One of the most overlooked aspects of working online is hiring a contractor.

Let’s face it, not everyone can do everything online, and if they think they can they are joking themselves or they are taking way to much time to get work done because they are having to learn/struggle with every single aspect of web design, article writing, SEO, or some other area that is outside their expertise and they are spending way to much time on tasks that they are having to learn as they go or just take them a long time because of inexperience.

My niche is article writing. I was never found of writing in school, but I learned very quickly online that I was meant for it. I can write decently fast, not 90 words per minute, but I am able to get my ideas down on the “paper” as fast as I can think of them. I learned that when writing about subjects I enjoy I can write almost all day about them, hence why I write only on my niches I like to work on.

It could be different for you, maybe you love SEO, and playing the search engine game. That’s fine, it’s great even. Or maybe you are an awesome designer and just love creating useful art for websites, etc.

Whatever you do almost can be utilized online, however trying to learn everything else can be a mistake.

If you are a great web designer, why not hire a great copywriter to help you sell your services to potential clients instead of struggling to create website content to showcase your work?

If you are an SEO expert throw up a WordPress blog and hire a designer to create you a temple to showcase your SEO skills.

For me, as an article writer I am a bit SEO (but not all the way) with my keyword density, but I could hire both an SEO expert to get my on page SEO down and a designer to create my website for which I write.

Instead of trying to do things halfway, it is a lot easier and will save you a lot of time by simply hiring an outsourcer to do the work for you. Don’t be afraid to spend a little bit of money, because if the contractor is worth their weight, they will provide you with returns long after the work is completed.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of those things that is either really hard for you to grasp or very easy. The good news is there are a ton of people out there that are willing to help you with your SEO plan. The bad news is there are a lot of people out there that can claim to help you with your SEO plan.

When you hire a contractor, whether online or not, it is best to check their references. Ask them to give you past work from clients or from themselves and to give a short bio about themselves so you can get to know them a little bit.

Hiring a contractor can be a great experience, or it can be a constant struggle and fight to get the work done as it was promised and a complete waste of time. In order to make sure you receive the former experience, rather than the latter, there are a few things you can keep a look out for.

Pay Rate
If one contractor who is bidding on your project is extremely low, they probably aren’t going to be of high quality. I know that this may seem like common sense to a lot of people, but it gets over looked. You will see a trend of where the average is on a project for good work (when 10 people are $300 and 1 is $50, I don’t think the $50 is going to do as good of a job for you). Also, don’t take the highest bidder, either get them to come down in price with the rest of them or pick the best out of the following criteria.

Experience
How long has the contractor been active on the website you are using? If they have been their for 3-4 years compared to someone who signed up yesterday, I am going to go with the person that has the better reputation and experience on the website.

Reviews
Most websites like Elance.com or Odesk.com allow users to post reviews and feedback from completed assignments. Read through the reviews thoroughly and create a list of information about each contractor so you can keep their offers straight. Also see how much earnings that have made from working on the site. Someone with $30,000 vs $100 is going to have a lot more experience and better reputation.

Make sure you do not jump at the first SEO consultant that comes your way, do your research and find the right person for your job.

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