The most reputable SEO reviewer?

[jokaroo]

I'm not entirely sure this belongs in this forum, but thought I ask here first.

After countless attempts of failed google SEO, I'm curious to know who are the top auditors for SEO currently? I've been told that <snip> is really good, but are there any big named and reputable people who are really good with SEO audits? If so, who? Price is not an issue, but reputability, well respected, and well known in the SEO space is a must.

Mods Note Let's have a good discussion. Self promotional posts will be deleted without notice. Please be junior level or above before postings specifics.

[edited by: goodroi at 5:14 pm (utc) on Aug 15, 2014]

[goodroi]

IMHO there is not one SEO reviewer that is the best for every situation. The really great ones tend to specialize in a certain niche like international websites, or e-commerce websites, or local websites, etc. Even if someone wanted to be the best SEO for any possible situation, I think it just isn't possible. There are too many moving parts and updates to handle. I personally would want someone that has a long history of dealing with my specific niche if I got hit by a car and needed someone to take over. Things that work on an international e-commerce site might not be the best for a local non-profit website.

Also before you hire anyone you should educate yourself on the basics otherwise any fast talking scam artist will take advantage of you and then you will think that all SEOs are scam artists.

I'm lucky that I know a bunch of great SEOs but unlucky that many of them overlap their services so I'm about to upset some of my smart friends because I don't have time to name them all. I would call Yoast for Wordpress sites. Internet Marketing Ninjas for link services. Pushfire for penalty handling. Unfortunately, I don't have time right now to name more.

[netmeg]

Are we really doing this?

Ok Annie Cushing or Alan Bleiweiss do solid SEO audit work. But they're usually in high demand, so you might have to wait to get them.

[incrediBILL]

After countless attempts of failed google SEO

I agree with netmeg, those guys are solid, we have many top rate people right here in this forum such as the mods and former mods are all top flight people.

Some members will even give your site a quick glance for free and tell you what they think before you invest in heavy auditing. IMO, I think you might need an impartial 3rd party to help you manage the process.

FWIW, read the blogs, tweets and facebook of the candidates you like, see what they have to say about SEO, and if you feel comfortable with what they say and their perceived reputation, give them a try.

If they have a ton of followers and engagement, that's a clue people are possibly hinged on their every word.

Also...

Time is one criteria, how long did you wait for the site to rank?

I think your niche also matters.

Back when I did it for hire, I had a client that sold shoes once and I could easily rank them for all sorts of long tails that brought in customers but the main keyword "shoes" was dominated by the likes of Zappos, etc. and wasn't budging, top 20 or 30 best we could do without resorting to risky SEO that could end up with a big fat penalty.

You didn't mention your budget as that makes a whole lot of difference in what kind of talent you can afford and who we can recommend, such as the bigger internet marketing shops that are full of talent and use all the best SEO analytic tools.

Just beware you don't get sold a bad bill of goods. Have a 3rd party review the SEO's proposal before signing off on it as I've stopped a couple of clients from being massively ripped off because it was all marketing buzzwords, meaningless nonsense designed to confuse the customer and sound more expensive with a stunning price tag and the customer didn't have a clue.

So here's my advice:

Good SEOs give you straightforward data without a bunch of marketing buzz, it's understandable and verifiable.

Get quotes and proposals before starting.

Get the quotes reviewed.

If they claim the quotes are confidential under NDA and won't allow you to get them reviewed, bells and alarms should go off that they're hiding something, find someone else.

Good luck!

[Planet13]

Maile Ohye

Ok, I hear people say that's not a fair answer since she is an actual google employee and is unlikely to audit your site or do any SEO work for you.

But before looking to hire anyone, you should watch ALL of her videos on SEO. She gives the most practical advice on what - and what not - to do, from google's viewpoint.