What to ask when appointing an SEO Consultant
We all know we need to do more for SEO – making our websites stand out and giving Google everything that it needs to put us forward as a reliable and trustworthy solution for our target audience. And with an SEO consultant, all of that and more can feel achievable.
But what should you look for in an SEO consultant, to help optimise your recruitment services and ensure that your adverts for both candidates and clients are being seen by the right people?
The importance of SEO
First thing’s first, why might a recruitment business like yours need an SEO consultant in the first place?
Organic search is a key area of business growth and success online, as it uses the website’s content and usability to rank it and present it to a captive target audience group. An SEO consultant can help you to transform the way your business is interpreted by search engines, putting focus on the copy and features which support a high SEO ranking, and changing things which aren’t working.
While an SEO consultant may need time to get to know your business as they are not a formal employee, the benefit of a consultant is that they will bring a wealth of experience to your business. That is, if you find one that’s worth investing in (like us!)
Here’s how working with a consultant can benefit your recruitment agency.
The benefit of working with a recruitment SEO expert
When it comes to my clients, all of them know what to do when a company is engaged in their services and when candidates come knocking. They are experts in moving candidates through the recruitment process, and in ensuring that a client’s vacancies make it to the right platforms and job sites.
But when it comes to marketing themselves, it can often be a different story. When your business lies in working alongside and within other businesses, it can be easy to put your own marketing on the backburner – with SEO dropping as each day passes without a new content update or keyword check.
When you work with an SEO consultant, all of the hard work you do for your clients becomes part of your overarching marketing campaign for your own services. It allows you to focus on the great service you provide, without impacting your own online presence and ability to reach and connect with new clients and customers.
Now that you know the value of an SEO consultant, here’s what to ask in order to find the right one.
The questions to ask an SEO consultant
The following questions will help you in identifying the competency, success rate, potential plans and ideas, and the approach of each SEO consultant (not to mention their cost and the handover process upon completion of the project).
What SEO tools do you use?
This isn’t just about the tools they use, but the way they use them and how they put different tools to the test in delivering great results. The more they can tell you about their chosen tools, the more experience they have with them.
What do you do best?
Simple, straightforward, and eye opening. By asking an SEO consultant what they do best, you start to unpick their experiences and their own skillsets – giving you a better idea of what they do well themselves, and what they might outsource. Not to mention, when you know what each potential consultant does best, you can be sure to work with the one which best matches your business.
How can your work impact my business, and how soon will I see results?
A good consultant will outline the various touchpoints that their work will affect, including the organic traffic to your site, conversion rates, the creation of a cohesive marketing strategy, PR and content creation, and increased online exposure through your website and social media / other platforms.
If an SEO consultant has a strong track record, then they will understand the benefit of their work not just in terms of figures but in relation to how they nurture a strategy that will withstand the test of time.
What has been your biggest success to date?
Not only is this a great question for highlighting the success rate of the consultant, but it also gives you some insight into how they operate and what they value in terms of the way they partner with and support different brands and businesses.
What kind of SEO reporting can I expect to see from you?
This touches on both regular updates and the overall report at the end of the partnership and helps to set expectations for both parties. If the SEO consultant doesn’t immediately have an answer to this question, or if they don’t directly ask you about the way you want to be updated and the reports you want to see, then this is a red flag. Any great service involves reporting, and a strong consultant will want to deliver the information you need in a way which works for you.
How much do your services cost?
The final question – and it’s a big one. After all, recruitment SEO services can deliver the very best consultant candidates right to your door, but if you can’t afford their services or you are limited by your budget in terms of the timeline you can give them, it’s not a worthwhile investment of time or money.
Finding the right SEO consultant for your business can be a gold ticket to success – but before you can start capitalising on their experience and knowledge, you first need to be sure that you’re working with the right person. Asking the above questions will help you to ensure that the next steps you take are benefitting your business success and growth.
