Practical Tips for Hiring an SEO Consultant If managing your site's SEO is beyond your capabilities, working an expert might be your best solution. Here are some important things to keep in mind when hiring a consultant.

By Jason Fell • May 20, 2014

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Are you wondering why people aren't engaging with your brand online? Or why customers aren't knocking you your door down, demanding to purchase your products and services? Perhaps your site's search engine optimization (SEO) is far from cutting it.

For many time-strapped entrepreneurs, devoting the needed time and reources to optimize their sites for search is impossible. In which case, it might be time to hire an employee or a consultant to manage your SEO.

If this sounds like your situation then you'll want to watch this short video. Rand Fishkin, founder of Seattle-based online marketing and SEO firm Moz, goes over the most important factors to keep in mind when hiring an SEO consultant.

"They should be very able to identify with your customers and people who are searching for things in your space," Fishkin says. "They should have deep empathy for [your customers'] needs and how they can fulfill those needs by producing the right kinds of content on your website and making that accessible."

This Is the Biggest SEO Trend for 2014

This Strategy Is Critical for Great SEO

Is PPC or SEO Better for Driving Traffic to Your Website?

Beyond Keywords: Tips for Writing Great Content That Ranks Well in Search

SEO for Business Explained: A Conversation With Rand Fishkin

Jason Fell

VP, Native Content

Jason Fell is the VP of Native Content, managing the Entrepreneur Partner Studio, which creates dynamic and compelling content for our partners. He previously served as Entrepreneur.com's managing editor and as the technology editor prior to that.