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Hiring an SEO Expert

by dzg
6 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hi Guys,
I created a website some months back but even though I used All-in-one SEO pack and used my keyworkd in the copy etc I do not rank in google at all.

Whilst I am good at developing websites I have no clue about SEO and internet marketing, so I decided I need help.

I have some questions for the experts amongst you:

1. Where is the best place to hire an SEO expert - one of the freelancer websites? What kind of things should I look out for when hiring a freelancer in SEO?

2. I did some keyword searches using WordTracker (useless) and Google Keyword tool (only slightly better). Do SEO Experts have access to better tools than a layman like me?

3. I have read about back-links, organic links, high quality referrers, social media marketing, directory listing etc .... I need someone to build a tangible SEO and marketing strategy for me, a step-by-step implementable guide on how to get my rankings up ... is that a reasonable request? ( I don't want to get generic advice that I can find on this forum, I need someone to tell me what, where and how and tailor it specific to my website).

4. My goal is to get ranked in the 2nd or 3rd page of google - is that reasonable or unreasonable expectation?

5. Is it reasonable to expect an SEO expert to check competitors sites or is it my job to do that?

6. I used some online tools and I have no backlinks, I don;t rate on alexa, and also my page-rank score is zero ... obviously I have no clue what I am doing!

I guess bottom-line is that I have limited funds, new to the internet business world and am trying to get the best bang for my buck. At the same time because I work for myself I understand how hard it is to make a living so I don;t want to go in with unreasonable expectations so thats why I am not sure what I can ask of an SEO expert and what I am supposed to do myself.

Its a long first post but hopefully some of the gurus out there will spare some minutes to give me some advice.
#expert #hiring #seo
  • Profile picture of the author nik0
    Banned
    In short, if you want an all in one solution then you have to think about $500+/month, that are mostly the starting rates of complete SEO solutions, they probably check competitors, give onpage suggestions, look for more relevant links to your niche,etc etc...

    If you want a $100/month solution then you get "just" links, mostly not specificially tailored to your niche, but that doesn't make them much less effective. Everything has it's price though.

    In case you don't know much about SEO then it's in general better to avoid seo providers at forums and freelance sites, there are exceptions like me of course

    Why am I different then the rest? I put love in my work, oh my ... we just build most links manually and adapt to changes caused by the Google updates, it's not easy to offer quality for a tight budget but still we strive to get the best "and most save" results for your buck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Theeban
    Originally Posted by dzg View Post

    Hi Guys,
    I created a website some months back but even though I used All-in-one SEO pack and used my keyworkd in the copy etc I do not rank in google at all.

    Whilst I am good at developing websites I have no clue about SEO and internet marketing, so I decided I need help.

    I have some questions for the experts amongst you:

    1. Where is the best place to hire an SEO expert - one of the freelancer websites? What kind of things should I look out for when hiring a freelancer in SEO?

    2. I did some keyword searches using WordTracker (useless) and Google Keyword tool (only slightly better). Do SEO Experts have access to better tools than a layman like me?

    3. I have read about back-links, organic links, high quality referrers, social media marketing, directory listing etc .... I need someone to build a tangible SEO and marketing strategy for me, a step-by-step implementable guide on how to get my rankings up ... is that a reasonable request? ( I don't want to get generic advice that I can find on this forum, I need someone to tell me what, where and how and tailor it specific to my website).

    4. My goal is to get ranked in the 2nd or 3rd page of google - is that reasonable or unreasonable expectation?

    5. Is it reasonable to expect an SEO expert to check competitors sites or is it my job to do that?

    6. I used some online tools and I have no backlinks, I don;t rate on alexa, and also my page-rank score is zero ... obviously I have no clue what I am doing!

    I guess bottom-line is that I have limited funds, new to the internet business world and am trying to get the best bang for my buck. At the same time because I work for myself I understand how hard it is to make a living so I don;t want to go in with unreasonable expectations so thats why I am not sure what I can ask of an SEO expert and what I am supposed to do myself.

    Its a long first post but hopefully some of the gurus out there will spare some minutes to give me some advice.
    I guess, you have to adjust your goal to be on page # 1. Yes, Google keyword tool is better to analysis keywords to target. At beginning better to go for long tail keywords.

    Before hiring SEO expert, better to get answer for all your questions on before hand. Ask for previous work examples, ask for testimonials/references. Important, check out their budgets As "money" plays vital role in anything
    Signature
    For TOP Ranks in Search Engines - Hire skilled expert in SEO. Check expanded services to Cheltenham
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    • Profile picture of the author rspadi
      There are many so-called SEO experts out there, unfortunately it is not easy to find a good one for a reasonable fee.

      Also, a good SEO expert will probably cost you at least $500 per month - did you do any ROI calculation? Do you sell your products, how much money can you make with your main keywords in the top 5?

      Also, I think there is not much of a point to be on page 2 or 3 on Google - you won't get enough traffic.

      SEO isn't really that complicated. What you did so far is on-page SEO, what you also need (and that is even much more important) is off-page SEO (link building, social visibility...)

      Get a few basic courses on SEO here on the Warrior Forum (I highly recommend Craig Mako's Fast Attack SEO - costs only $9), study them and start playing around.

      Link building is time consuming, but you can get high quality packages for a very low price - there is lots of good stuff here on the WF (check out some WSO's & products and services...)
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      • Profile picture of the author dzg
        RSPadi - thanks for a fantastic and helpful reply! I will buy the course!

        Believe it or not, I didn't even know the difference between on-page and off-ppage SEO until your post!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Originally Posted by dzg View Post

    2. I did some keyword searches using WordTracker (useless) and Google Keyword tool (only slightly better). Do SEO Experts have access to better tools than a layman like me?
    Those are two of the better tools out there. Google's Keyword Tool is the best, IMO.

    Originally Posted by dzg View Post

    4. My goal is to get ranked in the 2nd or 3rd page of google - is that reasonable or unreasonable expectation?
    It is a completely reasonable goal, and also completely useless. If you are not in the top 3 on page one, you can expect little to no traffic for 99.99999% of keywords.

    Originally Posted by dzg View Post

    5. Is it reasonable to expect an SEO expert to check competitors sites or is it my job to do that?
    If they are not keeping an eye on your competitor's, they are not an SEO expert. Hell, competitor's do half my work for me. No need to reinvent the wheel. Figure out what they are doing and do it better.

    Originally Posted by dzg View Post

    6. I used some online tools and I have no backlinks, I don;t rate on alexa, and also my page-rank score is zero ... obviously I have no clue what I am doing!
    The Pagerank that we can see, the Toolbar Pagerank, is only updated a few times a year. You won't see any change, no matter what you do, until Google next rolls out an update. That could be tomorrow or that could be next year. Nobody knows.

    Originally Posted by dzg View Post

    I guess bottom-line is that I have limited funds, new to the internet business world and am trying to get the best bang for my buck. At the same time because I work for myself I understand how hard it is to make a living so I don;t want to go in with unreasonable expectations so thats why I am not sure what I can ask of an SEO expert and what I am supposed to do myself.
    Limited funds can mean a lot of different things. That is relative. One person thinks a $1000/month budget is limited funds, another $3000/month, and another $50/month. If you are really limited, you are not going to be able to hire an SEO expert. You are better off learning it yourself, applying what you learn, and then once you start making some money, turning the SEO over to a really good SEO person.
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  • Profile picture of the author virtualcoworker
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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