The guide
How to choose an SEO specialist.
Most bad SEO hires have the same warning signs. Here is what to ask, what good looks like and what to walk away from.
Short answer: choose someone who looks at your site before quoting, explains their process in plain language, measures progress in terms you care about, lets you own your accounts and never guarantees rankings.
Start with what you need
Know your goal before you talk to anyone. Do you need more visitors, fixes for technical problems, better local visibility, or to be mentioned in AI answers? Different goals need different skills, and a clear goal makes quotes easy to compare.
Seven questions to ask
- What will you check first on my site? A good answer covers crawling, indexing, speed and structure before anything else.
- How will you measure progress? Look for clicks, impressions, indexed pages and enquiries, not vanity numbers.
- What will I get in writing? Scope, deliverables and reporting should be clear before work starts.
- Who owns the accounts? You should own your Search Console, Analytics and domain.
- Who makes the changes on my site? Some specialists advise only. Others also build and fix, which saves a handoff.
- Can you explain a past project? Ask what changed, what happened and what did not work.
- What if results are slow? An honest specialist explains that SEO takes months and that no one controls rankings.
Signs of a good specialist
- They ask about your business and customers, not just your keywords.
- They explain things in plain language.
- They start with an audit and fix by impact.
- They are open about what they cannot promise.
Red flags
- Guaranteed first-page or number one rankings.
- A price with no look at your site.
- Secret or proprietary methods they will not explain.
- Bulk link buying.
- Reports full of activity but no results you can verify.
Freelancer or agency?
Freelancers give you direct access to the person doing the work. Agencies bring a bigger team and more services. Pick the one whose process and communication you trust. I work as a freelancer, and I also build websites under 404 Studio, so technical fixes do not need a second contractor.
Want to see how I work? Read about me or the case study, then get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if an SEO specialist is legitimate?
They look at your site before quoting, explain their process clearly, give you access to your own accounts and do not guarantee rankings. Ask them to walk you through a past project.
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?
Either can work. A freelancer offers direct contact with the person doing the work. An agency offers a larger team and wider services. Compare scope, process and communication, not just price.
What should an SEO agreement include?
A clear scope, specific deliverables, how progress is reported, who owns your accounts and data, and how either side can end the agreement.
Do I need an SEO specialist or a web developer?
Often both. Technical SEO fixes usually involve changes to the website itself. I do both, so audits and fixes can happen together.
What should I prepare before hiring an SEO specialist?
Your website address, your main goal, your target customers and locations, and access to your Search Console and Analytics if you have them.
More from the guide.
- How much does SEO cost in the Philippines?Pricing models, what changes the price and red flags.
- SEO checklist for small businessWhat to fix first, step by step.
- What is local SEO?How nearby customers find your business.
- SEO questions answeredShort answers to common questions.
- SEO vs GEO vs AEOWhat each one is and how they differ.
Looking for an SEO specialist?
Send me your site and your goal. I will tell you where I would start.