How to Find A SEO Guru?
-
How to find a SEO Guru
I am a looking for a SEO to take over our SEO needs for our website.I am not interested in learning SEO and would rather leave it to the pro's.We already have great traffic 800K+ monthly but we need to take it to the next level and beyond.
I have searched through SEOMOZ and read articles everywhere and done all that, I think I am more confused now than when I started on how to find a great SEO. While their are plenty of great SEO guys out their a lot of them I don't feel comfortable putting our business in their hands.Their are some smaller SEO's and some shady SEO's that won't work for us.Then some just don't have the credentials or background for us to hand over our hard earned money and have the future of our businesses in their hands.
We want someone who has worked on big projects and had great success and is a industry leader but is willing to work with me and be hands on just not send me reports and suggestions. I am Trying to find SEO guru who knows his stuff and knows it well.I know i will pay good money for this but would like to find some up and comers so I don't have to sell unborn children to afford their services.
What would be a good way to a great seo maybe even a guru?
Finding the right SEO has become a daunting task.
-
@chrisyak said in How to Find A SEO Guru?:
Well, I think I have run into a wall in my search, most of you gave some great device advice on where to look. The list of SEO on seomoz is great if I could afford any of them.I have learned a valuable lesson this week about the cost of SEO's.When i see prices of 5-10K for site audits and $200 per hour I know I am barking up the wrong tree.
Now I think I would just like a good SEO that knows his stuff well and won't charge me a small fortune.
Chris, I'm sorry that you're going through this. In all honesty, your budget is something under a few thousand dollars a month for a site that has 800,000 visitors. I don't want to make you believe that you're going to find a good SEO for $200 or something a month doesn't happen.
It takes us years to get to where we are. As you know, the amount of traffic that you're dealing with is valuable if you want to increase your website's terrible traffic even more web presence.
Therefore Traffic you are, so you will need to spend quite a bit of money to find someone that's any good. I'm just honest.
Unfortunately, the people I recommended will charge much more than what you want to pay, so that you know, to save you some time.
-
@chrisyak
Hi Chris
I don’t want to toot my own horn but I am in the top ten on Moz for replies to questions.I would recommend my good friend Bill Slawski he is the writer and owner of SEO By The Sea & head of SEO at Gofish Digital we host a weekly YouTube SEO hangout
You can also look at https://www.brainlabsdigital.com/ (now own, Distilled.net)
I know it doesn’t sound great to recommend yourself but here it goes.
https://moz.com/community/q/user/blueprintmarketing
I have a lot of experience with large sites & have had great results.tzickell@blueprintmarketing.com
603-978-1964I hope this helps,
Tom -
Hi, I agree with you that Ross Hudgens is an excellent SEO specialist, our company has dealt with him and were very pleased!
-
I agree with everything that's been said before, and will just add this. You're in the LA area, right? There are a lot of good SEOs there. My recommendation would be to contact either Ross Hudgens of Siege Media or Adam Piotrowski of apkedge.net. Ross runs his own agency, and even if he's not a fit, he could probably point you in the right direction. Adam is an in-house SEO, but can probably connect you with a potential SEO
-
Well, I suppose I actually have run into a wall in my seek, most of you gave a few fantastic tool recommendations on which to appear. The list of search engine marketing on seomoz is super if I may want to manage to pay for any of them. I actually have discovered a valuable lesson this week about the price of search engine optimizations. like here you can see on the espresso machine website.
-
I optimize for the time period myself, and whilst different SEO humans would possibly bristle-like DLL Files Download, humans nonetheless look for search engine marketing authorities irrespective of bristling.
-
Excellent reply. Too often as SEOs, as we get deeper into the community we care more about what other SEOs think and how to create content for other SEOs than for our actual clients.
I'm just as guilty as anyone, as my posts tend to get a bit technical.
But the first principle of SEO is keyword research. And if the keyword research shows that SEO guru is a searched term with opportunity, go for it!
-
Irrelevant? Alex, Google is a database. Each search is a database query. If you don't have an education in systems analysis, you might be a decent SEO, but you aren't going to have original thought or do any ground-breaking stuff. You're just doing what you've learned on the internet.
It's like knowing how to use a calculator really well, but not understanding why 2 + 2 = 4.
And if one has never written an algorithm, how could one propose to be an expert on algorithms? In order to best understand the algorithm, an SEO should be able to write an algorithm. Otherwise, it's just a guy in his basement testing correlation and causation...which Google goes out of it's way to foil.
-
I'd say what an SEO studied at school is often irrelevant, and marketing would be more appropriate than many computer-related studies.
-
It may be used by egotistical people Tom; or it may be used by a legitimate SEO who knows that potential new clients (such as the poster of this question) search for an SEO guru.
I optimize for the term myself, and while other SEO people might bristle (I have no idea why), people still search for SEO gurus regardless of bristling.
I'll keep optimizing for that keyword and all the rest of the SEO guys and girls can just smugly think how cool they are for not using that term...that potential clients use all of the time. I'll stick with the general public, since SEO experts generally don't want to hire me anyway.
Finally, if not earning clients is enough to convince you: Google uses the term "expert" as a synonym for "guru".
In other words, the Googlebot associates "guru" with expert and the words are interchangeable in the SERPS, for the most part.
Google thinks guru = expert.
Clients think guru = expert.
SEO people think guru = egotistical con-artists.
Broad-sweeping generalization, but I can live with it. I still deliver the goods.
-
Honestly, not trying to be a smart ass here, but I would just Google "SEO guru." Then, pick someone from page 1 who has a decent website and lives in the same country as you.
Clearly, if you need an SEO guru to help you do well in Google, I would start by asking the Googlebot who it determines would rank for such a term.
Make sure the person you pick has a very high AuthorRank and regularly publishes content, either on his own blog or other important websites. Someone who offers "white hat" SEO or is a "white hat SEO guru" would be ideal. Like you said, you don't want your credentials turned over to just anyone.
If you need help with local SEO, why not search for a local search guru? Or even a Google local search guru?
I also happen to know that one of those SEO gurus (that ranks in the first few results in Google) is just now currently taking clients.
The interesting thing is that when people are looking for an SEO guru, or expert, or consultant, or what have you-- they often place a classified ad or perhaps post in a forum such as this. But all you need to do is "Google it."
The first thing you should ask an SEO person is: What do you rank for? What longtail keywords do you rank for?
Next: What did you study in school? (If it's not computer-related, you can probably move on.) Personally, I think a strong understanding of systems analysis and database development is the most useful.
Google is a system. A good SEO analyzes that system, so an SEO is really just a systems analyst.
**Edited: And I agree with Alex below. Marketing helps too, when it comes to search engine marketing (such as PPC and landing pages), R&D, maybe copywriting. But for organic SEO, my opinion is to hire an experienced systems (DB) analyst. **
And be sure to ask what kind of link building they engage in. You don't want to get nailed by a penguin.
-
Assuming that there aren't any Q&A restrictions around posting a question like that, I think it's best to create a new thread.
Fwiw, I don't think you'll have a hard time getting a site audit for that budget... It might not have too much competitive research and whatnot, but I think you can probably get enough to give you and the SEO action items. I mean, if a potential client asked me to do an audit at or around $2k, it'd be lighter than I'm used to, but I could do it.
With regard to the monthly budget, that might be a bit tougher just because you'll be such a small client for most SEOs that they might not feel it's worth it. Either way though, I'd start a new thread and see what you get. Depending on how you site is staffed though, you might get more bang for your buck if you had the SEO train and/or consult someone on staff to do everything that needs done. For me, things like that tend to be most common when the client doesn't have a big budget.
-
Thank for the reply, would it best to start a new thread or is their a category where I should post it?
I would like a extensive site audit and have around a 2K budget for it and would like to work with a company monthly as well, also would like to work with the company on a monthly basis with a $250-400 monthly budget. Is SEOmoz the best place to post for this type of requirements? I would be scared to place it on odesk...lol...
-
Best of luck. I'm sure you can find someone if you post your budget here honestly. Also, the definition of a site audit is pretty broad because it depends so much on the client's site, what they need, etc. For example, I not long ago did a site audit for one client for $10k, but just did another one for a different client for $3k, so depending on what you need, you might be able to find someone that fits your budget if they don't just give you a boilerplate response.
-
Well I think I have run into a wall in my search, most of you gave some great device advice on where to look. The list of SEO on seomoz is great if I could afford any of them.I have learned a valuable lesson this week about the cost of SEO's.When i see prices of 5-10K for site audits and $200 per hour I know I am barking up the wrong tree.
Now I think I would just like a good seo that knows his stuff well and won't charge me a small fortune.
-
I agree with everything that's been said before, and will just add this. You're in the LA area, right? There are a lot of good SEOs there. My recommendation would be to contact either Ross Hudgens of Siege Media or Adam Piotrowski of Livestrong.com. Ross runs his own agency, and even if he's not a fit, he could probably point you in the right direction. Adam is an in-house SEO, but can probably connect you with a potential SEO.
-
The SEOmoz recommended company list is a good starting point. Have you read Google's advice on hiring an SEO?
I guess you may have already read these:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-recruit-an-seo-the-seo-industry-leaders-reveal-their-secrets-14183 http://searchengineland.com/attributes-to-look-for-when-hiring-an-in-house-seo-41852 (may be a bit outdated by now)Make sure it's someone who keeps up to date with this ever changing industry and ask them how they keep up-to-date.
And perhaps the best, most established SEO will pay multiple times over for your unborn children
-
If you actually find someone marketing themselves as an "SEO Guru", I'd advise to stay well, well away.
It's a horrible term, generally used by egotistical con-artists.
-
I have some ideas on what I think we need in terms of SEO but of course I would be open to the SEO's suggestions.What is the best approach when contacting these companies?
Tell them everything I think is relevant , needs, goals and so on in email phone / call? ask for a proposal?
-
Hey Chris, i agree with masdigitalmedia. Look at that SEOMoz recommended list. Look for somebody local in your area if you can and if not, at-least somebody who can visit you every once in a while.
If you have specific questions, there's always SEOMoz Q&A
Good Luck.
-
Hi,
SEOMoz has a list of recommended companies that you could consider. They post the list here.
http://www.seomoz.org/article/recommended#seo-consulting
You get the benefit of a team of people to work on the your project.
Thanks
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Is bright edge an SEO platform you would recommend?
Hi mozzers, Has anyone used Bright Edge before? Is this a good platform for a website that carries over 1800 pages and is looking to scale their content? I would like to know the pros and cons of this platform. Thanks for sharing any other valuable information about this platform!
Industry News | | Ideas-Money-Art0 -
Seo audit tool recommendation and advice anyone?
Can anyone recommend a good SEO Audit tool for my site? I have 3 top level domains with duplicate content so am looking for some international advice as well... Thanks advice would be much appreciated.
Industry News | | edward-may0 -
SEO For Local Searches
I run a driving school of over 100 instructors in the UK. We cover around 60 different areas. My homepage www.driveJohnsons.co.uk is optimised for 'driving lessons' and 'driving school' search terms mainly. My area pages are optimised for the same but with the area included ie: Driving Lessons Birmingham or Driving Lessons Leeds I've taken a drop in many areas... I've cleaned up my incoming links using the disavow too and upped more relevant links associated with the same industry as myself. The question i have is should i change my URL's for my area pages from www.driveJohnsons.co.uk/driving-lessons-leeds to: www.driveJohnsons.co.uk/leeds I've been told stuffing the URL with keywords for an area actually dilutes the strength of my homepage and all the other areas. At the moment i have 60 area pages with: www.drivejohnsons.co.uk/driving-lessons-area It use to work a treat, but i've started seeing some companies change their URLs to: /area and excluding the driving-lessons If i make this change then i'm either going to have to bit the bullet on build up links for those areas again or do a redirect for each area. I've added most areas to google places and i've added google map to many of area pages too. If anyone knows a bit more, please let me know...
Industry News | | Anthony19820 -
Is there a really good place to find high end, cutting edge web developers online.
My issue is that I know there are a lot of web developers in the world and all of them are great just like all the great SEO's in the world. Does anyone know of a great place to find really top talent that is the kind where the people are constantly stretching and trying new things, etc.
Industry News | | RobertFisher
Is there a web dev board the better ones are on, etc. Any luck in other areas? We have a position available, but will not fill it with anyone average or above average. I really would love to know what boards, forums, etc. I can find them on, but every search lists 50 boards and, the is not my everyday world. I just do not know which are the ones that will put me in front of the best in the world. Any help is appreciated. Robert0 -
Direct is taking over my SEO traffic in Mobile iOS and Android Devices
WIth all the buzz of mobile has anyone taken a look to dig into the SEO traffic by device (desktop vs mobile). Well I did and surprising my desktop trend was not even close to mobile traffic. Surprising to know that due to the security updates in iSO and Android organic traffic (traffic with out tracking codes) is getting bucket into Direct. (Yes we all know Direct traffic is dirty dirty label traffic that analytics platforms can identify.)http://www.rimmkaufman.com/blog/estimating-google-organic-search-visits-hidden-by-ios-6/17122012/http://www.definemg.com/recover-your-android-4-and-ios-search-traffic/ Feels like SEO is receiving no love... didn't we have enough with Google encryption, we didn't get the keyword but at least got the referral! Have you notice in your traffic and what are you doing about it?
Industry News | | LNEseo0 -
Does Penguin Help Negative SEO?
With negative link targeting seeming to become more and more of a ‘standard practice’ for more and more agencies and freelance SEOs (I, for one, have had to use the disavow tool far more than I ever thought I would) and the fact that there are more “link building services” that really only build ‘crap’ links than there were when that type of link building worked, I am honestly a bit afraid that Google is really just pushing SEO’s to the ‘dark side’ or at least handing black hat link builders a great tool for bringing down the competition. I had one SEO actually say to me “If my client can’t recover than at least I can target everyone that jumped ahead of them and only spend around $300 on bad link building”. This came from someone I NEVER thought would say anything of the sort and really got me to thinking’ “will this be the future of SEO?” I know the answer is no but still, it seems more and more people are just throwing their hands up and targeting competition rather than working on their own websites and with updates like Penguin I am afraid that more of my time will be spent disavowing links than building them.
Industry News | | Vizergy0 -
Is there a Step by Step Online Tutorial for SEOing?
Hi People I know this sounds like a real dumb question, but hey! I thought I would ask. I am a newbie, and after continuously spending $165.00/day for my PPC adwords campaign for the last 5 years, I MUST get my site naturally ranked higher. So as a newbie; yet understanding the basic principles about SEOing, I searched High and Low for an accredited course, an educational programme or anything that looked structured, and had a distinct step by step structure, and to my amazement I couldn't find much. I did find Dan Thiess' online guide, the SEOMOZ guide, and a few other bits n pieces. It appears that SEO learning is all over the place. I couldn't find any courses at the local universities either! So I thought...well what does it take to become an SEO consultant if there's no real formal qualification as such? And my answer was...Experience and proof of experience! That is, a consultant of who has been around for quite a few years and can prove to potential customers that ... hey you see this website www.????.com notice how it's ranked #1 ? That's because of me! So I thought, I would post this question to the forum and 1. See if there is some formidable training course with a valued and recognised qualification upon completion? 2. If I am able to work for a consultant at no charge to them at all in exchange for their knowledge. I have a wealth of experience in business and people management, and Yes I do have some Web Development and IT experience. But I know to some consultants this is a big ask, so I thought I would put it out there! (you never know until you ask.) In the meantime if anyone could possibly guide for a step by step program...that would be greatly appreciated. Cheers George
Industry News | | Giorgio680 -
Problem with SOME Indian based SEO companies, HELP!
First of all I want to say that I hire 2 great Indian SEOs at my company and this question is in no way meant to offend, or single anyone out. However It's come to a point where the amount of emails we receive for "Ethical SEO, High PR Guaranteed Link building Services, SEO professionals etc" from Indian based companies is costing us a lot of time on a daily basis to filter out spam from real enquiries. Blocking their emails is not even working as they use gmail accounts and multiple domain emails so we can't keep up with them. I have even spoken to some of the owners of these 'companies' and they admit using different email accounts so as not to be blacklisted. They also seem to believe that the opt-out option (which is legally required when sending out promotional emails) is itself optional!!!!! Now when I asked how exactly they were getting my email they said that they get info from the, and I quote "first page of Google"!!!!! So my question is the following; is there anyway I can block my site from showing up in a particular country altogether? Again this is in no way attacking ALL Indian based SEO companies, my beef is with the 74 (we counted) different 'companies' that are flooding our email with offers P.S. Is anyone else having these issues?
Industry News | | MassivePrime0