As an ethical business, it is important that you align your ethos with that of your SEO freelancer. They are going to need to get behind the messaging that will sell your products online and so they need an understanding of what the main benefits of sustainability are. Here are some tips for how to work with an ethical freelancer.
Search engine optimisation can be done ethically or using underhand tactics. In just the same way as on social media, if someone promises you amazing results overnight give them a wide berth. There is no way to guarantee search engine performance overnight. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. SEO ‘black hat’ tactics that they use could harm your website and get it slapped with a manual action. And there is no easy way back from this. Don’t be tempted.
Understand what the SEO freelancer is going to do and why they recommend the actions that they suggest. Transparency is important when contracting work out, just like it is in sourcing raw materials for your product range. Many times over the years I have taken on a client who has ‘no idea what the SEO agency did each month’.Â
Be a little bit wary of set packages. In my experience every business is different and has different in-house marketing capabilities. The SEO work needs to fit seamlessly in with the rest of the customer journey, it is essentially a step in the sales funnel. The freelancer will discuss what you need done and what you can handle in-house as part of the proposal process.Â
How to work with an SEO freelancer
When you first start to work with an SEO freelancer spend some time with them to educate them about your business, its unique selling points, and the culture of your organisation. They will be spending time building up your company’s reputation online, so they need a good grasp of what your company is all about and what you stand for.Â
Keep communication lines open. A good SEO will be able to explain technical terms in plain English. They will make the effort to keep you updated on what is happening with your website. They will regularly report on improvements and any losses. They will know what is happening with Google updates and they will monitor changes. These reports need to align with the goals for SEO that were set at the beginning when you first started working together.Â
Good ethics doesn’t only apply to sustainability and the environment. They are crucial to making sure that your SEO supports your good reputation online. An ethical SEO freelancer will understand this and ensure that everything they do is compatible with your company ethos.
As you can see, finding the right person to help with or run your search engine optimisation is important. As an ethical business, you do not want to align yourself with someone who uses underhand tactics to beat the algorithm. You want to work with an SEO freelancer that you can trust with your brand reputation. And ideally, you want to work with this person in the long term, gradually building your business with organic search.Â
Do you need help with your SEO? I have limited space for ethical brands. Book a free initial call and let’s talk.