
Should they conduct an SEO audit first
For existing sites, it’s often useful to discover the mistakes that have already been made.
The report should break down all the different facets of the website including what’s been done correctly and incorrectly from a local SEO standpoint. Existing citations to the business including the name, address, and contact number, and a list of local-related backlinks should also be included in any report.
The audit report should conclude with several recommendations based on earlier stated findings, e.g., changes to what’s already present and fresh suggestions about other work to be performed too.
Based on these findings, a proposal can be made to the client for the suggested services, including a budgeted cost too.
How to ensure better results
By asking meaningful questions upfront, gauging the real experience of the staff at the SEO agency is possible. Certainly, it’s useful to separate people who are too new to know a little of the history of local SEO from wiser people who are deeply invested.
Also, if the consultant is planning to outsource some of the work to a third party, then it pays to enquire about the criteria for their selection too. This ensures that the outcome will more closely match initial expectations.
Hiring an SEO consultant is a good idea. They can help to confirm some reasonable expectations from the outset and whether an SEO audit will be performed first too.
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