Monday, January 29, 2007

How to Hire the Right SEO Manager


It's true what they say, 'the proof is in the pudding'. At least I've found it to be true when hiring a marketing individual for an SEO, SEM, or PPC marketing related job.
I recently interviewed for an SEO position for my full-time management responsibilities and saw a variety of very qualified candidates. They all seemed to talk the talk.
The ultimate question I had to ask myself is "can they do the job?" Unfortunately for me, I assumed that many of them could based on their resume and job interviews. I was particularly impressed with those candidates who were able to articulate the difference between on-page and off-page optimization, discuss the latest trends in SEO algorithms, and identify opportunities to use social networking sites to improve results.
However, what I found surprised me. When I asked candidates for specific examples of how they helped clients, the types of results they were able to produce, and so on, I was somewhat disappointed. After each interview I spent a few minutes 'googling' the keyword phrases and customers these candidate worked for and wasn't overly impressed with the results. I guess when you get right down to it, the self-proclaimed SEO expert is only as good as his/her results. The proof is in the pudding!

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