How to choose a search engine optimization expert
An SEO expert should be able to explain the problem in language you understand. Impressive dashboards are not a substitute for a clear diagnosis, and guaranteed rankings are not a sensible basis for choosing a long-term partner.
Questions worth asking
- Which pages and search journeys are most important to the business?
- What technical issues need attention before new content is produced?
- How will proposed pages differ from one another?
- Which recommendations require developer access or ongoing maintenance?
- How will enquiry quality be measured, not just traffic?
- What practices will be avoided because they create future risk?
Look for prioritisation
A useful review distinguishes urgent faults from optional enhancements. Broken redirects, duplicate canonical addresses and missing service pages may deserve attention before cosmetic edits to every meta description.
Expect collaboration
The consultant understands search, but the business understands its customers, capacity and constraints. Strong SEO work combines both. Subject experts should review technical claims, while customer-service staff can identify the questions prospects repeatedly ask.
Reporting should lead to decisions
A monthly report is useful when it explains what changed, what was learned and what should happen next. A long list of numbers without interpretation creates activity, not insight.
