Where to find an SEO specialist/service and not get paid?

Question

Search Engine Optimization

These 2 problems are two sides of the same coin.
I am interested in how to understand that a person is not a specialist, but a swindler or just a bad specialist?
How to control the work of a specialist, because they can send fictitious excel tables or something else, which is essentially an imitation of vigorous activity.
I realized that the forums and freelance exchanges are somehow inadequate. But I don't know about promotion studios. Some studios give top 1 guarantees (which means a divorce), others do not give a guarantee, but the prices are somehow cosmic.
Where can I find high-quality site promotion services, real, and not a scam?

Answer 1

SEO is one big bubble.
Today they brought the site to the top 1, and tomorrow it will hit a new filter, and you will lose all your traffic and your money.
So you need to look for the ratio reviews / price. Anyway, money down the drain, but if there are reviews, it is more likely that they will do something real, and not "depict violent activity."
Of course, you need to search on searchengines.guru, the percentage of matches is higher there.

Answer 2

The best option is through friends (on recommendation). If there is no such possibility, you will have to look for it yourself. I don’t recommend asking everyone for a quotation at once, it’s better to select several companies / specialists based on reviews and talk to them already.
If you are more or less versed in the field, try to talk a little longer with the contractor before concluding a deal, or order some service separately, such as an audit or competitor analysis, to assess the level. Although this will not give a 100% guarantee of quality, at least you will appreciate the adequacy of a specialist.

Answer 3

Where did you get the idea that you need to invest money in SEO in the first place?
Have you done all the other marketing activities yet?
If you cannot do basic optimizations on your own and analyze the effect, it is easier to refrain from this service. Take care of, for example, social networks, context ..
SEO in the old sense of the word is no longer relevant, complex measures are needed. And if you do not track the results of "fictitious excel tables" in your analytics, then there is little sense in these events.