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If you live in the 21st century, you’ve probably used the internet. Globally, search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo get billions of searches every day on every topic under the sun. The most popular search engine in the world is Google because its search results provide the most relevant and accurate information.
How do search engines know how to retrieve the most relevant results? Well, in large part, due to search engine evaluators. As we rely more and more on the internet and smart devices for entertainment, information, work, and other daily tasks, the number of searches rapidly increases. Therefore, search engine evaluators are in high demand, with many companies offering search engine evaluator jobs with great pay and flexible schedules.
We’ll go over everything you need to know about becoming a search engine evaluator and finding the best search engine evaluator job from one of the 10 best companies offering these positions.
Contents
What Is a Search Engine Evaluator?
To understand what a search engine evaluator is, you first have to understand how search engines work. Search engines narrow down the results of a search through a complex system of algorithms. If you use Google to search for “apple pie recipes”, millions of web pages with one or more of these words will pop up.
Google is responsible for rapidly sifting through these results to give you the most accurate and pertinent web pages on the subject, listing them in order of relevance for your choosing.
However, algorithms are computer-generated, robotic processes that often miss the mark. They are often riddled with errors because they do not pick up on numerous human idiosyncrasies. This is where search engine evaluators come in.
Also known as a search engine rater, a search engine evaluator is responsible for picking up the slack where algorithms fall short. They oversee search engine quality control, evaluating search results for their relevance, pinpointing where errors occur, and suggesting how the search engine can improve the accuracy of the results for a given search.
Search engines, like Google, either have their own team of search engine evaluators or contract search engine evaluation companies to execute numerous tasks involved in optimizing search results.
What Are a Search Engine Evaluator’s Responsibilities?
Search engine evaluators have numerous responsibilities that vary from company to company. In general, companies will assign search engine evaluators various terms that they will search for with a search engine and report back on the relevance of the results that popped up.
Other companies may ask you to evaluate the quality and format of online ads as well.
Regardless of whether you are reviewing search results or ads, the overall objective is to make searches better and easier for internet users.
A list of common job responsibilities for search engine evaluators is as follows:
- Execute searches using various search engines, like Google, Bing, and Yahoo
- Analyze results using qualitative data analysis tools to decipher their accuracy
- Establish definitively the relevancy, excellence, and efficacy of search results for every term
- Act as a specialist on trending searches for web, digital, and video content
- Present data analysis and conclusions on search engine functionality to a group of superiors
- Provide feedback and suggestions for improvements on any errors, irrelevant information, and engine functionality you find during the search
- Work on numerous projects simultaneously
- Work individually and on a team according to the demands of each project
Pros and Cons to Search Engine Evaluator Jobs
Search Engine evaluator jobs are generally remote, flexible, and considerably well-paid for an entry-level position. While there are certain disadvantages, we think that the pros certainly outweigh the cons.
Pros
- You can work from the comfort of your home, or wherever there’s a good internet connection.
- You set your own work schedule
- You decide how much work you want to do in a given day
- Pay is well above minimum wage
- The work is both interesting and educational as you will learn not only about how to execute proper searches but also about a variety of topics you’re assigned to search for.
Cons
- Many jobs do not come with benefits like insurance and 401k
- You must file your own taxes
- You are responsible for documenting the hours you work
- Payday is once a month
- You will have to spend a lot of time staring at a screen
How Much Does a Search Engine Evaluator Earn?
Search Engine evaluator jobs are usually part-time jobs that pay a mean hourly rate of $12-15. That said, companies pose these rates as estimates because they pay you per project. This could mean you make considerably more if you are an efficient worker, but it could also mean you could make less if it takes you longer than expected to complete the project. Additionally, workloads vary from week to week because the number of tasks the company has at any given time is unpredictable.
You invoice your projects with your employers, and you will receive payment via PayPal or direct deposit depending on which company you work for.
Related post: Secure a Data Entry Job From Home in 2021
Requirements to Become a Search Engine Evaluator
All search engine evaluator jobs require you to own a computer or laptop, have a dependable, high-speed internet connection, and a high school diploma. Employers may give preference to college degree holders, but it is not a mandatory requirement.
You will need to be proficient in the language and cultural nuances of the country in which the search engine evaluation company is located. You should also know how to use a search engine. The more experience you have researching topics online with a search engine and utilizing multiple social media accounts regularly, the better equipped you’ll be to maneuver and execute the demands of the job.
While experience is always an asset, most search engine evaluator jobs require you to undergo a training period, during which you will receive ample instruction and practice. Upon completing the training, you will start receiving paid projects. Some companies even go so far as requiring you to pass a search engine agent exam before securing your job,
Many companies will require you to have a PayPal or Payoneer account as those are the main conduits for payments, especially if you are working remotely from a country other than the one in which the company is located. Furthermore, every employee must have their own IP address, so you cannot work alongside a fellow household member.
Most jobs require a minimum of 10 hours of work per week with no upper limit, although workloads will vary from week to week.
10 Companies for Search Engine Evaluator Jobs
The best sites to find search engine evaluator job solicitations are on sites like Glassdoor or Flexjobs, although you can find a limited list on Indeed and Linkedin. Here are the top 10 companies to work for as a search engine evaluator.
1) Appen
Appen is an Australian company offering services in search engine evaluation, crowdsourcing, language technology, and social media publicity. They offer work for inhabitants of many countries across the globe and pay varies depending on where you live.
Appen requires that you have your own computer, high-speed internet, and google chrome installed. As for skills, you may need to be proficient in languages other than English for certain assignments. You will also undergo an unpaid two-week training period. At the end of the training, you will have to pass a qualifying exam plus a language proficiency exam. You have two opportunities to take the qualifying exam.
Once you pass the exam, the projects will flow in, and you will be responsible for invoicing your work once a month. Appen pays once a month through direct deposit. For U.S. residents the hourly pay estimate is around 14$.
2) Lionbridge
Lionbridge is an Irish company dedicated to search engine, social media, web content, and map optimization, providing all manner of internet analytical services. Lionbridge always has an abundance of search engine evaluator jobs available
Their work requirements are a computer, high-speed internet, and legal residency or citizenship from the country you live and work in. Additionally, you will need to have extensive cultural knowledge of the country you live in as projects are country-specific.
You will also need to take an assessment exam as part of the application process. Lionbridge pays an hourly rate of 14$ but also will pay per project depending on your position. You will receive monthly payments via direct deposit. A search engine evaluator job with Lionbridge requires less commitment than many others as you only have to give 24-hour’s notice if you want to quit.
3) iSoftstone
iSoftstone is a US-based company that provides search engine evaluation services primarily for Microsoft Bing. This allows you to work for iSoftstone while also accepting contracts for search engine evaluation jobs with companies that serve Google, like Appen or Lionbridge. Another advantage that iSoftstone has is its quick application process and 15-minute training process. However, pay is considerably less, at $8-11 per hour.
Job requirements are a computer with Windows OS and high-speed internet, while skill requirements demand extensive cultural knowledge of the country in which you reside. You will receive approximately 10-25 hours of work each week, and you will receive payments through PayPal.
4) Leapforce
Leapforce is a web-based company out of California that offers search engine evaluation for hundreds of clients nationally and globally. They will hire you as an independent contractor. The requirements for a job with Leapforce are a computer with high-speed internet and a complete grasp of the English language for US-based projects.
They prefer college-educated workers with a better notion of search engine usage and analytical experience. They expect their employees to have extensive cultural knowledge as well as research and analytical skills.
They also require you to pass a difficult, three-part open-book exam to qualify for a job. That said, they give regular work, and the starting pay is $13.50/hour. Workers reported good communication within the company as well as on-time payments via PayPal.
5) Google
While Google also hires companies like Appen and Lionbridge for some of their search engine evaluation work, they sometimes provide job openings for remote search engine evaluator jobs directly with them. They label these jobs ads quality raters, so you know what to search for on their job solicitation page.
A search engine evaluator job with Google is highly sought after because they give up to 30 hours of work a week and at a pay rate of $15/hour. Plus, Google will give you specific software tools to complete all of the assigned tasks more efficiently.
6) ZeroChaos
ZeroChaos is a US-based company out of Florida that hires remote part-time contractors for ad quality rating. Like Google, they pay $15 and provide up to 30 hours of work per week.
Another advantage to working with ZeroChaos is that they contract W2 workers so that takes the pressure off doing your own taxes. It is also one of the only companies on our list that pays weekly as opposed to monthly, making it a great option for fast cash.
There is minimal training, which is a pro for experienced search engine evaluators or independent workers who are autodidacts. The only downside to working with ZeroChaos is that work is very temporary, usually lasting up to a year. Reviews state that it is a great college job or supplemental income.
7) RaterLabs
RaterLabs, along with Leapforce, is a part of the Appen monopoly of web services, so they share the same work interface as well as client database with Appen. The merger of these companies provides a wider client base but has reduced wages for employees at RaterLabs with an hourly rate of $13.
Furthermore, RaterLabs offers work for English speakers as well as German, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic speakers, so if you are bilingual, this may be the best option for you.
Like all other companies, requirements include a computer or laptop as well as a strong internet connection. RaterLabs also requires you to pass an assessment exam to qualify for hire, and they give preference to experienced researchers. There is no maximum limit for weekly hours, so you have the opportunity to work and earn as much as possible, given there is plenty of work available to accept.
They pay monthly via Payoneer.
8) Workforce Logiq
Workforce Logiq is an offshoot of ZeroChaos, offering similar working conditions to Google. As opposed to evaluating search engine topics, you will be responsible for rating the relevancy of ads that pop up when you search for a topic.
Like Google, Workforce Logiq pays $15/hour and offers up to 30 hours of work a week. Plus, they pay weekly and offer W-2 employment replete with benefits that you won’t see with most of the other companies on our list.
Another advantage to working for Workforce Logiq is that they provide steady work and opportunities to receive pay bonuses. This is a more stable position even if it is part-time work. The only disadvantage is that there is a set work schedule, so you don’t have the flexibility that other companies on our list purport.
9) KarmaHub
KarmaHub is a data collection and analysis company with high-profile clients such as Microsoft, Pfizer, AIG, and Novovartis to name a few. Their services include artificial intelligence, cloud storage development, and other web-based services. While KarmaHub offers a fairly low base rate of $11/hour, there are opportunities for advancement and raises. Furthermore, bilingual individuals who perform data analyses in languages other than English can earn up to $27/hour.
Working as a search engine evaluator with KarmaHub involves various unique methods that will enrich your knowledge of web-based services and look great on your resume when it’s time to apply elsewhere. There is a wider variety of tasks available, so this could mean more interesting work.
This company discloses very little about the application and training process and does not post job solicitations on many of the main job sites on the other companies on our list. To apply, you will have to send your email to a specified email address.
10) mTurk
mTurk is a subsidiary of Amazon and acts as a crowdsourcing and web services division of the company. Their interface is more like a job database that lists all the work available for a given day or week from hundreds of different clients. Tasks or projects can take as little as a few minutes to complete, and with a constant flow of different tasks constantly available, you’ll be busy and stimulated.
mTurk provides tasks that aren’t limited to evaluating a search topic’s relevancy, but also include tasks like removing duplicate content or listings, transcriptions, and filling out surveys.
There is a learning curve on how to make good money with mTurk, but once you figure out the interface and how to strategically choose the tasks, you can earn as much as $15/hour or more if you’re an especially adept worker.
The application process is quick and easy for mTurk, and you will receive qualifying tests on a task-to-task basis. You will also go through a 10-day probation period with the company upon being hired where you can only accept a limited number of tasks.