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Work From Home Search Engine Evaluation & Companies That Hire

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It's possible to work at home for five different legit companies as a search engine evaluator. The pay is usually good and the work is flexible. This post explains more about what the job involves and which companies normally have openings.I know many people are interested in what a search engine evaluator does (also known as “Google rating“), so I'm going to try to explain it to you. I hope this helps some!

What is a search engine evaluator?

Basically, this is a person who evaluates search engine results to determine if they are relevant or not to the term typed in. This is just one way that major search engines ensure search queries lead to accurate results.

For example, if you were doing a search on “the Atlanta Braves,” hopefully their official website would show up either at the top or near the top of the results. That's because that's probably the most relevant result out there. Other sites, like personal blogs about the Braves or new stories involving them, would also be relevant, but not quite so much as the official site. A result that was about soccer would of course not be relevant at all.

As a search evaluator, it's your job to determine the relevancy of these pages based on specific search terms. There are also other little jobs and tasks you might do as well depending on the company you're working for, but this was the main thing I did when I worked as a search evaluator.

How much does search evaluation pay?

The pay is pretty good, generally more than $13 per hour. However, most search evaluation companies ask their workers to sign NDA's regarding pay rates. This makes it difficult to find the info.

How hard is it to get hired?

You have to take a lengthy test, but you'll get a lot of material to study before you take it. If you really pay attention to the study material and refer back to it while you test, you shouldn't have a lot of trouble getting hired.

How many search evaluation companies are there to work for?

I know about four. The links below will take you to my reviews of these companies, and these reviews should include information on where to apply if that company is hiring.

And you can also find search engine evaluation tasks on Amazon MTurk through CrowdSource.

The Pros

Here are the great things about doing search engine evaluation from home:

  • Good pay
  • Very flexible work (although some companies do require you put in a certain number of hours per week)
  • Non-phone (this is a plus if you need non-phone work)
  • Some people find they really enjoy the nature of the work
  • Some tasks require you to use only your smartphone for working.

The Cons

And here are the not-so-good things about it:

  • Keeping up with your time. The company I worked for required me to track my time and send them an invoice. Not sure if they all work this way.
  • Monthly pay
  • No Paypal (with the exception of iSoftStone who does have a Paypal option). I know you may not think this is bad if you don't like getting paid with Paypal, but I prefer it. When I did search evaluation, the options were check or direct deposit.
  • Not so easy to do around the kids. While this is non-phone and would seem ideal to do around kids, it's not. The fact that you must track your time makes it rather tedious where interruptions are common. And if you have kids at home with you, you probably get interrupted often. I would advise trying to do the work while they're at school or in the bed.
  • Not always consistent. Sometimes the work comes and goes.
  • Contract-based employment. If your contract doesn't renew, you don't have a job. And you can never be sure that your contract will get renewed.
  • With all of these companies except for iSoftStone, you cannot work for more than one at a time. For example, if you have a contract with Leapforce, you cannot work for Lionbridge and vice versa. iSoftStone is the exception to this rule and doesn't mind what other companies you're working for.

So I hope this answers some questions about it and makes it a little more clear. If you'd like more info, I highly recommend the e-book, Make Money From Home As a Google Rater, by Hanley Griffin. It is very inexpensive at just .99 cents and has 68 reviews on Amazon, most of which are 5-star.

Good luck!

Comments

  1. Hi! I’ve applied several times for this kind of position in companies like Lionbridge and Leapforce and they never get in touch with me. Do you know if there are some pre-requites for this kind of job position other than there are not on their website? Because I feel as far as I’m concerned I feel all the pre-requisites.

    Thanks in advance!

  3. I am from India, I want to ask you that how can I contact leapforce to know about my application status.

  5. i work at lionbridge and love it. I have problems with anxiety and i dont like jobs like fast food and that kind of dealing with the public so this was the perfect job for me. Ive worked there for only 2 months, going on 3. But i love it, i must say though ive heard ALOT of people failing the tests. I passed my first time but ive always been pretty smart and capable at test taking. They do say though if you fail 1 part your out and your not even suppose to get a second chance to take the tests but i guess some allow it. Anyways i just wanted to say im very greatful for this job and i hope to eventually become a Senior rater. 🙂

  6. Hi,

    Great Article extremely helpful. I always like to be prepared and I was wondering where I could find the study guide for the test?

  7. Awesome article! You have tried to include each and every detail a navie could think of. Thank you so much for posting this article.
    Apart from the ads in the page it was really very nice. Again thanks to some engine evaluator who directs to this site when search for ‘ Search Engine Evaluator’ :-d

  8. How come they know that we already applied, by IP address or by resume? Because i applied just to see how i work for now, this is my parent home, came just for 2 weeks.. can i apply for the same as a new candidate from my own house with other laptop.

    • Yes you can do that they allow reapplication after six months provided you have improvised in larning ow the job exactly goes.

  9. I will have to get a smartphone to work for Leapforce, and I would have to get a cheap phone with limited data. How much data do people use on their smartphones? I don’t want to get a plan that doesn’t have enough Mb or Gigs so that I can’t perform the job.

    • You don’t have to use the plans data, just use your wi-fi from home. I bought a smartphone from Consumer Cellular but didn’t sign up for their service. Instead I used my home’s wi-fi for rating mobile device tasks for Leapforce.

  10. “With all of these companies except for iSoftStone, you cannot work for more than one at a time. For example, if you have a contract with Leapforce, you cannot work for Lionbridge and vice versa. iSoftStone is the exception to this rule and doesn’t mind what other companies you’re working for.”
    Right, but the other companies don’t want you working elsewhere so you still need another company with the same guidelines as iSoftStone to work for 2 companies…..Right?

  11. I am from India. Do they hire people from here? and how much will i be paid if selected?

  12. Hello, thanks for sharing this info. I’ve heard of this opportunity. Is there any fees attach to theses companies? In others what’s the catch?

  13. That should have been NOW, not NOT. Most of Leapforce’s work is now on a smartphone, preferable android.

  14. I applied for Leapforce today. However, I had to say no to the Google Play, Google Reader, and I do not have a smart phone. I do have a Bachelor of Science degree, and I feel I did well on their 15 question test. Will I still have a chance even though I do not have a smartphone? Or is this an absolute must?

    • Catherine, you can buy cheap smartphones (prepaid), and dont even connect a service. but yes, a majority of Leapforces work is not via a smarthphone, the other companies are doing the same. so spend a few bucks if you wanna do It. I actually have worked for LF for over 2 years, I love it.

    • I signed up on Leapforce and took their test over the past two weeks…..TWICE! It is an open book test, but I will caution you that even so, this is a very, very difficult test. (I failed both times after having studied the material extensively) They even state in the test material that the failure rate on Part 1 is extremely high.

      That being said, there are 33 questions in the 1st part of the 3 part test. Each question has 5 True/False answers you must complete so for a total of 165 answers. The Guide is almost 200 pages long with hyperlinks to take you to web pages with examples and explanations of the rating.

      I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from taking the test but be prepared to apply yourself 100%. If you are not going to take the time to study the Guide thoroughly, chances are you won’t pass.

      Good Luck to you all! I am now going to apply with the other companies, Slow and steady wins the race. 😉

      Barbara

      • Hi,

        I applied for Leap Force somewhere around 5th Jan 2016. Its been almost 10 days now but have not got any response from them.

        So can you please tell me after applying for Leap Force within how many days will they reply us back ?

        Thanks,
        Vijay

  15. I got a hiring process email today finally for the website evaluation job , but with all these NDA things etc , I am not sure what is safe to say ..this is a long term project 6 months plus .

  16. Can anyone give me any pointers on what I should put on my resume to appeal more to these jobs?

  19. Do you find these type of jobs good for someone seeking permanent part time employment? Or are these mostly temporary jobs than have an end date? Have you found that some ppl can actually stay employed with any of these companies? Hoping so.

  20. This website is such a godsend; thank you for everything you write! I especially loved this article.

    • You’re welcome, I appreciate the kind words! Sorry for the delay in responding, I must have missed your comment initially.

  21. I applied for Leapforce. In the application it asked if I used Google Reader, Google Player and did I have a smartphone. They didn’t offer any study material before the test. I have not seen Google Reader and it is obsolete. I haven’t used Google Player and I don’t have a smartphone. I pay for 4 cell phones. My kids have smartphones.Lionbridge also requires you to have a smartphone.

    Working at home as a search evaluator would be a good fit for me. I have hearing aids in both ears that make it hard for me to hear people on the phone and I had a spinal cord injury that makes it hard for me to get around.

    Is there any company out there for search evaluators without cell phones?

    Bill

    • There’s also Appen, ZeroChaos, and iSoftStone. I think the links are in the post above, but if not let me know and I can grab them for you. I’m not sure if those companies require smartphones or not, but if they do, most likely they don’t for all of their positions. I know that Lionbridge has a ton of positions — I’m surprised that they would all require a smartphone now.

      • I will check these other sites. I hope I find one that doesn’t require smartphone. Maybe I should apply for Lionbridge even though I don’t have a smartphone. Maybe Google Chrome works the same way as using a smartphone. Thanks Anna

  22. Is it possible to work FULL TIME for this type of thing? I am desperately trying to figure a way to work from home, but I currently make $28/hr. I knwo WHY would I ever want to leave my awesome paying job? Because my son and being close to home for him is MUCH MORE important, so I need to find somethign full time as close to $28/hr as possible. Hubby can make up the rest. 🙂 I noticed you said somethign about 30 hours a week. If I wanted to work 40 a week, is it possible?

  23. I recently applied at Leapforce, a little over a week ago, and have not heard back from them yet. Is there a time frame that I can expect to wait until I do hear from them? According to my status page on their site, my qualification package is in progress. I wasn’t applying to any specific opening that I saw so perhaps it depends on their current business opportunities available?
    Would it be advisable to apply to another search evaluation company while this one is in progress?

  25. Hey all, very interesting all this. I am already a rater and I like that, as long as you do your task they expect in average im not getting tracked the hours I get paid. In other words if 20 tasks per hour expected and I do 120 in 2 hours I get paid 6 hours anyway. Who can tell, is that how it is on Leapfrog, Butler hill and Lionbridge, Workforce the same, or do any of them track your life hours on top of expecting average tasks per hour?

    Kind Regards

    albatros

    • im working for lionbridge, at first i used to track my time manually but lately they have upgraded their software so they can actually track your work automatically.

  26. I worked for one of those companies for a couple of years and I gotta say it was quite a good position. My colleagues were awesome, some of my managers were amazing people and the pay was amazing.

    Now the caveats: it’s high pressure and it requires sustained effort to meet the company’s expectations day after day. There is very little margin of error and you can get fired at a moment’s notice.

    But if you can take it for long periods of time, or if you’re just looking to make a little extra, I definitely recommend it.

  29. Can you tell me what is the max and minimum hours for each of the companies? Thanks in advance.

    • Leapforce has a minimum of 100 tasks a month, which is like 10 hours a month i think. There is no maximum for users outside America, otherwise it is 40 hours a week if you are from USA.

  30. I have got questions.

    Once you have completed the training, how long before you get hired?

    How long do they take to correct the test you take?

    And once the result is out, how long before you get started with the actual job?

  31. I am interested in hiring a “search engine evaluator” to tutor me so i wont come across as a newbie and to pass my qualification test. Anybody interested email me.

  32. What do you do if research you are assigned is something offensive to your beliefs or you find uncomfortable? Anyone have that experience with any of these companies?

    Thanks

  33. Can this be worked as a part-time job. How many hours a week would you have to put aside for this?

    • I believe it can easily be part-time. A lot of people do it part-time. If you work for Leapforce or Lionbridge, you can pretty much control you schedule and work when you have time.

  35. I just applied to Leapforce and I will receive my study guide and testing materials shortly. My question is if you don’t meet the qualifications for whatever reason will they email and let you know before the test?

    • I think if you are going to receive the study guide and testing materials, then they know you meet the qualifications. So now all you have to do is prepare for the test and take it. If you pass, you are in. Good luck to you!

  36. I’d like to apply for one of these jobs but I’m wondering how lenient these companies are, as far as college degrees are concerned. For the last six years, I’ve spent over 90% of my time researching specific topics online…and, trust me, I know a thing or two about optimizing my searches for the best results! Unfortunately, I don’t have the degree they’re looking for, though!

    Any ideas about how lenient they might be?

    • Jenny, if it helps — I worked for Leapforce for a few months last year and I have no college degree. They accepted my application anyway. So you should still try applying. I don’t think they are all that strict about it, though it may depend on the company. Leapforce at least is not strict about it. Pretty sure Lionbridge isn’t either.

  37. Do any of these require credit check? I was reading on another part of this site, where companies asked for these.

    • No, I don’t believe the search engine evaluation companies do this. I worked for Leapforce and did not have to submit to one.

      You’re mainly going to see the mandatory credit check with some of the customer service type phone positions where you’re receiving sensitive information from customers.

  38. Do you have any literature on how to study for these jobs. like books to read about etc.

    Thanks,
    SD

    • I don’t know of any … but if you decide to apply, they do send you a lot of helpful guidelines to read.

  39. I have worked for Workforce and I can say I’ve never had a problem – about $15/hr., maximum of 30 hours a week, constant work supply, paid on time by Direct Deposit every week, etc. I have heard varying things about Leapforce from two friends who worked for the company at the same time. One friend reported there was never any work, the tasks were difficult, the guidelines were difficult to understand or entirely missing directions for specific tasks. Another reported that he could always find work and the guidelines didn’t give him any problems.

    So…who knows? Heh.

    If you apply for Workforce, you will be given a set of test tasks after you’re hired. Really, these are quite simple. I spent about 2 hours going through all of the guidelines, and then I took the tests. I passed, having never before had any experience in search engine evaluation.

    Go for it. I’d imagine it’s difficult to fail.

  40. That’s what i have been doing through crowdsource lately. I would like to apply for LF, LB or 1 of the others but intimidated by the tests.

  41. When I worked for LB, I could only get paid through a Wire Transfer. Thankfully, my student account had free wire transfers, but these can be costly depending on the bank. I enjoyed working for LB, but they were constantly changing their guidelines and it confused me so much! It is great work if you do get accepted and just keep the guidelines handy at all time! 🙂 Great post Anna!