[AshleyRussell]

Backlinks are probably where I would be most careful. There are freelancers who advertise huge numbers of links at very cheap prices, but quantity doesn't automatically mean quality. I would rather have a smaller number of genuinely relevant links from legitimate websites than thousands of unrelated links created simply to increase a backlink count.

 

[MichelleBrown14]

I hired an SEO freelancer once and initially focused too much on their ranking screenshots. Later I realized that screenshots don't tell the whole story. Some of the keywords had very little commercial value. Now I look more closely at organic traffic, keyword intent, conversions, the actual pages ranking, and whether the strategy makes sense for the business.

 

[psmith]

Another thing people should ask about is ownership. Make sure you know what happens to the content, accounts, reports, backlinks, and other assets if you stop working with the freelancer. You don't want your entire SEO setup depending on accounts or tools that only the freelancer can access.

 

[SueArcher]

I agree with the point about looking at the website as a whole. Sometimes the problem isn't a lack of backlinks at all. It could be poor site architecture, pages competing with each other, indexing problems, thin content, weak internal links, or simply targeting keywords that don't match what users are searching for. A good audit should uncover that before link building begins.

 

[BrittanyPatterson]

I agree. I would first check if the freelancer really understands SEO instead of choosing someone based only on a cheap price.

 

[Cynthiaruiz]

For me, one of the best signs is when an SEO freelancer asks questions about the business before discussing keywords. Who are your customers? What products or services make the most money? Which locations do you serve? What makes you different from competitors? Those questions show they're trying to connect SEO with actual business goals instead of treating it as a numbers game.

 

[sjohnson403]

I’d also compare freelancers based on how they explain problems, not just their price. Two people can offer the same monthly package, but one might give you a detailed strategy while the other gives you a generic list of tasks. SEO is too important to choose purely based on who offers the cheapest monthly rate.

 

[Emily Gilmore]

The first freelancer I hired taught me an important lesson: communication matters almost as much as technical knowledge. Even if someone is good at SEO, it becomes frustrating if they cannot explain what they are doing or why certain changes are necessary.

That’s very true, clear communication would make the whole SEO process much easier for me.

I completely agree about high-volume keywords. I’ve seen websites attract plenty of search traffic but generate almost no business from it. Search intent is much more important than simply chasing big numbers in a keyword tool.

Exactly, search intent should matter more than simply getting lots of traffic.

I always ask freelancers what they would fix first. Their answer usually tells me whether they actually understand SEO or are just trying to sell a backlink package.

That’s a useful question, I’ll definitely ask what they would fix first before hiring them.

I agree about search intent. Getting visitors is not enough if those visitors are not interested in the product or service.

Very true, the right visitors are much more useful than simply increasing traffic numbers.

I’ve noticed that good SEO freelancers usually ask quite a few questions before giving recommendations. They want to understand the business, customers, competitors, products, and goals instead of treating every website the same way.

I agree, understanding the business and goals first should lead to a much better SEO strategy.

When interviewing freelancers, I would ask them to review one or two pages from the website and explain what they would change. You don't need them to provide a complete free SEO audit. Even a short discussion can show whether they understand things like search intent, page structure, content quality, internal linking, metadata, and topical relevance.

That’s a great idea, a small page review could tell me a lot about their SEO knowledge.

One question I always like asking is, “What would you work on during the first 30 days?” The answer can reveal a lot. A serious SEO freelancer will usually talk about auditing the site, fixing important technical issues, reviewing existing content, understanding search intent, checking competitors, and building a realistic roadmap. Someone who only says “I’ll create 500 backlinks” probably isn’t looking at the bigger picture.

I really like that approach, asking about the first 30 days could reveal how they actually think about SEO.

I think a good freelancer should be comfortable telling you that SEO will take time. If someone says they can guarantee first position on Google in two weeks, that would immediately be a red flag for me.

Absolutely, I’d be careful with anyone promising first-page rankings in just a couple of weeks.

Another thing I would check is whether their previous work is relevant to your industry. Someone may have excellent results in one niche but struggle in another. I’d rather see a freelancer who understands the type of audience and search behavior my website deals with.

Good point, relevant experience in my industry would definitely make me more confident.

 

[DianaHorton]

One thing I check is whether the freelancer talks about competitors. Keyword difficulty doesn't exist in isolation. Looking at the sites already ranking can reveal what kind of content, authority, structure, and depth Google seems to expect for that particular topic.

 

[Emily Gilmore]

One thing I check is whether the freelancer talks about competitors. Keyword difficulty doesn't exist in isolation. Looking at the sites already ranking can reveal what kind of content, authority, structure, and depth Google seems to expect for that particular topic.

That’s a really good point.
I’ll definitely compare the competitors before choosing my keywords.

 

[AllisonGonzalez47]

Something I learned from experience is that SEO work can sometimes uncover problems outside traditional SEO. For example, if a page ranks but nobody converts, the problem may be the offer, pricing, page design, or user experience. A good SEO person should at least recognize those issues and point them out instead of pretending rankings are the only thing that matters.

 

[jjohnson655]

I’m considering hiring a freelancer to help improve my website’s search rankings, but I want to make sure I choose someone who actually understands SEO rather than someone who simply promises quick results.

For me, the biggest concern is finding a freelancer who can look at the website as a whole and identify what is holding it back. This could include technical SEO issues, slow page speed, weak content, poor keyword targeting, missing internal links, or a lack of quality backlinks.

I’d also like to understand how they approach keyword research. Ranking for random high-volume keywords isn’t necessarily useful if those keywords don’t bring the right visitors. A good freelancer should be able to connect keyword research with the website’s actual goals and target audience.

Another thing I’d pay close attention to is their link-building strategy. I’m much more interested in natural, relevant backlinks than large numbers of questionable links that could potentially create problems later. Transparency about where links are coming from and what methods are being used would be important to me.

Before hiring anyone, I’d probably ask for examples of previous SEO projects, what they would improve first, how they measure progress, and what kind of reporting they provide. I’d also be cautious about anyone guaranteeing a specific Google ranking within a very short period.

I’m curious how others have handled this. If you’ve hired an SEO freelancer before, what did you look for when choosing one, and what made you feel confident that they actually knew what they were doing?

Would love to hear your experiences, especially the things you wish you had known before hiring someone.

I'd always look at previous SEO results, communication, and transparency before hiring anyone. A good freelancer should explain what needs improvement and provide regular progress reports rather than promising instant rankings. Starting with a small SEO audit is a good way to evaluate their skills.