Effective Work Sample Exercises for Hiring a Local SEO Specialist

In the competitive digital marketing landscape, hiring the right Local SEO Specialist can significantly impact a business's ability to attract local customers and drive revenue. Local SEO requires a unique blend of technical expertise, analytical thinking, strategic planning, and client communication skills that can be difficult to assess through traditional interviews alone.

Work sample exercises provide a window into how candidates approach real-world local SEO challenges. By observing candidates in action, you can evaluate their technical proficiency with local search optimization, their ability to analyze data and develop strategic recommendations, and their skill in communicating complex SEO concepts to stakeholders who may lack technical knowledge.

For businesses that serve local clients, particularly those in the restaurant industry, a Local SEO Specialist must understand the nuances of location-based search and the specific tactics that drive local visibility. The exercises outlined below are designed to assess these critical skills while providing candidates with an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in a practical context.

These work samples go beyond theoretical knowledge to reveal how candidates think, problem-solve, and execute local SEO strategies. By incorporating these exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's capabilities and identify those who can truly deliver results for your clients.

Activity #1: Local SEO Audit and Strategy Development

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to analyze a local business's current SEO performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop a strategic plan. It tests their analytical skills, strategic thinking, and ability to prioritize actions based on potential impact. This skill is fundamental for a Local SEO Specialist who will need to quickly assess client websites and develop effective optimization strategies.

Directions for the Company:

• Select a real or fictional restaurant website with suboptimal local SEO (or create a simplified mock-up with intentional issues).
• Provide the candidate with the URL, business name, address, phone number, and a brief description of the restaurant's target audience and goals.
• Include Google Analytics and Google Search Console access (or screenshots of key reports) if available.
• Allow 60-90 minutes for this exercise, which can be completed remotely before the interview or during an on-site assessment.
• Prepare a list of common local SEO issues that should be identified (missing NAP information, unclaimed Google Business Profile, poor on-page optimization, etc.).

Directions for the Candidate:

• Conduct a brief local SEO audit of the provided restaurant website, focusing on factors that impact local search visibility.
• Identify the top 3-5 issues that are negatively affecting the restaurant's local search performance.
• Develop a prioritized 30-day action plan to address these issues, explaining the rationale behind your prioritization.
• Create a simple one-page document outlining your findings and recommendations.
• Be prepared to present and discuss your analysis and strategy in a 15-minute presentation, followed by Q&A.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide feedback on one strength of the candidate's analysis (e.g., "I appreciated how you identified the inconsistent NAP information across directories").
• Offer one area for improvement (e.g., "I noticed you didn't mention the importance of local schema markup").
• Ask the candidate to spend 5-10 minutes explaining how they would incorporate your feedback into their strategy.

Activity #2: Google Business Profile Optimization Role Play

This role play assesses the candidate's knowledge of Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) optimization and their ability to communicate its importance to clients. It evaluates both technical expertise and client communication skills, which are essential for a Local SEO Specialist who will need to explain complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario where the interviewer plays the role of a restaurant owner who has claimed their Google Business Profile but hasn't optimized it.
• Prepare a mock Google Business Profile with several obvious optimization opportunities (missing categories, incomplete business hours, no photos, few reviews, etc.).
• Share screenshots of this profile with the candidate 24 hours before the interview.
• Prepare common client objections or questions about Google Business Profile optimization (e.g., "Why does this matter?" or "I don't have time for this").
• Allocate 20-25 minutes for this exercise.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided Google Business Profile before the interview.
• Prepare to explain to the "restaurant owner" (interviewer) the importance of optimizing their Google Business Profile and the specific improvements needed.
• During the role play, identify at least 5 optimization opportunities and explain how each improvement will benefit the restaurant.
• Address any questions or objections from the "owner" in a clear, non-technical manner.
• Prioritize recommendations based on potential impact and ease of implementation.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on how effectively the candidate explained technical concepts in accessible language.
• Offer one suggestion for improving their client communication approach.
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to re-explain one of their recommendations incorporating your feedback.

Activity #3: Local Keyword Research and On-Page Optimization

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to conduct local keyword research and implement on-page optimization strategies. It tests their technical SEO skills, understanding of local search intent, and ability to optimize website content for local relevance. These skills are crucial for improving a client's visibility in location-based searches.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a specific restaurant type and location (e.g., "Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon").
• Share a sample webpage (like a restaurant's menu page or location page) that needs optimization.
• Include access to a keyword research tool or provide a list of potential keywords to choose from.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Prepare evaluation criteria focusing on keyword selection rationale, on-page optimization techniques, and local relevance.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Conduct keyword research to identify 5-10 high-value local keywords for the specified restaurant type and location.
• Analyze search intent behind these keywords and group them by user intent.
• Optimize the provided webpage for local search, including recommendations for:
• Title tag and meta description
• Heading structure (H1, H2, etc.)
• Content additions or modifications
• Internal linking suggestions
• Local schema markup recommendations
• Document your keyword selections, optimization changes, and the rationale behind each recommendation.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's keyword selection strategy and on-page optimization techniques.
• Suggest one area where their approach could be enhanced (e.g., "Consider how voice search might impact local keyword selection").
• Ask the candidate to spend 10 minutes revising one aspect of their optimization plan based on your feedback.

Activity #4: Local Citation Building and Management Plan

This exercise assesses a candidate's knowledge of local citation building and their ability to develop a comprehensive citation management strategy. It evaluates their understanding of NAP consistency, local directories, and citation monitoring, which are essential components of successful local SEO campaigns.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario of a restaurant that has inconsistent business information across various online directories.
• Provide details about the business, including:
• Current NAP information (Name, Address, Phone)
• Previous business names or locations (if applicable)
• Examples of inconsistent listings (screenshots of 3-4 directories with varying information)
• Business categories and additional relevant information
• Allow 30-45 minutes for this exercise.
• Prepare evaluation criteria focusing on thoroughness, prioritization, and process development.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided business information and citation examples.
• Develop a comprehensive citation building and management plan that includes:
• A prioritized list of top 10-15 local directories and platforms where the restaurant should be listed
• A process for identifying and correcting inconsistent citations
• Recommendations for ongoing citation monitoring and management
• Suggestions for additional information to include in citations to enhance local relevance
• Estimated timeline and resource requirements for implementation
• Document your plan in a format that could be presented to both the client and implementation team.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the comprehensiveness and practicality of the citation plan.
• Suggest one additional consideration or platform they might have overlooked.
• Ask the candidate to spend 5-10 minutes explaining how they would incorporate your feedback and address any potential challenges in implementing their plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How long should we allocate for these work sample exercises?
  Plan for 2-3 hours total if conducting all exercises in one session. Alternatively, you can split them across different interview stages or assign some as pre-interview tasks. The Local SEO Audit could be assigned as pre-work, while the Google Business Profile role play works well in a live interview setting.
• Should we provide candidates with access to SEO tools for these exercises?
  If possible, yes. Access to basic SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner, Screaming Frog (limited version), or similar free tools will allow candidates to demonstrate their technical skills more effectively. If providing tool access isn't feasible, consider supplying some pre-generated data they can analyze.
• How can we evaluate candidates who have experience in different industries but not specifically restaurants?
  Focus on transferable local SEO skills rather than industry-specific knowledge. A strong candidate should be able to adapt their approach to different industries. You might ask them to compare how their approach might differ for a restaurant versus their previous industry experience.
• Should we expect candidates to complete all aspects of these exercises in the allotted time?
  No, these exercises are intentionally comprehensive to see how candidates prioritize tasks under time constraints. Look for candidates who focus on high-impact activities first and explain their prioritization rationale.
• How can we make these exercises fair for candidates with different levels of experience?
  Adjust your evaluation criteria based on the candidate's experience level. For junior candidates, focus more on their approach and reasoning rather than expecting polished deliverables. For senior candidates, look for strategic thinking and the ability to identify nuanced optimization opportunities.
• Can these exercises be adapted for remote interviews?
  Absolutely. All of these exercises can be conducted remotely using video conferencing tools. For the role play, screen sharing can be used to review the Google Business Profile, and collaborative documents can be used for the other exercises.

Finding the right Local SEO Specialist requires evaluating both technical skills and strategic thinking abilities. These work sample exercises provide a comprehensive assessment of a candidate's capabilities in real-world scenarios they'll face on the job. By incorporating these activities into your hiring process, you'll be better equipped to identify candidates who can drive meaningful results for your clients' local search visibility.

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