How to Choose an SEO Freelancer: Everything You Need to Know
Finding the right freelancer to help improve your SEO requires knowing your options. Here is everything to know about how to choose an SEO freelancer.
Keyword(s): choose an SEO freelancer
60% of marketers say that inbound marketing such as SEO is their highest quality source of leads. Want to join them and enjoy the bountiful benefits of search engine optimization? If so, outsourcing your company’s SEO work to an SEO freelancer is a great idea.
However, we know it’s not that simple. When you’re looking for the perfect SEO freelancer, it can feel like an impossible mission. After all, a bushel of candidates is vying for your attention!
You need to make sure you choose an SEO freelancer with the expertise and drive to get your business where it needs to be in terms of search engine rankings. Fortunately, with a few helpful tips and tricks up your sleeve, picking an SEO freelancer doesn’t have to be so daunting.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know when choosing an SEO professional that is just right for your business needs. Let’s get started!
How SEO Works
It’s easy to imagine how using keywords, well-crafted titles, and strategically placed content can increase visibility in search results. Most people think that’s what SEO is all about. It’s just thoughtful wordsmithing without having to lift finger after you publish a few blogs.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. But, in that case, how exactly does SEO work? The process may seem complex and intricate but it begins with a surprisingly simple set of tactics to help your business gain more website traffic.
Most SEO freelancers and professionals will start by analyzing search trends. They use this information to understand users’ search intentions. Then, they create SEO content around those topics and optimize the content based on the results.
While it’s not as simple as that, that’s pretty much how SEO works in a nutshell.
What Services Do SEO Freelancers Offer?
Now that you know a bit about what does into successful SEO campaigns, what can you expect when working with an SEO freelancer? Different people offer different services. Some people offer monthly packages while others offer to complete one-off tasks like keyword research or SEO blog writing.
Regardless of who you choose from your options for SEO freelancers, here are a few main services most will offer.
Keyword Research & Planning
One of the biggest benefits of hiring an SEO freelancer is that they can help you plan content that attracts and keeps your audience’s attention while properly repurposing keywords relevant to your industry to increase relevancy.
This is because SEO freelancers have keen eyes for identifying the right search terms. They also understand SEO trends to ensure those keywords work. They are well-trained in understanding what’s popular and know how to expertly integrate timely topics into content that turns casual browsers into customers.
All in all, if you need help with the research and planning part of SEO content creation but want to handle the writing in-house, hiring an SEO freelancer for those tasks is a great option.
Creating SEO Content
Have a strategy in place but nobody to help you create SEO content? That’s what an SEO freelancer is for. They’re experts in SEO content writing and are here to help you create creative, engaging SEO-friendly content that will grab your readers’ attention.
With the help of an SEO freelancer, your content creation needs will be taken care of quickly and expertly with the result being tantalizing SEO content that exceeds your expectations. Whatever you need for SEO content optimization, whether that’s web copy or blogs, an SEO freelancer can help you achieve your goals.
Link Building Campaigns
A well-planned link-building campaign can result in:
- Increased website traffic
- Higher domain authority
- Improved search engine visibility
Link building is a critical component of SEO these days. Enlisting the help of an SEO freelancer with experience creating effective campaigns can be incredibly beneficial. Not only can they help you build quality backlinks, but they can also recommend tactics to enhance the reach of these links, such as through content syndication or referral services.
What’s more, SEO freelancers generally have existing relationships within the SEO industry. These can prove valuable when looking to acquire backlinks from popular websites.
Technical SEO Optimizations
If technical SEO optimizations are a bit of a mystery to you, don’t fret! An SEO freelancer is like the Sherlock Holmes of website search engine optimization (okay, sort of). They know all of the tricks to make your website easier for search engines like Google to crawl and understand.
Thankfully, their services are available on-demand if you don’t want to commit to an ongoing contract. So even if technical SEO optimizations seem daunting and confusing, they don’t have to be. With an SEO freelancer on the case, you’ll be smarter with search engine optimization in no time at all.
On-Page SEO Optimizations
If you are on a quest to stay on top of your on-page SEO game and need an extra set of hands to help, why not enlist the help of a freelancing SEO?
With their specialized knowledge and experience in on-page SEO considerations like meta tags and content relevance, a freelancer can quickly scroll through your website making sure everything is optimized for you.
In addition to ensuring that your site is properly optimized with the right keywords in all the right places, they’ll also be able to make useful suggestions on where you can make improvements. Plus, they’ll do it all while making sure all existing optimization remains, well, optimized.
How to Choose an SEO Freelancer
Does all this talk about SEO services have you ready to look for SEO services near you? Great! However, before you go and contract the first SEO freelance you find off the internet, there are a few things you’ll need to consider.
First, walk through this checklist to help learn how to choose an SEO freelancer who will help your brand.
Know Your SEO Goals
When it comes to SEO, know your goals before you hire an SEO freelancer. This is important because the strategy they may use for your business could be vastly different if your goal is to increase brand awareness versus drive more sales.
Yep, that’s right. SEO professionals know how to strategize based on what you want to achieve. They can help guide you with best practices and advice. So, knowing exactly where you want your website to go with SEO services will help frame the conversation and expectations with whoever you decide to work with.
If you know what you want, then it’s easier to select a freelancer or agency capable of taking your website to the next level. Additionally, having predefined SEO goals can be a great starting point for outlining deliverables, KPIs, and any other parameters of collaboration with a qualified freelancer.
Ask About Their SEO Freelancing Experience
Asking about their SEO experience is an essential part of making the best decision when hiring someone. This is because SEO professionals often specialize in certain areas or may have unique up-to-date knowledge of trends and changes in SEO.
For example, some SEO freelancers can also give valuable advice on web design best practices or how to use video marketing as part of SEO. With the digital landscape always changing, it’s important to consider how up-to-date with SEO best practices your SEO freelancer might be before making them part of your team.
Aside from gauging their experience in the SEO industry, there’s another benefit of asking this question. If they have extensive experience working as a freelancer then they’ll be equipped with great professional skills. This doesn’t have as much to do with SEO as it does with their ability to manage your project as a freelancer.
If they’ve worked with other companies as a freelancer before, they’ll be great at time management, project management, communication, and similar skills. Hiring a qualified freelancer can save you time and money in the long run.
Look at Past Campaigns
Because SEO is such a moving target, it’s essential to review the past SEO achievements of freelancers before hiring them for their services. SEO analysts should be well-versed in best practices and have the track record to prove that those SEO campaigns have been successful for other clients.
Take the time to ask SEO freelancers for examples of SEO reports from their previous campaigns. Don’t hesitate to ask detailed questions about outcomes. Not sure what to ask? Ask about what SEO strategies they used and how successful they were beforehand. Were the results they got organic or did they use black hat SEO techniques?
It’s also important to see what kind of SEO campaigns the freelancer has worked on in the past. Have they done SEO for fellow businesses in your industry or are you completely new territory for them? Asking for specific statistics from previous campaigns can help you get a better understanding of their skill set and if you’d like to work with them.
In addition to researching SEO results, be sure to read any reviews other clients may have shared about the freelancer’s performance. In the end, getting SEO right can potentially make or break your business so don’t be afraid to ask all the tough questions.
Talk About Pricing
With so many professionals offering SEO work, comparing costs among different freelancers is imperative when it comes to making sure you’re getting the best deal. Without comparing prices between SEO freelancers, you run the risk of overpaying and wasting your money.
So, it pays to ask questions upfront and make sure that a potential freelancer is a right fit for both your budget and needs. Getting an understanding of how much a professional is going to charge will make comparing easier and help ensure that you get the most bang for your buck.
Set Realistic Expectations
Finally, regardless of who you work with, it’s essential to set realistic expectations. SEO is an ongoing process and you can’t rush progress. To set yourself up for success, set clear goals and timeline expectations with your potential freelancer before agreeing to work together.
Understand that it takes time to see the fruits of SEO labor. You can expect to have to wait about three to six months to see results. So, it’s essential to understand what you are both working towards from the very beginning to set achievable targets to work towards within a reasonable timeframe. By being realistic about what can be achieved and when you’ll ensure that you have the most effective partnership possible.
Comparing SEO Freelancer Costs: What to Expect in Australia
When it comes to the cost of hiring an SEO freelancer in Australia, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It all depends on what services you need. This may include ongoing support or setting up campaigns and configuring analytics. So, the cost could vary greatly depending on the depth of knowledge required from the freelancer.
Some clients prefer to pay a flat rate for agreed-upon services; for instance, a website audit can cost around $200. When delving deeper into SEO work, such as developing content strategies and managing keywords, costs begin to increase as more time is needed to deliver a successful result.
Typically, most offer different SEO packages. For example, our most basic SEO package starts at just $399 per month. However, you can scale that up if you need more work or more complex SEO work.
Ultimately, it’s best to work with a flexible freelancer. While you shouldn’t ask them to lower their prices, you can ask them to create a custom package to suit your needs and budget.
Hire an SEO Freelancer Today
At Web2D, we know what it takes to take your business to the next level. With nine years of experience serving businesses all over Australia, you can choose an SEO freelancer with confidence.
Our team is committed to providing quality work and impressive results, boosting your SEO rankings quickly and easily. Get in touch today if you’re interested in hiring one of our experienced professionals. You won’t regret it!