When it comes to hiring an SEO consultant, there are a number of questions that you should be asking. There are a lot of questions that you should ask when you hire an SEO consultant.
The questions to ask SEO consultants before you hire them include their experience with companies similar to yours, their process for conducting an SEO audit, how they come up with keywords, their on page/technical/off page approach, their link building strategies, how they deal with local SEO, how they report back, and how they charge their fees. By asking these questions in the beginning, you’ll safeguard your budget and you’ll be able to distinguish between a good and a bad SEO consultant.
One of the most critical decisions that a business can make in terms of marketing is the choice of SEO consultant. A decent consultant can go the distance for you with regards to organic see and income. If you get it wrong, it can cost you months of budget, or even penalize your site on Google. The distinction typically boils down to just one thing: the questions that you ask before you sign a contract.
This guide explains exactly what to ask SEO consultants in the following sections: experience, strategy, keyword research, technical SEO, link building, local SEO, reporting and pricing.
Questions to Ask an SEO Consultant
There are many questions that you might need to ask an SEO consultant.
There is no such thing as a generic SEO service. Two consultants can give you two different sets of answers on SEO strategies, timelines and costs, for the same project. Without the proper questions to ask an SEO expert, you can end up with:
- Costing suitable strategies that do not apply to your industry
- Having someone who is doing “old school” or unsafe link building methods
- Overlooking the small technical issues that are having a negative effect on rankings but not obvious to them
- No clear reporting of results and wasted months waiting for them.
A series of questions for a SEO consultant interview will enable you to gauge their expertise, transparency, and compatibility before a dollar is spent.
Areas of Question: Experience and Track Record
Knowing your players first is more important than discussing strategy.
- For how long, have you been in the SEO consulting business?
- Do you have experience with companies in my type of business or niche?
- Have you got case studies or references of former clients?
- What are your tools for an SEO audit and analysis (such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Search Console)?
- Is it a solo or team job?
Just because someone is experienced does not mean they will deliver, but if they can give you specific, verifiable results you are much more likely to believe a consultant than one that can only give you platitudes.
Questions About SEO Strategy & Audit?
This is the most important part of any SEO consulting deal. The strategy will guide the rest of the plan.
- So will you begin with a complete SEO audit of my website?
- What aspects of your SEO audit do you include — technical, content, backlinks, competitors?
- What SEO tactics are best for my business?
- What are the KPIs you use to track SEO analysis and progress?
- What if the initial outcomes are not what they had hoped?
If the consultant cannot make their audit and strategy process clear, or if they simply rush to selling a package without doing an audit, then they are a red flag.
Keyword Research & Strategy Questions
For most SEO campaigns, keyword research is a key step in the process, and that means that it should be the focus of your questions.
- What is your strategy for researching keywords for a new client?
- How do you create a keyword strategy? Not around search volume, but search intent?
- What is your approach for choosing keywords: quick keywords vs long term competitive keywords?
- Are there any documented keywords and mapping to pages?
- How to consider AI-powered search results and answer engines when researching keywords?
The latter one is more important than ever. Consultants need to take the change of search behavior into account when developing keyword strategy, as people are moving toward AI-generated answers and conversational searches.
Keyword Research & Strategy Questions
On-page SEO encompasses all the factors on your website pages which can affect rankings.
- What will be the points you’ll focus on for on page optimization (Titles, Meta Descriptions, Headers, Internal Links)?
- How do you optimize content on existing web pages vs new content?
- Are you willing to rewrite or restructure existing content or make only recommendations?
- How to keep SEO best practices while being readable and converting?
Good on page SEO doesn’t sound like keyword stuffing. Any consultant who does not answer the questions in a way that enhances user experience and makes the answers clearer for the user is a red flag.
Technical SEO Questions
Even the best content can stall a website due to technical SEO problems.
- Do you check for structured data and schema markup opportunities?
- What is your approach on technical SEO for AI-powered search and answer engine optimization (AEO)?
The structured data and clean technical foundations are no longer a choice but a necessity for the trust that content receives. There’s no longer any doubt that structured data and clean technical foundations have an impact on whether content is pulled into AI-generated answers and featured snippets.
Off-Page SEO & Link Building Questions
The biggest difference between good and bad consultants is the best use of off-page SEO, particularly link building.
- What are your link building strategies and do they comply with Google’s guidelines?
- Do you use links, buy links, or use link farms and/or outreach-based link building?
- What is your criterion for assessing the quality of a backlink before you go for it?
- What are some examples of link building campaigns you’ve executed in the past?
- How do you measure the effectiveness of off page SEO in relation to rankings?
Any consultant that doesn’t explain how they get links or doesn’t have any quality standards should be avoided. No consultant should offer any number of links per month without discussing quality.
Questions About Local SEO
If you have a specific geographic area you serve, then local SEO questions are critical.
- What is your process for optimizing Google Business Profile listings?
- What is your strategy for local citations and directory consistency?
- Do you have an interest in handling or reacting to client reviews?
- How to focus on location keywords as well as on a more general keyword strategy?
- What metrics do you use to determine local search visibility and map pack rankings?
One of the factors that makes an SEO consultant truly great and one that makes the difference between a long-term value and the consultant that gets the job done and walks away is the ability to report clearly and consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Questions To Ask An SEO Consultant?
Inquire about their experience, audit process, keyword research, on page and technical SEO strategy, link building strategy, local SEO, reporting frequency and pricing structure.
How can I be sure if a SEO consultant is reputable?
Seek transparency in how they operate, tangible case studies, straightforward reporting and an unwillingness to promise any specific rankings, as Google’s algorithm is not something that anyone can control.
How do I know if I’m hiring a good SEO consultant?
Broad statements about link building methods, guaranteed rankings, no case studies, no reporting system, and to sign long contracts without an audit.
Should you do an SEO audit before beginning an SEO strategy?
Yes. The SEO audit will uncover technical problems, content gaps and competitive positioning – and this should be the basis for the strategy and not a template.
Final Thoughts
You can’t just hire anyone for SEO consulting; you need to ask the right questions before you get started and then trust that person. You can’t just hire any SEO consultant; you must ask the right questions first and then trust the SEO consultant. As you go through the process of evaluating, use this list to ask questions of any prospective SEO consultant; and don’t be satisfied with a general or abstract reply. It is the right consultant who will be happy to address in detail about their SEO strategy, keyword research, technical SEO, link building and local SEO approach. It means that they will have nothing to hide and will have a process that they believe in.
