Hire SEO Experts Who Excel at These 7 Critical Skills
Gordon Ibarra
Hire SEO Experts Who Excel at These 7 Critical Skills
What Is an SEO Expert?
7 Skills That Set High-Performers Apart
1. Technical SEO
2. Keyword Research
3. On-Page Optimization
4. Link Building
5. Content Strategy
6. Data Analytics
7. Adaptability
How to Evaluate Each Skill
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
How Freelancers on Contra Provide Extra Value
FAQs about Hiring SEO Experts
Why is an SEO background in technical development important?
How does an SEO freelancer differ from an agency?
Can an SEO specialist also handle paid advertising?
What should I budget for a well-rounded SEO campaign?
Final Thoughts on Partnering for SEO Success
Hire SEO Experts Who Excel at These 7 Critical Skills
If you’ve ever wondered why your website isn’t showing up on Google—or why it’s buried on page five—you’re not alone. I’ve worked with clients across industries who thought publishing good content was enough until they realized something wasn’t clicking. That something is often SEO.
The goal of this piece is to help you understand what an SEO expert actually does, and what separates the decent ones from the ones who can really move the needle 📈.
What Is an SEO Expert?
An SEO expert is someone who understands how search engines work and uses that knowledge to improve a website’s visibility in search results. Their job is to help people find your content when they type something into Google.
The approach isn't just about rankings—it has to align with what users actually want. If a page ranks but confuses readers or loads slowly, it won’t convert or engage. SEO experts work at that intersection of visibility and usability.
Their work spans three main areas:
On-page SEO, which covers everything visible on your site—like page titles, headers, keywords, and content structure.
Off-page SEO, which includes backlinks and external signals that tell search engines your content is trustworthy.
Technical SEO, which deals with things like site speed, mobile optimization, crawlability, and structured data.
Think of SEO like plumbing—when it’s working, nobody notices it. When it’s broken, everything backs up.
Each of these areas works together. A strong SEO expert understands how to balance them without over-optimizing one at the expense of the others. That balance is where the real skill lies.
7 Skills That Set High-Performers Apart
Hiring SEO experts involves more than checking for certifications or years of experience. The ones who consistently deliver results show strength in seven specific areas. These skills cover technical knowledge, strategic thinking, and the ability to keep up with ongoing changes in search algorithms.
1. Technical SEO
Technical SEO focuses on how well a site performs behind the scenes. This includes how fast it loads, whether it’s accessible to search engine crawlers, and how well it works on mobile devices.
Core tasks include optimizing site speed by compressing images, reducing server response time, and minimizing JavaScript. Crawlability involves setting up robots.txt files, fixing broken links, and submitting accurate XML sitemaps. Mobile responsiveness means checking how content displays on different screen sizes and ensuring clickable elements are spaced correctly.
Site architecture also plays a role. Clean URL structures, internal linking strategies, and well-organized navigation help both users and search engines move through a site easily. Code optimization includes removing unnecessary scripts or inline styles that slow down performance.
If bots can’t crawl your site, humans probably won’t hang around either.
2. Keyword Research
Keyword research connects what people search for with the content being created. It involves analyzing user intent, measuring search volume, and identifying gaps where competitors rank but your site doesn’t.
Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs help uncover keyword opportunities and assess difficulty scores. High-performing SEO experts use these tools to compare what’s trending in search with what’s already ranking. They look for long-tail keywords that match specific queries, not just broad terms with vague intent.
Competitor analysis shows where similar businesses are gaining traffic. Gap analysis finds terms they rank for but you don’t. This identifies which topics are worth pursuing next.
3. On-Page Optimization
On-page SEO includes everything visible on the page that affects rankings. This covers meta titles and descriptions, header tag hierarchy (H1, H2, H3), and how readable the content is.
Structured data, such as Schema.org markup, helps search engines understand the page better. This can lead to enhanced search results, like featured snippets or product ratings. Readability is improved by using short paragraphs, clear headings, and plain language.
The layout must prioritize users. Pages should be easy to scan, with visuals that support the text and calls to action that are easy to find. On-page optimization balances technical detail with human-friendly writing.
4. Link Building
Link building involves earning backlinks from reputable websites. High performers do this through outreach, partnerships, and creating content worth linking to.
The focus is on quality, not just quantity. One link from a trusted source can be more valuable than many from low-quality sites. Ethical link building avoids spammy tactics and instead emphasizes relevance and context.
Outreach includes contacting site owners, pitching guest posts, or participating in industry roundups. Networking with editors, journalists, and publishers also plays a role.
Great link builders are part strategist, part relationship manager, part detective 🕵️♂️
5. Content Strategy
A content strategy connects SEO goals with the actual content being published. It involves planning topics around search intent, organizing content into clusters, and aligning the tone with the brand’s voice.
Editorial planning includes deciding which topics to publish, when to update older content, and how to repurpose material across channels. Content clusters group related topics around a central pillar page to build authority and keep visitors engaged.
Balance is key. Content must be written for people but formatted in ways search engines understand. That means using relevant keywords naturally, structuring information clearly, and avoiding fluff.
6. Data Analytics
SEO relies heavily on interpreting data. SEO experts use analytics to track what’s working, what isn’t, and where to adjust strategies.
Google Analytics and Search Console are foundational. More advanced users build dashboards to visualize traffic sources, conversion paths, and keyword performance. Metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rates help evaluate page effectiveness.
They also monitor rankings over time and correlate traffic changes with specific updates or campaigns. Instead of guessing, they base decisions on trends and patterns found in the data.
7. Adaptability
Search engine algorithms change frequently. SEO experts need to adjust quickly, understanding how updates affect rankings and what actions to take in response.
Adaptability means staying informed, reviewing traffic patterns after updates, and experimenting with new tactics when old ones stop working. It also includes refining strategies based on user behavior, competitor moves, or changes in business goals.
Continuous learning is part of the job. High performers read documentation, test new tools, and revisit their assumptions regularly. What worked six months ago might not work tomorrow.
How to Evaluate Each Skill
Evaluating an SEO expert begins with direct access to their past work. Ask for URLs of client projects where their involvement is documented. Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to check historical traffic trends, backlink profiles, and keyword rankings for those URLs. This provides a clearer view of results over time—not just screenshots without context.
Where possible, review deliverables such as technical SEO audits, keyword research documents, content briefs, or outreach templates. These materials reveal how they approach tasks, what frameworks they follow, and whether their recommendations are specific or generic. Templates that are reused without tailoring to a site’s structure or competition level are a red flag.
Test projects are useful for gauging hands-on skills. For example:
Provide a landing page and ask them to rewrite title tags, meta descriptions, and headers.
Share crawl data from Screaming Frog and ask them to identify top-priority fixes.
Request a short content plan targeting a niche keyword with topic clusters.
“If their audit looks like it was copied from a blog post, it probably was.”
References are valuable but often surface-level. To go deeper, ask:
What percentage of traffic growth or ranking improvements was driven by their work?
How frequently did they communicate updates or adapt strategy post-Google updates?
Did they work cross-functionally with writers, developers, or product teams?
When reviewing claims, verify them. For example, if they say they “ranked #1 for a competitive keyword,” check the keyword’s difficulty and search intent. A #1 ranking for an obscure blog post isn’t the same as page-one visibility for a transactional keyword with buying intent.
Be cautious of vague language like “increased traffic” or “boosted visibility.” Ask for:
Before-and-after keyword rankings 📊
Screenshots from verified tools, not just spreadsheets
Clear timelines tied to measurable changes (e.g., March 2024 to June 2024)
Also, align their skill claims with current best practices. Someone still focusing on keyword density or outdated link schemes is not keeping up with current SEO standards as of April 2025.
“If their last SEO win happened before the Helpful Content Update, you’re interviewing a time traveler.” 🕰️
Finally, evaluate how they explain their own work. If they can’t translate technical SEO into plain language—or overcomplicate simple concepts—they may lack clarity in both strategy and execution.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
Hiring an SEO expert involves more than reading a portfolio or scanning a resume. Specific questions help uncover how someone actually works, what tools they rely on, and how they collaborate with others. These questions also reveal how transparent they are about limitations, processes, and performance.
Start with questions about workflow and process. Ask how they typically begin a new project. Answers should reference audits, competitor analysis, or keyword research—not just “optimizing content.” Follow up by asking how they prioritize tasks when faced with multiple SEO issues at once.
“What’s your process for identifying the top 3 technical issues on a new site?”
Ask which tools they use and why. If they mention SEMrush or Ahrefs, ask which features they use most often and how they interpret the data. If they mention Screaming Frog, ask how they use crawl data to flag duplicate content, broken links, or redirect chains.
Ask about collaboration style. SEO doesn’t work in isolation. A good expert will explain how they communicate with developers, writers, or marketing teams. Ask how they’ve handled disagreements—such as pushing for a site speed fix when engineering has competing priorities.
Ask how they stay current with algorithm updates. Don’t look for buzzwords. Ask which recent Google update impacted their clients the most and what they changed as a result. If they can’t explain the Helpful Content Update or E-E-A-T changes, that’s a gap.
Ask how they measure success. Do they track keyword rankings, traffic, conversions, or all three? Ask how they report on these metrics, and if they’ve built dashboards or deliver regular summaries. Request a sample anonymized report if possible.
Ask about pacing. “How long does it typically take to see results?” Avoid vague answers like “It depends.” Look for specifics like 3–6 months for traffic gains after technical fixes or 4–8 weeks to see early keyword ranking shifts post-content optimization.
Ask what happens if results stall. What do they do if rankings plateau or traffic drops unexpectedly? The answer should involve reviewing data, revisiting assumptions, and testing alternatives—not blaming external factors.
“If they say SEO is unpredictable and that’s the end of the conversation, so is the project.”
Finally, ask about communication structure:
How often do they send updates?
What’s their preferred method—email, Loom videos, shared docs?
How do they handle urgent issues like a site going offline or a sudden traffic drop?
The way someone answers these questions shows how they think, how they work, and how they handle complexity. Clear, direct answers are usually a sign of experience. Avoid anyone who overexplains, dodges simple questions, or relies on jargon without grounding it in real examples.
How Freelancers on Contra Provide Extra Value
Freelancers on Contra work without platform commission fees. This means businesses pay only for the work delivered—there’s no markup or percentage taken from the freelancer’s rate. The full project budget goes directly into the work itself, not into platform overhead.
This structure encourages direct, transparent partnerships. Communication happens one-on-one, without third-party filters or intermediaries. Pricing is clear. Deliverables are agreed upon directly. Timelines are flexible, based on the actual scope of work rather than platform-imposed deadlines.
Because Contra doesn’t take a cut of earnings, freelancers retain full control over their pricing, process, and schedule. This autonomy allows them to prioritize high-quality work and long-term outcomes—not volume or hustle metrics.
“When you’re not racing to cover platform fees, you can actually slow down and think—like, strategically.” 🧠
Freelancers on Contra often structure their work in two main ways:
Project-based: A defined scope, timeline, and deliverables (e.g., technical audit + 3-month content plan).
Retainer-based: Ongoing support for a fixed monthly rate (e.g., continuous SEO monitoring, reporting, and optimization).
Both models are set up to be flexible. Scope and terms can be adjusted directly between client and freelancer, without needing to go through a platform support system. This reduces friction and allows both sides to focus on outcomes.
FAQs about Hiring SEO Experts
Why is an SEO background in technical development important?
Technical development experience allows an SEO expert to understand how websites operate beneath the surface. This includes server response behavior, DOM rendering, and crawl path logic—which directly impact indexing, page speed, and structured data compliance.
For example, if a site has JavaScript-heavy navigation or improperly blocked resources in robots.txt, a technical SEO with development knowledge can identify and resolve the issue without relying solely on developers. They can also assess how code-level changes affect Core Web Vitals like LCP and CLS, which are ranking factors as of April 2025.
“It’s one thing to know a site is slow. It’s another to know why—and what line of code is causing it.”
Technical SEO specialists can also interpret and debug output from tools like Lighthouse, Screaming Frog, and Sitebulb. Without a development background, this data often leads to generic recommendations that don’t fix root causes.
How does an SEO freelancer differ from an agency?
An SEO freelancer typically works independently and handles all aspects of the project, from strategy to execution. Agencies often split these responsibilities across teams—technical audits to one department, content to another, link building to a third.
Freelancers tend to offer more direct communication, faster feedback loops, and hands-on involvement. Agency workflows may involve account managers or project leads who relay information between the client and actual SEO practitioners, which can slow down decision-making.
“If you prefer talking to the person doing the work instead of someone scheduling the meeting, go freelance.”
Freelancers also tend to build workflows tailored to each client, whereas agencies often rely on standardized packages. This means freelancers may offer more flexible scopes, pricing, and deliverables.
Can an SEO specialist also handle paid advertising?
Some SEO specialists cross over into paid media—especially those with a background in performance marketing. However, organic SEO and paid search (PPC) require different platforms, metrics, and optimization strategies.
An SEO expert may understand keyword bidding logic or how to structure Google Ads campaigns, but they won’t always be equipped to manage budgets, optimize Quality Scores, or test ad creatives. Likewise, PPC specialists may not be trained in crawlability, canonical tags, or schema markup.
“SEO is chess. Paid search is poker. Some people can play both, but not at the same time.” ♟️🃏
When hiring for both functions, clarify whether the candidate has specific campaign experience across both areas. In some cases, two specialists—one for SEO, one for paid—may yield better results than expecting one person to manage both effectively.
What should I budget for a well-rounded SEO campaign?
Budgets vary based on goals, competition level, and current site performance. For a mid-sized business targeting national keywords in a moderately competitive niche, monthly freelance SEO rates typically range from $2,000 to $5,000.
This range usually includes technical audits, keyword research, content planning, and reporting. Link building, custom dashboards, or development support may increase costs. Local SEO campaigns tend to fall on the lower end, while enterprise-level engagements can exceed $10,000/month.
“If the quote is $500 for ‘full SEO,’ it’s not full SEO. It’s probably just a blog post and a prayer.” 🙃
Project-based work—like a one-time audit or content revamp—may cost $1,500 to $4,000 depending on scope. Freelancers on platforms like Contra often offer flexible packages without commission fees, which can stretch budgets further.
Final Thoughts on Partnering for SEO Success
Skill-based hiring reduces reliance on guesswork. When an SEO expert demonstrates command over technical audits, content structuring, and intent-driven keyword mapping, their value becomes measurable. These skills are not interchangeable. They compound.
Collaboration determines how these skills translate into results. An SEO professional often works across content, engineering, product, and analytics teams. Without shared context or regular check-ins, even well-researched strategies stall. The most effective partnerships develop over time—not from deliverables alone, but from feedback loops, shared dashboards, and mutual accountability.
“SEO isn’t a one-person show—it’s a team effort with someone reading the algorithm notes backstage.”
Freelancers on commission-free platforms like Contra work without intermediaries. This eliminates friction in scope changes, negotiation, and project pivots. It also allows pricing to reflect the actual work being done, not platform fees or third-party percentages. The result is more control on both sides: freelancers focus on execution, and clients focus on outcomes.
Project-based models are useful when goals are defined—like a site migration or a 6-month content calendar. Retainer agreements work better for ongoing monitoring, iterative improvements, and cross-functional collaboration. Both formats are available through Contra, depending on how the scope is framed and how the relationship evolves 🛠️
“Set the scope, not the ceiling. Great SEO work tends to outgrow its original brief.”
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Posted Apr 14, 2025
Hire SEO experts who excel at these 7 critical skills to improve rankings, drive traffic, and align strategy with search intent. Learn what sets them apart.
