What Is an SEO Consultant, and Do You Need One?

An SEO consultant can help your business by improving your website's ranking in search engine results, which would optimally be on the first page or towards the top of the results. The goal of an SEO consultant is to make it easier for potential clients to find your business, help you remain competitive in your niche, and increase your business's revenue-generating potential.

Article Overview 

• Why do you need an SEO consultant? An SEO consultant can help your business improve its ranking in search engine results, generate leads, inspire trust in site visitors, turn prospects into paying and loyal customers, and boost sales.
• What do SEO consultants do? SEO consultants conduct keyword research, develop an SEO content strategy, optimize site content, fix technical SEO issues, improve site navigation and page organization, conduct a competitive analysis, recommend call-to-action improvements, and collaborate with other marketing teams.
• How do SEO consultants work? An SEO consultant works on a project basis, while an SEO consulting firm and in-house SEO employees are more involved in the company's day-to-day activities.
• Who benefits from SEO consultants? Businesses that invest in an SEO consulting firm and in-house employees tend to see the best results.

Let’s get started.

What is SEO, and why is it so important?

SEO stands for search engine optimization, which refers to making a website more user-friendly, easy to navigate, and trustworthy among consumers in a target market. By doing so, a search engine like Google will position the site's pages higher in its search results. Most searches in Google will yield thousands of results; you want to make sure that your website is one of the top results because we all know that it is easiest to pick the results that appear right in front of you. SEO will help to get you one of those top spots.

Improving SEO is crucial for any business because it can:

• Increase organic traffic without the use of paid ads.
• Generate leads.
• Inspire trust in site visitors.
• Turn prospects into paying and loyal customers.
• Boost sales. 

If you're looking to hire an SEO consultant, finding the right one for your business goals is essential. There are different avenues to take when hiring an SEO consultant. We’re going to walk you through each one.

SEO Consultant v.s. Consulting Firm v.s. In-House Employee

In general there are three ways to get help with your SEO: with an SEO consultant, a consulting firm, or an in-house employee.

• An SEO consultant is an individual who provides SEO services on a freelance or contractual basis. They work independently and usually handle multiple clients at once. 

• On the other hand, an SEO consulting firm is a company that specializes in providing SEO services to businesses. They have a team of experts who work together to deliver SEO solutions to their clients.

• An in-house SEO employee is a full-time employee of a company responsible for handling all SEO-related tasks for the company. They work exclusively for the company and are usually part of the marketing or IT team.

The main difference between these three is the level of involvement and commitment. An SEO consultant works on a project basis and provides services as needed. Your other two options are a bit different in that an SEO consulting firm and in-house employees are more involved in the company's day-to-day activities.

Based on our experience, businesses that invest in an SEO consulting firm and in-house employees tend to see the best results. While an SEO consulting firm can provide businesses with specialized knowledge and expertise, in-house SEO employees can bring a deeper understanding of the company's unique needs and goals. Of course, it’s also possible to bring in an SEO consulting firm and have your own in-house employee work with them. By combining both benefits, businesses can create a well-rounded approach to their SEO strategy tailored to their specific needs and objectives.

What does an SEO consultant do?

Before you invest in an SEO consultant, it would be best to understand exactly what they do. SEO consultants offer services to help businesses increase website traffic and improve their online presence. Some of the most common services provided by SEO consultants include:

1. Conducting keyword research to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that can be targeted in on-page and off-page optimization efforts.
2. Developing an SEO content strategy that creates high-quality, targeted content optimized for relevant keywords and provides value to users.
3. Optimize site content by updating meta tags, optimizing headers, and improving internal linking structure.
4. Fixing technical SEO issues that may hinder website performance, such as slow page load times, broken links, and crawl errors.
5. Improving site navigation and page organization to make it easier for users to find the information they need and for search engines to crawl and index site content.
6. Conducting a competitive analysis of web pages that rank for target keywords to identify opportunities for improvement and develop an effective strategy for outranking competitors.
7. Recommending call-to-action improvements to encourage users to take desired actions on the website, such as filling out a contact form or purchasing.
8. Collaborating with other marketing teams to distribute content on social media and in email campaigns to increase visibility and drive traffic to the website.

10 signs that it's time to hire an SEO consultant

Still on the fence about hiring an SEO consultant? Here are some signs that you may need some help with your SEO strategy. 

1. Your website needs to rank better on search engines and get more traffic. If you are not appearing on the first page of search engine results and your website needs more traffic, it’s time to hire an SEO consultant. An SEO consultant can identify the issues preventing your website from ranking well and suggest strategies to improve your website's visibility and traffic.

2. You need to get the desired results from your current SEO strategies. If you have been implementing them but are not seeing the results you want, it is time to call in a professional  SEO consultant. An SEO consultant can identify the weaknesses in your current strategies and suggest new tactics to improve your website's rankings and visibility.

3. Your website has been penalized by search engines, and you need to know how to fix it. If your website has been penalized by search engines, it can be challenging to identify the cause and resolve the issue. An SEO consultant can help you determine the cause of the penalty, fix the problem, and prevent it from happening in the future.

4. You need a more comprehensive understanding of SEO and help developing a thorough strategy.  SEO can seem like a mystery to a lot of people so creating a comprehensive plan can be challenging if you are new to SEO or have limited knowledge, time, and effort. An SEO consultant can help you understand the basics of SEO and develop a comprehensive strategy that meets your business goals.

5. You want to expand your business to new markets and need help with localized SEO. To grow your business to new markets, you need to optimize your website for localized search. An SEO consultant can help you identify the keywords and phrases relevant to your target markets, ensuring that your website lands in front of the people who want and need your business. 

6. Your website is not mobile-friendly, and you need to optimize it for mobile users. With the rise of mobile devices, it is essential to have a mobile-friendly website. An SEO consultant can help you optimize your website for mobile devices and improve the user experience for mobile users.

7. You need to figure out how to measure the success of your SEO efforts and need help with analytics. Measuring the success of your SEO efforts is essential to determine the effectiveness of your strategies. An SEO consultant can help you set up analytics tools to measure website traffic, conversions, and other essential metrics.

8. You want to improve your website's user experience and need help with site structure and navigation. User experience is essential to SEO because if users are not having a good experience on your website, they’re going to leave and search engines will detect this (it is known as a bounce rate). An SEO consultant can help you enhance your website's structure and navigation to make it more user-friendly and improve search engine rankings.

9. Your content needs to be optimized for search engines, and you need help with keyword research and optimization. Content is an essential factor in SEO and can come in different forms like blogs, case studies, and white papers. An SEO consultant can help you identify the keywords and phrases relevant to your target audience and optimize your content accordingly.

10. You want to stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and best practices but you don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself. SEO is constantly evolving, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices can be difficult. An SEO consultant can help you stay up-to-date and implement the latest trends and best practices to improve your website's rankings and visibility.

Steps for hiring an SEO consultant

You can see there are a lot of benefits for your brand when you hire an SEO consultant. If you're ready to take the leap and hire an SEO consultant, you can follow these steps to streamline the process. 

1. Get clarity on SEO goals and business needs

Having clear objectives can make finding the right fit for your business easier. To clarify your goals, you can use the following questions:

• What are your overall business goals?
• What specific outcomes do you want a new SEO strategy to achieve?
• Which SEO tactics do you need a consultant to use or help you implement?

By answering these questions, you’ll get a clear picture of what you're looking for, and it can help you find the best SEO consultant for your business.

2. Determine a reasonable budget

When considering any business development investment, it is crucial to determine a budget beforehand. This will help you to maintain positive cash flow and keep your business healthy. To determine your budget, you should ask yourself some questions prior to hiring an SEO consultant such as: 

• What resources do you currently have to invest in SEO consulting services? 
• How much revenue does your business generate monthly or quarterly? 
• Where could you reduce spending in your business without sacrificing operational efficiency or brand authority to invest in an SEO consultant? 

By answering these questions, you can determine a realistic budget and make an informed decision about whether or not to hire an SEO consultant, and if you do, what your budget is.

3. Research multiple SEO consultants and companies

Your next step is to explore the available SEO services. You can do this by searching the internet and freelance sites for SEO consultants or firms. Also consider tapping into your professional network to see if you can get a referral from a trusted and reliable consultant or company.

While researching, keep these questions in mind to guide your search:

• Which consultants or companies have the qualifications you require in a service provider?
• Which of them offers services that best match your needs?
• What do previous customers or clients say about these consultants or companies in their reviews?
• What information can you gather from the SEO service providers' work samples, portfolios, and case studies?
• How do the prices for different SEO consulting services compare?

4. Create a detailed list of responsibilities

Once you clearly understand your goals, budget, and the available services in the marketplace, your next step should be drafting a job description. This will help attract potential SEO consulting candidates and guide your recruiting conversations. 

Your job description should include the following details: 

• A job title that accurately reflects the services you require, such as "SEO consultant," "SEO consulting services," "SEO marketing consultant," "small business SEO consultant," or "e-commerce SEO consultant." 
• A brief description of your business and its current SEO needs. 
• A list of tasks you require an SEO consultant to perform, such as keyword research, an SEO audit, or optimizing your entire e-commerce website. 
• A list of qualifications you're looking for in an SEO consultant, including their skills and experience. 
• Additional details, such as the position's duration and the work's scope. 

You want to make sure that your job description is clear and concise so you can attract suitable candidates and ensure that you find an SEO consultant who is the right fit for your business.

5. Connect with SEO consultants

If you are looking to hire an SEO consultant, try the following methods to connect with potential candidates: 

1. Contact consultants directly through their websites or social media profiles. Be sure to include the job description in your message.
2. Post the job description on social media and in online communities. Remember to include a call-to-action that tells the  SEO consultants to reach out to you!
3. Create a job listing on job boards such as Glassdoor or Indeed, as well as freelance platforms like Toptal or Upwork, and keep track of the applications you receive.

Once you’ve received some applications, evaluate them and identify the top SEO consultants you wish to interview.

6. Ask high-priority questions during interviews

In this final step, you want to have focused interviews to expand your knowledge about the SEO service providers' websites and select the best  SEO consultant from your list of candidates.

Consider the following questions as a basis for your interviews:

1. What are your strengths in SEO tactics and strategies that could benefit my website?
2. How often do you communicate with your clients to check the effectiveness of the SEO strategy?
3. How long does your consultancy usually take to deliver client results?
4. Are you currently working with any other brands or competitors in my niche?
5. How do you avoid SEO practices that violate Google's guidelines, also known as "black hat SEO"?