Hire an SEO Specialist who builds lasting search visibility

Ask for their process, not promises

Be wary of anyone guaranteeing rankings. Ask instead how they audit a site, prioritise work and measure progress. A clear, methodical process is a better predictor of results than bold claims.

Check their approach to links

Ask how they earn links. Legitimate approaches include useful content, partnerships and digital PR. Buying links or using networks breaches Google's spam policies and risks your site.

Give access to real data

Provide access to Google Search Console, analytics and your CMS from the start. Without data, even a strong specialist is guessing.

Track leading indicators

In the first months, track impressions, indexed pages, technical issues resolved and rankings for priority terms. These leading indicators show whether the work is moving in the right direction before traffic grows.

Connect SEO to enquiries

Make sure forms and calls are tracked so organic search can be connected to real enquiries. This keeps SEO accountable to business outcomes.

A sample job summary for an SEO specialist

A clear summary might read: we are hiring an SEO specialist to grow organic enquiries for our services across Australia. You will run technical audits, map keywords to pages, optimise priority pages, brief content, improve local SEO and report monthly on traffic and enquiries. You will follow Google's Search Essentials and work closely with our content writer and web developer. This role suits someone analytical, patient and committed to sustainable results.

Red flags when hiring an SEO specialist

Be cautious of anyone promising first-page rankings within weeks, offering cheap link packages or refusing to explain their methods. These are common signs of tactics that breach Google's spam policies. Also watch for reports that focus only on rankings for obscure keywords. A credible specialist connects their work to business outcomes and explains both wins and setbacks openly.

What a good first week looks like

Your SEO specialist gains access to Search Console, analytics and your CMS, runs a crawl of the site and reviews the most important pages. They identify urgent technical issues, such as pages blocked from indexing, and fix or brief them immediately. They also begin mapping priority keywords to pages. By the end of the week, you should have a summary of findings and a draft 90-day plan.

SEO specialist or SEO agency?

An agency brings a team and broad experience but often spreads attention across many clients. A dedicated SEO specialist focuses on your site and works closely with your content and development resources. If you have the internal capacity to implement recommendations, or pair the specialist with Apex content and development support, a dedicated specialist often delivers more consistent progress for the same investment.

Tools and access to prepare for your SEO specialist

Grant access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics at an appropriate permission level, your website CMS, Google Business Profile and any SEO tools you already pay for, such as Ahrefs or Semrush. Share your list of priority services and locations, recent marketing campaigns and any past SEO reports or audits. If a developer manages your website, introduce them early, because many technical recommendations will need their help. Finally, confirm how enquiries are tracked so organic results can be connected to real leads from the first report.

If your website has been redesigned or migrated in the past few years, share the dates and any redirect lists. Historical changes often explain traffic patterns and help the specialist avoid repeating past mistakes.

Measuring your SEO specialist's progress

In early months, track leading indicators: technical issues resolved, pages indexed, impressions in Search Console and rankings for priority keywords. As work matures, focus on organic clicks to key pages, enquiries from organic search and revenue where tracking allows. Compare like-for-like periods to account for seasonality. A monthly report that explains what changed and why matters as much as the numbers themselves.

Interview questions to ask a SEO specialist

1. How would you audit our website in the first two weeks?
2. What is keyword cannibalisation and how would you fix it?
3. How do you decide which pages to optimise first?
4. How do you earn links without breaching Google's guidelines?
5. How has AI search changed your approach?
6. What would you report to us each month?
7. Tell me about a site whose traffic you grew and how.
8. How do you protect rankings during a site migration?

A 30, 60 and 90 day plan for your new SEO specialist