SEO is arguably one of the most misunderstood online marketing techniques. The underlying concepts, continuous research, and changing search algorithms all contribute to a minefield of information with varying strategies and suggestions that can leave you scratching your head utterly confused as to where to begin.
However, fear not, because this guide helps to cut through the noise and put you on the right track when it comes to one key element when hiring an SEO Consultant – how to understand if your SEO expert is going to build links that:
- Will help your website build authority in the world of SEO metrics You can buy backlinks cheap
- Will not harm your website’s organic search visibility beyond repair
Below you will learn some crash course SEO tips on how to avoid SEO consultants that resonate with option B, and how to fish out those associated with option A. As a result, by the end of this guide, you will be one step closer to making a wise investment.
Quickly spotting unethical SEO consultants
There are plenty of SEO consultants using strategies that work – mostly because they have worked in the industry for several years. However, it is your job to find them, and on the way, you are likely going to run into a few unethical SEO consultants looking to scam you with cheap and very harmful link building strategies.
As the SEO industry is so well documented, this creates a myriad of misinformation. Much of this misinformation is planted by fake SEOs promising to rank your website overnight for only a small investment.
- Cheap SEO is a pathway to ruin: SEO Consultants offering cheap SEO services are dangerous and could harm your website’s SEO beyond repair.
- Avoid the lure of low investment: Avoid being lured in by low risk/commitment prices because it is likely the SEO will build harmful backlinks while you are none the wiser.
In other words, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. The same concept or principle is true of any services industry.
2 key SEO budget myths dispelled
Another important point to understand before committing to hiring an SEO Consultant is realistic to budget commitments versus time. To do that, commonly used sales pitches popular with unethical SEOs need debunking before we go any further.
- Backlinking is not free internet traffic: You will need to continuously invest in your SEO backlinking strategy to get past your competitors, and once your website ranks, you will need to continue to invest to keep your spot competitive.
- SEO is not about building 100s of links: An important phrase to learn when it comes to SEO is “Quality, NOT Quantity”. You can use this catchphrase to test your SEO Consultant. This also goes back to unethical SEOs who build 100s of links in a short space of time.
Building 100s of links at a time can be harmful to your SEO. The best approach is to move forward slowly but surely and continue to invest in your website’s back linking.
Committing to link building using quality websites & content
When doing your due diligence looking for an SEO Consultant, link building is the best place to start because it is the most well-known or shall we say most covered topic in the SEO process. Ask the consultant to break down his/her process for vetting content placement and ask for examples of content placed for other clients.
Here is the link building process that your SEO Consultant should explain to you:
- Website Research: Finding niche relevant or suitable websites to place content with a backlink to your company website. Also, involved checking the quality of the content on the website.
- Site Metrics: Checking the metrics of the website found in Step 1. This is mostly looking at the backlinks, and anchors, and using SEO software that rates the website’s authority. Your SEO will be paying a pretty price for the subscription to the SEO tools that offer this information.
- Communicating Content Placements: Your SEO Consultant will need to contact each website on his/her shortlist and ask for permission to contribute content. This takes time and negotiation. Moreover, it could also incur a fee for the webmaster’s time for placing the content.
- Writing Quality Content: For each website agreeing to allow content, your SEO Consultant needs to write the articles or hire a content specialist. Here’s the thing. Most websites require from 700 to 1,000 words minimum, and for a writer offering high-quality content, the cost of a 700-word auricle is around $25 to $30 and for 1,000-word articles $35 to $50.
Each of these processes will cost your SEO consultant time, resources, and money. Naturally, the business needs to add its profit on top. Therefore, it is crucial you understand, or have an idea of, these 4 points. Not only do these points help you separate successful SEO consultants from the bad ones, you are also able to gauge the costs involved in these processes.
Weighing up your approach to hiring an SEO consultant for link building
In short, SEO consultants generally come in 2 main categories. There are those that will offer you 1,000s of links in a shoer space of time. It is these SEOs that could render your website unknown SEO penalties imposed by search engines, and quite often once the damage by an unethical SEO is done, you can kiss goodbye to your investment.
On the other hand, if you take on the information provided in this guide, you’ll be aware that there are legitimate SEOs out there willing to build high-quality backlinks over a period of time, and you will also know that this type of SEO done properly requires a sensible sized investment to get the job done!
