- Jahid Hasan
- Seo Tips
How to Hire an SEO Expert?
With constant Google algorithm updates and the rise of answer engines, keeping up with your online presence is tougher than ever. Are you still getting the same traffic and conversions as before? If not, it’s time to think seriously about hiring an SEO expert, but the real question is: how do you hire the right one?
Start by identifying the specific SEO services you need, prepare a proper job description, and decide whether to go for an agency or an individual expert. Sounds simple? It’s not that easy. You’ll need to know when to hire, what questions to ask, and how to filter the right fit for your business.
Let’s help you through why hiring the right SEO expert is important, what to ask during the interview, where to find trusted professionals. And if you want to skip the hassle, how One in SEO can make the process easier.
Why Hiring the Right SEO Expert is Important?
Hiring the right SEO expert directly impacts your online visibility, lead generation, and long-term business growth. According to BrightEdge, 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine, and without proper SEO, you’re invisible when customers are searching.
Since, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is gaining momentum with the rise of AI-driven platforms like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT plugins, but it doesn’t replace traditional SEO. Rather it builds on SEO and today’s modern SEO experts understand the AEO too.
AEO focuses on structuring content for quick, direct answers. But without solid SEO technical optimization, crawlability, content depth, and domain authority, your content won’t get citation by answer engines. You still need SEO to rank, get indexed, and establish topical authority. An SEO expert combines both for the best result.
A qualified SEO expert translates to more leads and conversions. SEO isn’t just about stuff keywords or tweaking meta tags anymore. The experts analyze your website’s technical health, build data-driven keyword strategies, and optimize your content that target your user intent and search engine algorithms.
The right SEO specialist tests, tracks, and adjusts based on ranking signals, competitor gaps, and algorithm updates, specifically for your business. From proper schema markup to refining internal linking structures and fixing crawl errors, SEO professionals handle the technical and strategic side.
Whether you’re a startup, a local business targeting geo-specific traffic, or a multi-national brand optimizing for hundreds of product pages you need SEO. Every niche benefits: ecommerce, SaaS, healthcare, real estate, hospitality, all rely on organic search to drive qualified traffic.
When Do You Need to Hire an SEO Expert?
You need to hire an SEO expert when you want to improve your website’s user experience and technical health. Also, if you’re expanding into new markets or launching new products, SEO expertise helps your content reach the right audience efficiently.
New Website Launch
Launching a new site without SEO means starting invisible. You need an SEO expert to set up your site architecture, apply schema markup, optimize core pages, and submit XML sitemaps via Google Search Console from day one.
Traffic Drop or Penalties
If your traffic suddenly dips, you won’t be able to figure out the reason. Having SEO experts they run in-depth audits using tools like Ahrefs and Screaming Frog to detect drops, disavow harmful links, and resolve indexing or Core Web Vitals issues.
Competitor Outranking You
When competitors outrank you, it means they’re doing stronger on-page optimization, better internal linking, or outranking you in authority. An SEO expert conducts a content gap analysis, reviews their backlink profile, and builds a strategy.
No In-House SEO Knowledge
Without in-house expertise, you are missing elements like hreflang setup, crawl budget issues, or keyword cannibalization. A professional SEO steps in with a full-stack strategy, from technical SEO to content optimization.
You Want to Scale Content and Backlinks
Want to scale content without SEO leads? You may duplicate pages, diluted topical relevance, and poor UX. An SEO expert builds a content cluster strategy, optimizes internal linking for authority flow, and manages link-building campaigns.
Qualities to Look for in an SEO Expert
Before you hire an SEO expert, do you know what skills they should actually have? Today, with so many people calling themselves “experts,” it’s important to ask for proof, case studies, results, and core SEO skills.
For your initial screening, here are a few essential skills every SEO expert must have:
- Check for proven track records with case studies. This shows they’ve delivered real results and can back up their claims with evidence.
- The expert must understand on-page, off-page, and technical SEO, impact directly rankings and site health.
- Familiar with tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs. This means they use industry-standard tools to analyze, track, and improve your SEO performance.
- Try to understand their communication and reporting skills. So you can stay informed and aligned with ongoing SEO strategies and results.
- SEO is always changing with continuous updates of Google algorithms, AEO and SEO approaches. So, the expert should stay up-to-date with every change.
How to Interview an SEO Expert: Key Questions to Ask
In the interview phase, you get to engage in real-time conversation, hence can better assess the quality of the SEO expert. For this you need to prepare a bit first, such as creating a note of some questions, about the basics of SEO, and some advanced queries.
We are adding what type of question you can ask, that will help you screen the right SEO expert for you.
1. General SEO Knowledge
When interviewing an SEO expert, start with questions that test their grasp of fundamentals, questions like
- “How do search engines rank websites?”
- “What’s the difference between on‑page, off‑page, and technical SEO?”
- Follow up by asking for specific examples or tools they’d use to solve common issues.
Example Answer You Should Expect:
“Search engines first crawl your site by following links and XML sitemaps, then index pages by parsing content and metadata. Finally, they apply ranking signals; like content relevance, backlink authority, and page speed, to decide where you appear on SERPs. On‑page SEO focuses on optimizing content and HTML tags; off‑page SEO builds your site’s authority through backlinks; and technical SEO ensures crawlability, mobile speed, and schema markup.”
Every expert may phrase it differently, but their answer should touch on:
- Crawling & indexing processes
- Key ranking factors (content quality, backlinks, technical health)
- Clear distinctions between on‑page, off‑page, and technical SEO
2. Technical SEO Questions
For the technical part you can ask questions like:
- “How do you identify and fix crawl errors?”
- “What tools do you use for technical audits?”
With the answers you can better understand their expertise on site architecture, speed optimization, and how to make a site search-engine-friendly behind the scenes.
Example Answer You Should Expect:
“I use tools like Screaming Frog and Google Search Console to detect crawl errors, broken links, and indexing issues. I also review Core Web Vitals, check for mobile responsiveness, and implement structured data.”
3. On-Page & Content SEO
If you want to understand the expertise of the candidate for on-page and content SEO, then ask these questions,
- “How do you optimize a page for a specific keyword?”
- “What’s your process for creating SEO-friendly content?”
- “How do you avoid keyword cannibalization when publishing multiple pages?”
- “How do you measure the effectiveness of on-page changes?”
- “What’s your approach to optimizing existing content that’s underperforming?”
Example Answer You Should Expect:
“I start with keyword mapping, then optimize titles, headers, meta tags, and internal links. I also ensure the content matches search intent and includes structured formatting for readability.”
Right after the answer you would better assess their knowledge of keyword targeting, user intent, and content structure.
4. Off-Page SEO & Link Building
Try to know from your SEO by asking, “What’s your approach to building backlinks safely?” or “How do you evaluate link quality?”
Also ask:
- “How do you avoid spammy or irrelevant links?”
- “Do you use outreach or digital PR to earn links?”
- “What link-building tactics do you avoid and why?”
While getting the answers, the SEO should mention link quality assessment methods, ethical (white-hat) outreach tactics and a clear stance against black-hat practices.
Their response may sound like this,
“I focus on earning high-quality backlinks through manual outreach, guest posts, and niche directories. I use tools like Ahrefs to evaluate domain authority and relevance, and avoid link farms or automated link schemes.”
5. Analytics & Reporting
When it comes to analytics and reporting, an SEO expert knows how to analyze everything from site health to competitor research and create a detailed report for their clients. So, it is better that you get to know how the SEO tracks everything, or what metrics they focus on while creating monthly reports.
Example answer you should expect:
“I track organic traffic, keyword rankings, CTR, bounce rates, and conversions using GA4, Google Search Console, and Ahrefs. I create monthly dashboards that link SEO performance to ROI, like leads, sales, or form submissions.”
6. Trends & Adaptability
Google’s algorithm changes rapidly, and now AI is trending. To cope with online visibility, SEO experts keep themselves updated about the trends and adapt accordingly.
Ask them,
- “How do you stay updated with Google algorithm changes?”
- “How do you adjust your strategy after a core update?”
- “What recent changes in SEO have impacted your current strategies?”
- “Do you follow platforms like Search Engine Roundtable, Google updates, or use tools like Semrush Sensor?”
- “How do you adapt to new trends like AEO, SGE, or zero-click searches?”
Look for answers that reflect:
- Awareness of algorithm updates
- Hands-on adjustment methods
- Knowledge of emerging trends (like SGE, AEO, or voice search)
7. Scenario-Based Questions
You can ask some scenario based questions to check their sense of humor and knowledge on SEO. For example, ask “What would you do if a client’s traffic drops 40% after a Google update?”
Try to observe if the SEO expert is answering bluff or their answer is structured and has a proactive mindset rather than reactive guessing.
Some more examples you can keep note for the interview are,
- “If two pages start competing for the same keyword, how do you fix it?”
- “How would you improve rankings for a page stuck on page two?”
- “How do you handle a backlink profile with lots of toxic links?”
Where to Find Reliable SEO Experts?
Done with your SEO expert quality check, now where to find one? Today there are tons of agencies, and individuals are giving SEO services. You need to figure out where you want to search.
Freelance Platforms
There are many online job hunting platforms such as linkedin, fiverr, upwork. You will find individual freelancers here, and you can check previous projects. Or you can just post a job description with your requirements, then screen from the candidates.
Freelance platforms are advantageous offering a wide talent pool of SEO experts from around the world. This makes it easy to find someone that fits your needs and budget. With client reviews, ratings, and filtering tools, you can screen candidates based on experience, niche, and location.
However, the quality of freelancers can vary widely. Some may rely on buzzwords without real expertise, while others overpromise results like instant top ranking.
Agencies
Contrary if you want to work with a team or with more professional people then SEO agencies can be your choice. There are many renowned agencies such as One in SEO, who already work with tons of clients and get real results.
You can locally search or work with some global SEO companies. There are price packages that are a bit higher than hiring a freelancer. Otherwise, you can have full support, some offer 24/7 support which is much appreciated.
Red flags to avoid: Do not go for unrealistic guarantees, vague answers, no portfolio or cheap pricing. These can waste your time choosing the wrong SEO support.
Hiring Options: In-House vs. Outsourcing vs. Offshore VA
When it comes to hiring an SEO expert, it’s no longer just about posting a job description and filling the role. You’ll now face several options, like hiring in-house, outsourcing to an agency, or working with an offshore VA. Honestly, the right choice depends on your business model, as every niche has its own unique needs and priorities.
However, with a comparison between in-house, outsourcing and offshore VA, you can better understand which to choose.
| Criteria | In-House SEO | Outsourced Agency | Offshore SEO VA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | High (salary + benefits) | Medium to High | Low to Medium |
| Control | Full control | Shared control | High control (with training) |
| Expertise | Specialized (if hired well) | Team-based expertise | Generalist or task-specific |
| Scalability | Slow | Fast | Flexible |
| Communication | Real-time | Project-based | Direct (but may have time zone gap) |
| Best For | Large brands, long-term | Mid-large projects | Small teams, recurring SEO tasks |
| Pros | Seamless collaboration, alignment with brand | Access to diverse skills, faster delivery | Cost-effective, task-focused, easy to delegate |
| Cons | Expensive, hard to scale fast | Less control, can feel distant | Requires training, possible time zone/quality issues |
In-House SEO: This means hiring a dedicated SEO expert or team within your company. This helps for deep brand understanding of your niche. Also a smoother collaboration across departments. It’s best for large or growing businesses needing long-term SEO focus. Unlike outsourcing or offshore VAs, you get full control and real-time communication.
Outsourcing SEO: When you hire an external agency to handle your SEO work, this means you are outsourcing. Agencies bring multi-expert teams and faster execution. This fits mid-to-large businesses with bigger budgets. Compared to in-house, you trade some control for speed and scale.
Offshore SEO VAs: This is maybe the most flexible option where you get to hire remote individuals hired from other countries to support SEO tasks. They’re cost-effective and flexible. This makes this hiring process ideal for startups or small businesses.
What to Expect After Hiring Your SEO Expert?
If you’re new to business, what do you think your SEO expert starts working on right away? It should start with a solid foundation. The SEO professional must start with your site audit, to a thorough research of your niche target audience, and keywords specifically for your business.
With the right SEO expert, here are a few key tasks you should expect them to handle when joining you.
- They must start with a full-site audit using tools like Screaming Frog and GSC to uncover crawl issues, broken links, indexation problems, and content gaps.
- Next, conduct in-depth keyword research with Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner. Then map keywords to pages and build a content roadmap aligned with search intent.
- The SEO expert should share monthly performance reports including rankings, traffic sources, CTRs, and technical health, with clear KPIs tracked via GA4 and GSC.
- Lastly, the continuous phase of continuously optimizing content, internal links, and Core Web Vitals while running backlink campaigns through safe outreach and niche-specific link placements.
Why Choose One in SEO to Hire Your Next SEO Expert?
All the steps on hiring the right SEO expert for your business are unavoidable if you want an experienced professional. But when it feels like a hassle or too time-consuming, it’s time to make One in SEO your next SEO partner.
Why? The reasons are strong; we offer flexible hiring and are more affordable than most offshore SEO options. You also get a free SEO trial, where we audit your site and show real, actionable insights. Once you sign with us, you’ll have a dedicated SEO manager, ready to fix issues and guide your strategy whenever you need.
We have a proven portfolio of helping clients succeed, which clearly shows our credibility and authority. And with our free trial, you get to know us first, so you can make the right decision with full confidence.