If you want to get serious about your business performance, you need to be found online at the top of the search results.
While there are no magic steps you can take to soar to the top of the search engine results page, a well-executed search engine marketing campaign will help you reach your goals and bring about massive returns on investment.
And to make that happen, you need to find and hire the right SEM talent.
Find out four ways to identify a top search marketer’s resume that go beyond evaluating the basic education and job history sections.
THE RIGHT EXPERIENCE
When first reviewing a search marketer’s resume, try to get a basic understanding of their overall experience. Specifically, how many years of experience do they have? What types of projects have they worked on? Do they have any certifications? This will help you give a better understanding of whether their experience matches the position you have open and how long they’ve been in the industry.
Next, look for any blog posts they have written, conferences they have attended or speaking engagements they’ve had on search marketing. It’s a good sign to see a search marketer has gone above and beyond in the search industry.
SPECIFIC NUMBERS
Search marketing thrives on stats and that should be apparent in the candidate’s resume. Look for specific numbers like traffic increase percentage, number range of keywords managed, and budget levels that were managed.
In addition to specific numbers, look for examples of the candidate leveraging those numbers to make strategic decisions and drive results. For example, were they able to spot trends in the search term volumes and leverage that to increase sales? Do they know how to leverage keyword-relevant content to drive search engine results? These conclusions are just as important as the numbers and keywords they’re managing.
ACTIVE IN SEARCH MARKETING COMMUNITY
A successful search marketer will be active in both online and offline search communities. Look for candidates who have memberships in large search organizations like SEMPO or who has a leadership role in local search clubs.
Not only does this show the candidate has leadership skills and collaboration skills, but it also shows they’re going to be on top of the latest best practices and search marketing techniques.
TOOLS THAT PRODUCE RESULTS
There are numerous SEO tools out there and many search marketers will use a combination of tools to create optimized content, monitor traffic analytics, position tracking, organic research, and more. When evaluating the tools search marketers use, it’s not as important to focus on which tools search marketers use as it is to see how they use them and what kind of results they produce.
Pay attention to candidates who have experience using tools that help them with keyword planning, execution of keywords on the website, and analytics and reporting tools. If a search marketer doesn’t know how to report on their activities then you won’t be able to know if your new hire investment was worth it.
Search marketing makes a huge impact on your business and contributes to sales leads. Use these tips to help identify a top search marketer who is aware of the importance of numbers, reputation management, and results.
If you’re still not confident in your ability to evaluate a search marketer’s portfolio, consider reaching out to an expert for help. Contact Naviga Recruiting today to hire a top search marketer for your team.
What quality is most important to you when hiring a search marketer?
