What is an SEO expert?
You are a company, either in its infancy or with a little experience, and you hear the word “SEO” all the time. You are told again and again that an SEO expert will help you get your website or e-shop into the top results of Google. You know that. But what exactly is an SEO expert?
To make the term more precise for you, let’s say that an SEO expert is a specialist in website referencing. He can also be referred to as a “referrer“, but also as an “SEO consultant”. These are two terms that you have probably come across in the course of your research.
If we advise you to work with an SEO expert, it is above all because he is also a project manager in his own right. Whether he works in an agency or on his own, his knowledge as an SEO expert enables him to take an SEO project from the ground up and ensure that all stages are completed.
What is the job of the SEO consultant?
An SEO consultant must first of all always be aware of the evolutions of his profession. With 96% of the market share in France, Google dictates its work in SEO. The Google guidelines are the gospel for the SEO consultant. Since 2010, the American giant has launched two major updates to its referencing algorithm, taking the sweet names of Panda and Penguin. These delimit what an expert must do to obtain good results in the results pages (we also call this “White Hat”) and what he cannot do (“
The SEO expert will focus on the 3 levers of SEO:
The technique
The content
The links
The technique
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a digital marketing strategy that consists of improving the visibility and ranking of a website in the results of search engines such as Google. By implementing an effective SEO strategy, it is possible to attract targeted and qualified organic traffic to your website.
The work of the SEO is above all technical. It begins with the identification of relevant and promising (economically) keywords for the website and the company it represents. These keywords will then be used to optimise what are known as the meta-tags of all the pages of the site.
Each page should have its own customised meta-tags, because robots analyse and index pages, not sites as a whole. The technical aspect must also be completed by customising images, videos and URLs. It also takes into account the performance of the site and its compatibility with the mobile web.
The content
The SEO consultant is also a stickler for content, which is becoming increasingly important to Google. Through its Panda update, Google has sent a strong signal to websites (and continues to do so): sites with unedited content, filled only with keywords, generated automatically, will be punished!
On the other hand, those who make the effort to apply real journalistic work to their pages, hierarchised into headings, paragraphs and subheadings, will be considered as good content. The time when the web was filled with blocks of text without any interest is about to be over.
With relevant and thorough web writing you will reach the right people in the right place.
The links
If technique and content are the basis of the seo consultant’s work, the part devoted to links will certainly be the biggest vector of referencing of your website.
The main artery of his heart. Why is this so? Google, in its indexing of pages, pays particular attention to the popularity that Internet users give them, as well as that of your site as a whole. The best indicator of this is the presence of external links pointing to you on other sites, blogs, forums, etc.
The seo consultant therefore also works primarily on your link campaign! All this under the eye of the Penguin filter.
How does a service with an SEO expert work?
As mentioned above, an SEO is also considered a project manager in his own right. His work is therefore carried out from one end to the other of your SEO project. Here are the 4 stages of his service:
- The audit. The audit phase is obviously very important. For some SEO experts, it is free. However, the SEO audit will first allow the SEO to discover your website, but also and especially its field of activity. The SEO audit will then continue by listening to your wishes. If you have already identified keywords that seem essential, do not hesitate to communicate them. Finally, the SEO consultant will identify the strong and weak points of your website. This is where the consultant’s work will begin in earnest.
- The development of the strategy in agreement with the client. An SEO consultant always works closely with his client. When he takes a decision that will impact the strategy of your website, he always consults you of course. This second stage, dedicated to the development of your strategy, will take place immediately after the audit. During this stage, thanks to his knowledge, but also to efficient tools and software, the seo expert will have identified the keyword strategy to be applied, the link strategy, the content strategy, the social network strategy, the local referencing, the video referencing, and even the creation of a Google Ads account for sponsored links campaigns.
- Implementation of the strategy. As in step 2, the concrete implementation of the decided strategy will always be done in collaboration with the client. The SEO expert is used to reporting back to the client on the work done. This is the pivotal stage. Both parties must work “hand in hand”!
- Follow-up and reporting. A seo expert does not let his clients down once the mission is over. The interest of his work is above all to know if it bears fruit in the short, medium and long term. This is also why he will follow the evolution of your website with you. His role will also be to report to you to identify new weak points or new opportunities.
How to recognize an SEO expert?
Obviously, you want the best for your site. And SEO experts are legion on the market. To help you, here are a few keys that will help you recognise a (good) seo expert!
- His experience. In the field of SEO, as in many others, experience is always an advantage. It is important to note, however, that SEO is a relatively young field, as much as the internet and search engines are. But in this “short” time, some SEOs can be considered “serious” or “credible” because of their experience. With a decade (or more) on the clock, you can be sure that the seo expert has seen Google and the rules of SEO evolve constantly. He has therefore had to adapt constantly and now knows his subject perfectly.
- His background. As an SEO expert, he has to advertise on the web. Through a personal website, an online CV or professional social networks. There you will find all the details of your career. Even if these courses are recent, if he has followed several years of education in web professions, or even in SEO website, then this is a real plus in recognising a good seo expert. In this way, you can also trace the path that led him to be an SEO expert today.
- Its customer references. Client references are a guarantee of quality for any company. For an SEO consultant, they are perhaps even more so. Big companies, influential and recognized clients immediately give credit to the SEO consultant. Indeed, clients such as these do not entrust their SEO projects to just any consultant. They need credibility and guarantees before committing themselves. Thus, an SEO expert with good client references is undeniably a recognized professional in his field!
- If they are in an agency. The SEO consultant you have found and with whom you would like to collaborate works or has worked in a web agency or SEO agency. Whether they are now self-employed or still working in an agency, this is a decisive experience in their career as an SEO. Indeed, this type of company works with many clients every year. Your SEO expert has therefore already gone through several recruitment processes in his professional career and this must necessarily be a guarantee of quality for you. Moreover, working in an agency also demonstrates the versatility of an SEO. Project after project, he or she must adapt to new professional spheres, new interlocutors, a changing vocabulary, as well as the methods he or she will apply to the client’s SEO project.
- If they are CESEO and/or Google Analytics IQ certified. In addition to everything we have just detailed to recognise a (good) seo expert, there are also professional certifications that attest to his or her skills in the field: the CESEO, which, in the absence of a diploma, is a true recognition and validation of the knowledge and experience of the SEO, as well as the Google Anaytics IQ (Google Analytics Individual Qualification), which is nothing other than a certification issued by the American firm and proving the consultant’s knowledge of the Analytics tool.
How to recognize an SEO expert?
The market for website referencing in France is becoming increasingly dense. Many IT professionals are rushing to enter this business, while others have been in it for years. Apart from years of experience and client references, there are no diplomas to certify one’s knowledge. But with the CESEO certification, the seo expert can show his know-how to his clients!
In order to obtain this important certification, the SEO consultant must take an exam, which was first taken in 2010. The exam obviously covers essential questions related to the field of SEO and is then a real validation of the seo consultant’s achievements.
The CESEO Commission has established the set of knowledge required to obtain the certification. The content of the exam was developed in collaboration with renowned web agencies and other influential SEOs in the world of SEO.
The SEO expert who has this certification therefore has in his possession a real guarantee of credibility.
Google Analytics IQ certification overview
A SEO must know how to analyse the figures relating to the traffic on a site and all its pages. This allows him to know the strong and weak points, before and after his work. To check the impact of the techniques applied. The ultimate tool for this is Google Analytics.
So if your SEO, in addition to presenting you with a CESEO certification, also has the Google Analytics IQ, you will have another proof of his versatility and efficiency.
Anyone can use Google Analytics. But few (or almost none) know how to exploit its real potential. By obtaining this certification from Google, the SEO consultant proves that he can! The certification is obtained by passing an exam and is valid for 18 months from the date of passing the exam. Having the Google Analytics Individual Qualification also means being up to date in your knowledge of the tool.
An SEO expert or an agency?
You have an SEO project for your website and are looking for a person or company to carry it out. Why not opt for a freelance seo expert?
This solution offers significant advantages, such as availability. Working with a natural referencing agency also means being able to deal with other ongoing projects, whereas a self-employed seo expert will devote himself entirely to you. Availability at all times, by telephone, Skype or email.
The work of the freelance SEO consultant is therefore entirely personalised, since he and he alone follows the project from A to Z. The start of the mission is therefore quicker, as is its progress and the reporting that follows. If you like to be able to regularly exchange with your collaborators, and ask questions when you have them, then the freelance SEO consultant is the option to consider for you.
The SEO agency also has many reassuring advantages for a client. The financial strength of the company ensures a solid long-term partnership. The agency is also in a position to use software whose licences are very expensive, and therefore to pass on the benefits to their clients. The agency also benefits from the emulation of accumulating the experience of several experts and generally has a budget dedicated to the SEO training of its consultants and to R&D.
There is no right or wrong choice, but a choice adapted to your project.
