Looking for SEO Help? 20 Questions To Ask

Business owners and startup founders know they need search engine optimization (SEO) for their website. Knowing you need it and knowing how to identify the help you need are two different things.

If you’re like me, you may receive unsolicited messages from SEO practitioners telling you your website isn’t working for search or that this or that technical detail is missing. You may not know enough about the technical details to ascertain whether what the unsolicited message says is true or not. 

When interviewing a prospective SEO practitioner, it's important to ask questions that reveal not only their technical expertise but also their strategic approach and ability to adapt to your specific industry’s needs. Here are 20 critical questions you can ask to ensure you’re considering the most professional and competent candidate:

General SEO Overview

1. Can you describe some successful SEO campaigns you've managed and what results you achieved?

   - This question helps you understand the candidate’s practical experience and success in real-world scenarios.

2. How do you stay updated with the continuously evolving SEO landscape and Google’s algorithm updates?

   - SEO is dynamic, and a good practitioner needs to be up-to-date with the latest changes and trends.

3. What strategies do you believe are most effective for link building and avoiding penalties?

   - This will reveal their knowledge on maintaining high-quality backlinks and their understanding of Google’s guidelines.

4. Can you explain how you conduct keyword research and what tools you prefer?

   - Understanding their process for keyword selection and the tools they use gives insights into their technical acumen.

5. How do you measure the success of your SEO efforts?

   A professional SEO should mention specific metrics like organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rate, etc.

6. Can you provide examples where you had to adjust your SEO strategy due to changes in the client's market or a Google algorithm update?

   - This question tests their flexibility and problem-solving skills in adapting strategies.

7. What is your experience with technical SEO and site audits?

   - Technical SEO skills are crucial for any SEO practitioner to effectively optimize a website.

8. How do you approach content creation and its role in SEO?

   - This checks their understanding of content marketing integrated with SEO strategies.

9. What do you think about the future of SEO and how do you plan to adjust strategies moving forward?

   - Their answer will show their vision and proactive measures for future-proof strategies.

10. How do you tailor your SEO strategies to different industries or has your experience been focused on a particular sector?

   - It’s useful to know if they have specialized experience or if they are versatile and adaptable to various industries.

Asking these questions will give you a comprehensive view of the SEO practitioner’s capabilities and approach to handling different scenarios, helping you make a well-informed decision.

SEO Impact for Your Business

11. What role does social media play in your SEO strategies?

    - This question will help you understand how the candidate integrates social media with SEO to boost online visibility and engagement.

12. How do you handle the SEO implications of major site changes or redesigns?

    - It’s crucial for an SEO professional to know how to manage transitions without losing search rankings.

13. What are the most common SEO mistakes you’ve seen in other organizations and how do you avoid them?

    - Their response will reveal their capacity to learn from past experiences and their awareness of potential pitfalls.

14. Can you describe your approach to mobile SEO and how it differs from desktop SEO?

    - With the increasing importance of mobile-first indexing, it’s important that they can articulate strategies that cater specifically to mobile optimization.

15. How do you work with other departments or teams (like development or marketing) to enhance SEO?

    - SEO is often most effective when integrated across different functions. This question assesses their ability to collaborate and communicate with other teams.

These questions aim to uncover the candidate's strategic thinking, technical skills, and ability to work collaboratively, which are all crucial for a successful SEO campaign.

SEO Tools and Insights

Exploring the tools an SEO practitioner uses and their reasons can provide insight into their efficiency, knowledge, and ability to leverage technology for optimal results. Here are five questions centered around this topic:

16. What SEO tools do you regularly use for tracking and reporting, and why do you prefer these over others?

    - This helps you understand the tools they rely on for data analysis and how these tools fit into their strategies.

17. Can you explain how you use competitor analysis tools to inform your SEO strategy?

    - A skillful SEO professional will use competitor insights to craft more effective strategies, so it’s valuable to know how they integrate such tools.

18. What content management systems (CMS) are you most familiar with, and how do you optimize them for SEO?

    - Each CMS has different SEO capabilities and limitations; their experience can indicate how versatile and adaptable they are.

19. Are there any tools you use specifically for technical SEO audits? Can you walk me through a typical audit process?

    - Technical audits are crucial for SEO success; knowing which tools they use and their approach to audits will reflect their thoroughness and attention to detail.

20. How do you leverage keyword research and SEO analytics tools to adjust your strategies over the lifecycle of a project?

    - This question addresses how they use tools not just for initial strategy but for ongoing adjustments, showcasing their dynamic approach to SEO.

These questions will help you understand what tools the SEO professional uses and their depth of knowledge in using these tools effectively within their strategies.

SEO and Content Writing

As a writer, I became involved in the SEO community to stay current with needs for producing written content. That was over 11 years ago, and the requirements have changed significantly from keyword counting to entity relationships. 

For an overview of what a proficient SEO practitioner does, Lukasz Zelezny of SEO London prepared a downloadable technical SEO tip sheet to give you an idea of the scope of best practices and the range of items to check. 

The Technical SEO checklist prompted a conversation with Lukasz about the need for questions to ask to separate the pretenders from accomplished practitioners.  I hope the questions and the reasons to ask them help you find the right SEO professional for your business.

Once you find the right SEO professional, get in touch for perfect content

Download your copy of the questions.