How to hire an SEO specialist: what to check before you pay

SEO is three different jobs wearing one title

"SEO" looks like a single service until you try to buy it. Technical audits, content that earns links, and on-page copy are different skills, and a generalist who claims to do all three well is rare. Before you hire, work out which job you actually need done.

The three kinds of SEO work

• Technical SEO — crawling, site speed, indexation, structured data and fixing the code-level problems that stop Google from ranking you at all. Google's SEO starter guide is a useful baseline for what belongs in a technical audit.
• Content SEO — briefs, articles and page copy built around real search intent, usually part writing and part keyword research.
• Link building and authority — outreach that earns mentions and backlinks from other sites. Slow, manual and the part most freelancers quietly skip.

Many businesses need a technical pass first: content on a site that does not render or index well is wasted. If you have never had a technical audit, start there.

What to check before you hire

• Ask what they changed, not what they claim. A strong freelancer can name a past client's problem, the fix and the outcome. Vague talk of "ranking keywords" is a warning sign.
• Request a mini audit as the pitch. Most serious SEOs will spend an hour on your site and tell you three concrete problems for free. If the pitch is purely theoretical, walk away.
• Confirm reporting up front. You want to see organic clicks and conversions by page over time — not a dashboard that counts keyword positions that nobody searches for.
• Check the timeline. SEO compounds. If someone promises top rankings in a month, they are either selling ads or lying.

Pricing and realistic expectations

• $300–$900 — a technical audit. A one-off crawl, prioritized fixes and a clear list of what to do next.
• $500–$1,500/month — content SEO. A few properly researched, optimized pages a month. Expect movement in three to six months.
• $1,000+/month — full-service. Technical maintenance plus content plus link building. This is a long-term relationship, not a quick win.

Red flags that should end the conversation

• Guaranteed #1 rankings or fixed keyword promises.
• Instant "link packages" or private blog network schemes — those get you penalized, not ranked.
• Refusal to explain work in plain language. SEO is not magic; it is measurable engineering and writing.

Treat an SEO proposal like any other contractor bid: you are buying a defined scope with a reporting loop, not a lease on your search rankings.

See more digital marketing services or browse all SEO and marketing gigs.

New to the field? Start with how to plan your small-business marketing budget so SEO fits alongside your other channels.