As a brand, you are aware of the value of SEO in e-commerce, from the way it helps shape a brand to the subtle changes in Google rating.
According to HubSpot, search engine users usually pick one of the top three results, and 75% won’t bother looking past page one of the search results. With high expectations on the part of consumers, it only makes sense that marketing firms want to be rigorous when recruiting new workers.
It is important to ask the right questions during the SEO interview. Below are 10 main questions that any marketing company will pose for a possible new contract.
1. What Data Do You Look at When You Pick an Optimization Strategy?
Strategies are not built on chance, but they are planned and mapped based on analytics. A SEO candidate is likely to have the best method of gathering and reading data and applying it to a campaign.
This question provides a insight into your interviewee ‘s strategy building phase. If he or she doesn’t know where to look for this information, it may be a sign of inexperience.
2. What Are Your Top 5 SEO Tools?
SEO resources are the bread and butter of a successful campaign. Only the most seasoned marketer has a plethora of valuable devices up his side. The point of this question is not to see whether the resources are up to you to snuff or equate them to your own, but to know whether or not the individual has a package that is easy to use.
When asking for a summary, you can find out more about why the methods have been selected and how they work into a marketing plan. Such software and systems can differ depending on the type of project being undertaken. From Searchmetrics to BuzzStream, there’s an infinite range, so this should be a easy response.
3. What Does a Working Day Look Like in Your Office?
This is your opportunity to see how an employee will work individually on a normal day. What steps are taken in the 8-hour shift to ensure client satisfaction and project success? Which tools or programs are being used, and in what order is anything being done?
The response to that question is not going to be the same for everyone, particularly between departments. Marketers focused on social media content may respond differently than those handling email and newsletter delivery.
The argument is whether or not this employee would need a lot of supervision and preparation, or work well on his or her own.
4. Can You Tell Me About the Recent Algorithm Improvement and What it Means to Potential Clients
Not every SEO campaign succeeds in the first attempt. The way a marketer reacts to a loss is very telling. You will build on this issue by asking the following questions:
- Have attempts been made to resolve the situation by reading reports and setting out a new action plan?
- Is it perceived as a learning experience rather than a failure, and if so, what did you learn?
- What did you do differently in your next campaign to avoid this issue?
5. Have You Ever Seen a Failed SEO Effort? How Did You React to That?
There’s nothing more relevant in SEO than keeping up with updates with Google’s algorithm. That’s because Google is such a driving force in the growth of digital marketing.
Since January 2018 to January 2019, Google dominated the search engine market with 74% of internet searches. It doesn’t matter, then, whether your company has fantastic content, visual aids, or customer engagement. When it doesn’t fit with the new algorithm, it won’t increase the engine rating.
From Panda and Possum to Penguin and the Mobile-First Index Roll Out, future SEO marketers should be well-known.
6. What’s the Importance of Backlinks & How Could it Help a Client?
Of course, a backlink is just what it sounds like, an external source that connects back to a client’s website. Your interviewee should be adequately competent to clarify the importance of these connections and how to use them. Knowing how many a site is expected to have, and where they come from, would also determine success.
For example, according to a study published by Backlinko, domain diversity has a major impact on rank. Backlinks are most useful when coming from multiple outlets, rather than one or two. This means that it’s not just about the bulk of ties, but the place.
7. Where do you rate the Social Media Visibility on the Value of Effective Marketing Campaign?
The role of social media in digital marketing has changed drastically over the last decade. To certain advertisers, this is the second point of touch after the company’s landing page. To some, it’s just another spot to cross-post a blog. Many of them are so passionate about social media that they have different days and times to post.
For example , the best Facebook posting times are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays or 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It is when customers are most involved and likely to connect and share your content. When your marketing company is forward to social media, it could be helpful to have an employee with this kind of information.
8. How Often Do You Research Keywords? What Are Your Favourite Tools Use?
Research is a big part of what makes an SEO expert successful. Candidates should be able to describe their standard search habits and a few tools they prefer. It doesn’t matter if they use SEMrush or Google’s keyword tool, so long as they use something. As a follow-up question, you could inquire about any recent popular words or search terms they keep on file.
Since most marketers have a spreadsheet or some other document squirreled away with useful keywords, this should be an easy question.
9. SEO Career Needs you to stay up-to – date with SEO News, What Are Some Blogs you Follow?
SEO news doesn’t always surface in the marketer ‘s inbox; it’s been searched for. SEO blogs help share valuable knowledge and forecasts that could significantly boost the campaign.
For example, last year, Cisco projected that in 2019, videos will account for 85 percent of the overall Internet traffic. This has encouraged many advertisers to restructure their company campaigns to provide more visual content and keep up with trends.
If your future employer wants an SEO career and doesn’t follow any blogs yet, it might be a good time to get started. This one isn’t exactly a deal-breaking problem, but it’s nice to know the answer. If you share an interest in any of the same sites, it could be a sign that they are a good match.
10. Have You Ever Worked on Optimization With a Developer?
Some Digital Marketer can do anything, including website coding. However, developers can’t guarantee that SEO ideas are properly considered and implemented. If your applicant haven’t previously worked with a website developer, ask why or if they are open to the idea.
SEO is a system with many cogs and rollers that is fine-tuned. The computer stops when the cogs and wheels don’t move. Your staff will meet other specialists, such as journalists, video-makers, social media managers and website developers. The opener it interacts, the more effective it is.
Final Thought
Any questions you want to ask, make sure the applicant suits the organization well. Much when corporations employ marketing agencies that suit their brand identity, the next hires will be in line with the expectations.
The less you need to teach and lead an employee, the more time they spend on the client. After all, time is money.