Learn how to assess the portfolio, strategy, communication, skills, and prices of an SEO agency or freelancer before hiring them for your SEO tasks.

Do they have a public strategy plan? Do they post multiple phases to SEO? What comes in phase 1? Indexing, ranking, market share, strike zone?

How do you assess an SEO agency or freelancer?

If you want to outsource your SEO tasks to an agency or a freelancer, you need to make sure they are qualified, reliable, and effective. But how do you assess their skills, experience, and results? In this article, we will share some tips and questions to help you evaluate potential SEO partners and avoid wasting your time and money.

1 Check their portfolio

The first thing you should do is to look at their previous work and see if they have relevant and successful SEO projects in your industry or niche. You can ask them to show you some case studies, testimonials, or references from their clients, and check their rankings, traffic, and conversions. You can also use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to analyze their own website and see how well they perform on SEO metrics like domain authority, backlinks, keywords, and organic traffic.

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Ludwig Graser
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Check their credentials and references. Ask them to explain a recent case study to you in detail. Watch out for exaggerations and use tools like Sistrix to check their alleged successes.

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Steven Pope

MyAmazonGuy.com Agency Founder - Leveling Up Amazon Brands thru CTR PPC SEO Catalog Troubleshooting Trademarks Refunds | Amazon FBA Thought Leader
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I grew APMEX 10-million uniques in 12 months. My portfolio is look it up in SEMRush. That's how you check a portfolio. Look for results. See what they have built.

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2 Ask about their strategy

The next thing you should do is to understand their SEO approach and methodology. You can ask them how they conduct keyword research, competitor analysis, content creation, technical SEO, link building, and reporting. You can also ask them how they align their SEO goals with your business objectives, and how they measure and communicate their progress and results. You should look for an SEO partner who has a clear, customized, and data-driven strategy that suits your needs and budget.

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Steven Pope

MyAmazonGuy.com Agency Founder - Leveling Up Amazon Brands thru CTR PPC SEO Catalog Troubleshooting Trademarks Refunds | Amazon FBA Thought Leader
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Do they have a public strategy plan? Do they post multiple phases to SEO? What comes in phase 1? Indexing, ranking, market share, strike zone?

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Ludwig Graser
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You could prepare a fictitious scenario - just get them to talk. How would they do it? What objectives would they tackle first? Whats their focus on?

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3 Test their communication

Another important factor to consider is how well they communicate with you and your team. You can ask them how often and by what means they will update you on their work, and how they will handle any issues or challenges that may arise. You can also test their responsiveness, professionalism, and transparency by sending them some emails or calls and seeing how quickly and clearly they reply. You should look for an SEO partner who is easy to reach, friendly, and honest.

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Ludwig Graser
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Responsiveness is not only in regards to SEO essential. Communicate your communication needs clearly. What messenger can be agreed upon? Slack? Google Chat? MS Teams? Is a ticket system required? Are weekly or bi-weekly video calls an option?

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4 Evaluate their skills

One of the ways to assess their SEO skills is to ask them some technical or scenario-based questions that test their knowledge and problem-solving abilities. For example, you can ask them how they would optimize a specific page or site for a target keyword, how they would fix a common SEO issue like duplicate content or broken links, or how they would handle a Google algorithm update or penalty. You should look for an SEO partner who can demonstrate their expertise and experience with relevant examples and evidence.

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Jake Labate

I build out agency SEO departments. Author of SEO Oracle. Founder of BrandWield AI. Head of SEO at Hooray Agency.
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Give them a test. Don’t be afraid to pay them for it. Best to test the temperature before jumping in. With a test you can gauge a lot, such as communication, timeline, methodology, etc.

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Ludwig Graser
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Any experienced SEO consultant should be able to immediately identify some levers on a website. Ask them for some quick thoughts on a specific site. Ask questions like What tools would you use? What possible quick wins do you recognize? What current industry-related news affect my site?

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5 Compare their prices

The last thing you should do is to compare their prices and packages and see if they offer a fair and competitive value for their services. You can ask them how they charge for their work, whether it is hourly, monthly, or project-based, and what is included and excluded in their fees. You can also ask them if they offer any guarantees, discounts, or refunds, and how they handle contract terms and conditions. You should look for an SEO partner who can provide a clear and detailed proposal that matches your expectations and resources.

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Jake Labate

I build out agency SEO departments. Author of SEO Oracle. Founder of BrandWield AI. Head of SEO at Hooray Agency.
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Most experienced SEOs are not afraid to charge what they are worth. I’ve made the mistake of undercharging for far too long. As I got more and more confident, and built up several case studies, I was fine charging more. Might be bias here, but pricing is likely a big indication of both confidence and ability.

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Ludwig Graser
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Pricing is always a lot of psychology. Get a feel for what budget your potential client is ready to commit. "How are you perceiving the importance of SEO in your overall strategy?" Don't be shy asking such questions. Most important: Do not offer dumping prices. Start high.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Jake Labate

I build out agency SEO departments. Author of SEO Oracle. Founder of BrandWield AI. Head of SEO at Hooray Agency.
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Check their references. If the people they worked with in the past have great things to say about them, it’s a pretty strong sign. I think I say a statistic one time that 50-80% is given professional references are never checked. Might be a missed opportunity to gauge a candidates ability.

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Mersudin Forbes

Portfolio SEO Director | SEO Agency Advisor | E-com SEO Specialist
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1. Have they done work in your sector 2. Do they come recommended from a reliable source 3. Do they use simple language to explain processes 4. Do they have proof of performance 5. Do they seem easy to work with? - Clear communicator - ROI focused

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How do you assess an SEO agency or freelancer?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Check their portfolio

2 Ask about their strategy

3 Test their communication

4 Evaluate their skills

5 Compare their prices

6 Here’s what else to consider

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

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