
SEO Hiring Secrets: Green Flags, Gender Gaps & Growth Tips with Shreya LaCock
04/23/25 • 16 min
Shreya LaCock, marketing specialist at SEO For Hire, shares the inside world of SEO recruitment and agency hiring.
From spotting green flags in potential SEO agencies to navigating gender gaps in job applications, Shreya brings both personal experience and professional wisdom. Y
ou’ll also hear what makes an onboarding process successful, the overlooked “honeymoon phase” of hiring, and how to make sure you’re building the right team for long-term growth.
Whether you’re an SEO agency, a business owner looking to hire, or a curious marketer wondering what it takes to break into the SEO world—this episode is packed with gems you don’t want to miss. 💎
🧠 Key Takeaways:
- Green Flags in SEO Agencies: Look for long employee tenure, clear career progression, and a culture of mentorship—not just ping pong tables and Friday yacht parties.
- Effective Onboarding Matters: SOPs and transparent communication prevent role confusion and reduce the chances of early turnover.
- The Hiring “Honeymoon Phase”: Expect the first 2–3 months to reveal how new hires handle stress—and stick with them through the dip.
- The Gender Gap in Applications: Women tend to apply only when they meet 100% of the job description, while men often apply when they meet far less.
- Hiring an SEO Agency? Ask for a 3-month plan, check their personal branding online, and look for consistent communication and employee stability.
📌 Episode Highlights:
“Don’t grow a team for the sake of growing a team. Grow it to scale your business.” – Shreya LaCock
“Even recruiters know what it’s like to lose a job. We’re people too.” – Shreya LaCock
🎯 Listener Action Items:
- 🔍 Review your own hiring process: Do you have clear SOPs and onboarding plans for new team members?
- 📋 Vet your future SEO agency: Check Glassdoor reviews, ask for case studies, and look at employee tenure.
- 💼 Applying for a job? Go for it—even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications. You bring more to the table than you think.
- 🧰 Download SEO For Hire’s “Hiring OS” or create your own version of job ad templates, onboarding docs, and salary guides.
Connect With Shreya LaCock:
Get the "Hiring OS" Resource
Want to follow up on what you've heard? Search the podcast!
Join the SEO Squad
Apply to be my podcast guest! 🎙️ Don't forget to Put your pitch topic in the subject line!
AFFILIATE LINKS:
Start your Shopify Store!
Get SurferSEO!
Metricool (to be everywhere online, you NEED a social media scheduler!)
Note:
If you make a purchase using some of my links, I make a little money.
But I only ever share products, people, & offers I trust & use myself!
Shreya LaCock, marketing specialist at SEO For Hire, shares the inside world of SEO recruitment and agency hiring.
From spotting green flags in potential SEO agencies to navigating gender gaps in job applications, Shreya brings both personal experience and professional wisdom. Y
ou’ll also hear what makes an onboarding process successful, the overlooked “honeymoon phase” of hiring, and how to make sure you’re building the right team for long-term growth.
Whether you’re an SEO agency, a business owner looking to hire, or a curious marketer wondering what it takes to break into the SEO world—this episode is packed with gems you don’t want to miss. 💎
🧠 Key Takeaways:
- Green Flags in SEO Agencies: Look for long employee tenure, clear career progression, and a culture of mentorship—not just ping pong tables and Friday yacht parties.
- Effective Onboarding Matters: SOPs and transparent communication prevent role confusion and reduce the chances of early turnover.
- The Hiring “Honeymoon Phase”: Expect the first 2–3 months to reveal how new hires handle stress—and stick with them through the dip.
- The Gender Gap in Applications: Women tend to apply only when they meet 100% of the job description, while men often apply when they meet far less.
- Hiring an SEO Agency? Ask for a 3-month plan, check their personal branding online, and look for consistent communication and employee stability.
📌 Episode Highlights:
“Don’t grow a team for the sake of growing a team. Grow it to scale your business.” – Shreya LaCock
“Even recruiters know what it’s like to lose a job. We’re people too.” – Shreya LaCock
🎯 Listener Action Items:
- 🔍 Review your own hiring process: Do you have clear SOPs and onboarding plans for new team members?
- 📋 Vet your future SEO agency: Check Glassdoor reviews, ask for case studies, and look at employee tenure.
- 💼 Applying for a job? Go for it—even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications. You bring more to the table than you think.
- 🧰 Download SEO For Hire’s “Hiring OS” or create your own version of job ad templates, onboarding docs, and salary guides.
Connect With Shreya LaCock:
Get the "Hiring OS" Resource
Want to follow up on what you've heard? Search the podcast!
Join the SEO Squad
Apply to be my podcast guest! 🎙️ Don't forget to Put your pitch topic in the subject line!
AFFILIATE LINKS:
Start your Shopify Store!
Get SurferSEO!
Metricool (to be everywhere online, you NEED a social media scheduler!)
Note:
If you make a purchase using some of my links, I make a little money.
But I only ever share products, people, & offers I trust & use myself!
Previous Episode

The Future of SEO: Stay Ready So You Don’t Have to Get Ready – with Favour Obasi-ike (Part 2)
In this can't-miss episode of the Simple and Smart SEO Show, Crystal Waddell reconnects with digital strategist and SEO pro Favour Obasi-ike.
Whether you're podcasting on Wix, exploring RSS feeds, or wondering how to rank better using voice search, this episode is full of insights you can apply today to stay ahead tomorrow.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- Own Your Platform: Hosting your podcast on a separate domain boosts domain authority and builds a long-term digital asset.
- Podcast SEO: Turn each episode into its own optimized URL with keyword-rich titles for better indexing and searchability.
- RSS Feeds & Site Maps: These are the backbone of your content strategy—essential for pushing updates and syncing across platforms like Pinterest.
- AI Tools: Tools like Harpa AI can streamline SEO research, transcription, and content creation across platforms.
- Voice Search Readiness: As voice search rises, your brand needs to show up in verbal queries, not just typed ones.
- From SEO to Thought Leadership: The future of SEO is about positioning yourself as a thought leader—focus on delivering value, not just ranking.
✨ Memorable Quotes:
- “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” — Favour Obasi-ike
- “Your website is like a book. Each page is a chapter that Google can rank.” — Favour Obasi-ike
- “You don’t want to be a seller. You want to tell stories people can remember.” — Favour Obasi-ike
📌 Listener Action Items:
- 🛠️ Audit Your Podcast URLs: Are they keyword-friendly? Custom? Indexable?
- 📥 Connect Your RSS Feed: Sync your blog and podcast content to Pinterest and Google Search Console.
- 🌐 Secure Your Domain: Make sure your podcast has a dedicated domain or subdomain to boost long-term visibility.
- 🔍 Explore Harpa.AI: Try this Chrome extension to level up your content creation and SEO game.
- 🎙️ Rethink Content: Are you presenting yourself as a thought leader? Use SEO to show, not just tell.
Connect With Favour:
Want to follow up on what you've heard? Search the podcast!
Join the SEO Squad
Apply to be my podcast guest! 🎙️ Don't forget to Put your pitch topic in the subject line!
AFFILIATE LINKS:
Start your Shopify Store!
Get SurferSEO!
Metricool (to be everywhere online, you NEED a social media scheduler!)
Note:
If you make a purchase using some of my links, I make a little money.
But I only ever share products, people, & offers I trust & use myself!
Next Episode

🎙️ SEO, Personal Branding, and How to Stand Out in 2025
In this week's episode of the Simple and Smart SEO Show, Crystal Waddell sits down with Shreya LaCock from SEO for Hire to pull back the curtain on SEO careers, personal branding, and the future of hiring in a world powered by AI! 🚀
Together, they explore the different roles inside an SEO agency 🏢, the green flags to look for when hiring SEO help ✅, and why personal branding is no longer optional if you want to thrive.
They also dig into how AI is reshaping SEO jobs — and why adaptability is your ultimate superpower. 💪🏼
Grab your coffee ☕ or tea 🍵 and let's dive in!
Key Takeaways:
- Master your personal brand 🧠: It's the new resume! Be visible, searchable, and active online.
- Understand agency structures 🏢: Know who you're actually working with when you hire an agency.
- Communication is king 👑: Great SEOs don’t just optimize websites—they know how to talk and connect.
- AI won't steal your job (yet!) 🤖: But adapting and learning AI tools will set you apart.
- Side projects = secret weapons 🔥: Showing passion through personal projects makes candidates shine.
Episode Highlights:
💬 "There is nothing more important than mastering your personal brand." — Shreya LaCock💬 "The way we were doing SEO six months ago is completely different than today—and it’ll change again in two months." — Shreya LaCock
💬 "If you want to build a strong company, it really starts with strong leadership." — Crystal Waddell
Listener Action Items:
🔎 Audit your personal brand online
🤖 experiment with an AI tool for SEO, and
🗣️ strengthen your communication skills to build trust and authority.
Connect With Crystal:
✅ Follow Crystal on LinkedIn: Follow Crystal
✅ If you're an entrepreneur or side hustler, join Crystal’s SEO Squad for weekly support! 🎯 Learn More Here
Connect With Shreya:
LinkedIn: Follow Shreya ✨
Check out SEO for Hire for SEO hiring solutions
Explore the Hiring OS Resource Vault 📚
Want to follow up on what you've heard? Search the podcast!
Join the SEO Squad
Apply to be my podcast guest! 🎙️ Don't forget to Put your pitch topic in the subject line!
AFFILIATE LINKS:
Start your Shopify Store!
Get SurferSEO!
Metricool (to be everywhere online, you NEED a social media scheduler!)
Note:
If you make a purchase using some of my links, I make a little money.
But I only ever share products, people, & offers I trust & use myself!
The Simple and Smart SEO Show - SEO Hiring Secrets: Green Flags, Gender Gaps & Growth Tips with Shreya LaCock
Transcript
[00:00:00]
Crystal Waddell: Welcome back to the Simple and Smart SEO show podcast. I am here with a special guest from South Africa. We are going across the globe today.
The Amazing Shreya LaCock, and she works for SEO For Hire as a marketing specialist.
And we are gonna talk today all about what it looks like to hire an SEO or hire an SEO company.
So Shreya, thank you so much for being here. Welcome to the simple and smart SEO show podcast.
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