Tips on how to Rent search engine optimization Freelancers
Ranking a website or webpage is no longer as easy as it was a few years ago.
Not only is the competition tougher, but the constant changes in the algorithms that determine rankings make it harder to keep track of your SEO game.
As a business owner, you may not have time to keep up with all of these changes and keep your website updated on a regular basis.
This is why you may need to seek the help of an SEO freelancer.
How an SEO Freelancer Can Help Your Business
Before we go any further, let's quickly define what a Freelance Search Engine Optimization is.
Simply put, an SEO freelancer is a professional who will help you get more search engine visibility. If you hire the right one, you can qualify for your main keywords and drive tons of traffic to your website and business.
How Can an SEO Freelancer Help Your Business?
Keyword research
One of the basic principles of SEO is keyword research.
This is the practice of identifying search terms that search engines users enter when trying to find something. Identifying the keywords to use when searching for your product or service is critical to increasing your SEO.
This basic practice is one of the ways an SEO freelancer can help your business rank well.
Content strategy
The content strategy involves planning the entire process required to create content. It includes, among other things:
- Keyword research
- Understand user intent
- Create optimized headings
- Create content outlines
- Determine content types
- Choosing the best platforms for publishing the content
Developing a content strategy is key to ranking your content well, especially in an area that is saturated with content on similar topics.
Content creation
Another essential part of SEO is content creation.
Creating SEO content is a science that not many people understand.
It requires, among other things, knowledge of proper keyword placement, proper structuring and formatting of content, and writing in your audience's preferred tone.
While everyone can be a great writer, not everyone can be a great SEO writer.
Again, this is one of the few ways an SEO freelancer can help your business grow.
Link building
Another critical aspect of SEO besides content is link building. This is because search engines use links to judge the authority of content and websites. The more authoritative a website is, the higher the ranking for search engines when it comes to questions about your keywords.
A successful strategy involves building relevant links on three levels:
- Internal links: These are links between content on your website and must be chosen strategically.
- Outbound links: Links to other websites are important, but if done incorrectly, you can create links to competitors, low-authority websites, or even spam websites.
- Embedded links: These backlinks are also known as backlinks and point to your website. Search engines consider them to be a vote of confidence in your website. Quality, not quantity, is the key here.
Good SEO freelancers also know the importance of monitoring your backlink profile. This is important as toxic backlinks can have a negative impact on your SEO.
Link building is a time-consuming endeavor that requires knowledge of the right kind of links and strategies that will work.
To create links that will help your website rank better, you need to hire a professional. In this case, an SEO freelancer is helpful.
As long as you want to make a difference online (of which you have no choice), you have to invest in SEO. This is why you need to hire an SEO freelancer.
How to Hire the Best SEO Freelancer
Hiring a good SEO freelancer can be a tricky business.
For one, most SEOs are self-taught and the only way to check their knowledge or experience is usually through their portfolio.
Second, the world of search engine optimization is constantly changing and it is almost impossible to know which SEO freelancers are keeping their knowledge and skills relevant.
So how can you improve your chances of hiring the best SEO freelancer?
Here are some simple tips:
Determine your SEO needs
The first step in finding the right SEO freelancer for you is to determine your exact SEO needs.
If you are unsure how to do this, you may need to find an SEO freelancer who is experienced in conducting SEO audits. In most cases it is of course an additional service. So expect to pay for it separately.
However, if you want to do it yourself, check out my SEO checklist for directions.
Identifying your SEO needs will make it easier for you to identify what to look for in an SEO freelancer.
Features To Look For In A SEO Freelancer
Now that you have identified your SEO needs, the next step in hiring the best SEO freelancer is knowing what to look for in one. Here are some pointers:
Check out their track record
Any SEO freelancer worth their money has a track record that shows their knowledge and skills.
To be worth your consideration, they need to have results that demonstrate their effectiveness in providing the services you want.
How do you check their track record?
- Ask for a portfolio of their work
- Visit their website
- Ask for references from previous or current customers
- Read reviews on their website or other platforms
Reviewing an SEO freelancer track record is vital as you want to hire someone who knows what they're doing. If you don't, you could be spending money on an SEO freelancer who is not getting the results you want.
Interview your potential SEO freelancers
Once you've narrowed down your list of potential candidates, it's time to find the best SEO freelancer for your business.
To that end, you may want to do an interview to get to know her better.
Fortunately, technology like video calling software allows you to conduct interviews from anywhere in the world.
Learn about them, their methodology, and how to help your business rank well.
Give your potential SEO freelancer a test project
Another strategy that will help you find the best SEO freelancer for your business is to give your potential candidates a test project.
This will help you:
- Measure your skills
- Get an insight into your working relationship
Your test must be based on the core assignments that you are hiring your SEO freelancer to do. That way, you'll know exactly what to expect from them in terms of performance.
Know where to look for SEO freelancers
Once you have identified your specific SEO needs, the next step in hiring an SEO freelancer is knowing where to look for one.
Some of the best places to look are (but are not limited to):
Job exchanges
Job boards are a great place to find SEO talent. A big advantage of the most popular is that they check all freelancers in their database. This will remove unsavory characters from the platform.
Some popular job boards that you can find SEO freelancers on include:
- Indeed: Has a large pool of SEO freelancers. Searching candidates with different filters makes it easy.
- Upwork: Probably the most popular freelance platform in the world. Has a strict review process.
- ProBlogger: One of the best platforms if you're looking for SEO writers specifically.
- AngelList: Many startups trust the high-quality talent pool. Best choice if you are specifically looking for technical SEO freelancers.
- Fiverr: Great Place to Find Affordable SEO Freelancers, but you may have to search through lots of profiles to find the right person.
- Craigslist: Another Great Place to Find Great SEO Talent. Unfortunately, however, you will have to do your own candidate exam.
What if you want the freelancers to come to you? To find the best SEO freelance talent, you need to know how to attract them. You can also create optimized job advertisements.
The characteristics of an optimized job advertisement are:
- Keyword-focused job description
- A killer headline
- Detailed but to the point
- Sells the benefits of working with your company
Once you've created and published your job ad, you're sure to get a flood of responses from interested SEO freelancers.
Social media
Social media is now playing a huge role in the recruiting process and helping companies find top talent. If you are looking for some of the best SEO freelancers, you will find them on social media platforms like the following:
Make sure to include a relevant hashtag (like #SEOfreelancers) when posting your SEO freelancer need.
Ask google
Most SEO freelancers have websites to showcase their work on. If they practice what they preach, their websites should rank high on Google for their keywords (like SEO Freelancers and other LSI keywords).
So, if you are looking for SEO freelancers, an occasional Google search can help you find professionals to entrust with your SEO duties.
If you're looking for someone based in your local area, you can simply google "SEO Freelancers + Your Region" to get the results of the top local SEO freelancers in your area.
When not to hire SEO freelancers
As much as SEO freelancers have their advantages, sometimes it is not advisable to go the freelance route.
In these cases, it is better to hire an SEO agency.
Here are some examples of such cases:
When your needs are beyond a freelancer capacity
Remember, SEO is a broad field. Nobody can do every SEO task you need.
For example, if you want to run a comprehensive on-page SEO campaign, you may need (among other things):
- A content strategist
- An SEO writer
- An editor
You may find a SEO freelancer who can wear all three hats. However, if your content strategy is extensive, you may need at least a content strategist, editor, and a few SEO writers.
In this case, it is better to go through the agency.
Carefully evaluate your SEO needs and determine if the scope of work can be managed by one person or if an agency is better at handling it.
When You need different SEO services
When you need various SEO services, you should go the agency route.
This is because agencies have different skill sets in their human capital and all of your SEO needs can be handled under one roof.
This makes for an optimized and cohesive SEO campaign.
When different SEO freelancers are given different tasks, it can result in a disjointed campaign. In some cases, what one SEO is doing can conflict with what another has done.
When stability with a team is important
An agency has all the resources (staff and technology) required to get projects done quickly. For this reason, you can also rely on quality work, as quality controls are in place there.
Another perk of an agency that many people overlook is the fact that if a freelancer gets sick or if life happens, your project can be suspended indefinitely. However, there is seldom downtime with an agency as they can easily find a replacement.
Conclusion
Since a lot of people choose to give up the 9 through 5 and start working as a freelancer, you have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing SEO freelancers for your business.
However, this coin has two sides.
In your search for the best SEO freelancers, you may come across some bad ones that can cost you your reputation, ranking, or resources.
That is why you need to know how to hire an SEO professional to help you achieve your business goals.
Have you ever worked with an SEO freelancer? If so, how was your experience with them?