What exactly does an SEO consultant do and offer? In today’s digital landscape, simply having a website just won’t cut it. For people to find you, you need to have a website that ranks on the first page of search results — because frankly, who wants to click on the second, third, or fourth pages?
Here’s where SEO consultants come in. They can help you with the how`s of getting on top of SERPs.
In this article, we will dig further into this topic, including what to look for when choosing the right SEO consultant for your business.
Table of Contents:
What is an SEO consultant?
An SEO consultant is an expert in the field of search engine optimization, including the latest SEO trends and strategies that can help businesses succeed in the digital landscape. They work with businesses and website owners to achieve the primary goal of improving search engine rankings and online visibility.
Another way to look at it is that SEO consultants can pinpoint areas where you may have fallen short in your online marketing efforts. For example, they may discover that your website is taking too long to load, or that it contains a lot of spammy backlinks, which could discourage visitors from further browsing your site.
So, to overcome these challenges, SEO consultants come up with tailored strategies that may involve comprehensive website audits, keyword research, and analysis, content optimization, and so many more (we’ll get right into those in a bit).
With that said, working with an SEO consultant is a wise investment. They minimize the need for you to invest in paid ads as you gain more visitors organically. This proves to be better in the long run and can lead to more sales and brand recognition for your business. And the best part? This could happen even when you are asleep!
What services do SEO consultants offer?
SEO consultants offer a wide range of services that can help you improve your online presence and SERP rankings. Generally, they specialize in these primary areas.
On-page Optimization
On-page optimization deals with optimizing all of your website’s on-site elements, such as website content, loading speed, site architecture, and many more. Here, the SEO consultant also identifies and fixes any issues that may be keeping you from ranking high in SERPs.
On-page optimization can be divided further into Content SEO and Technical SEO.
Content SEO
In Content SEO, the primary task of the SEO consultant is to optimize your website’s content for the target keywords your business is ranking for. The most common tasks include the following:
- Keyword research and analysis to identify the “right” keywords or phrases that match your target audience’s search queries
- Topic clustering and content planning
- Optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags
- Modifying and updating website content (web copy, blogs, etc.)
As you can see, content SEO is more concerned with meeting the needs of the user or audience, making sure that they get the information they need and engage well with your website’s content.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is a more complex type of on-page optimization. Here, the SEO consultant ensures that your website meets the technical requirements of search engines and makes necessary modifications to keep up with algorithm updates. It includes some important tasks like:
- Website speed optimization, including image optimization
- Site crawling and indexing
- Fixing broken links
- Checking for duplicate content
- Fixing URL structure
- Code troubleshooting
- Schema markup
- Optimizing for mobile responsiveness
- Optimizing website structure and architecture
To do that, SEO consultants clutch on their programming backgrounds, as well as their experience in using a variety of CMS platforms and coding plugins. As a result, your website becomes more understandable to the search engine, which can help you rank higher in SERPs.
Although technical SEO is often associated with “pleasing the search engine,” user intent and experience are still major considerations here. In fact, SEO consultants will tell you how important content SEO is in technical SEO, which is why they take time to master the former.
Link Building
Link building is an off-page SEO technique that involves acquiring high-quality backlinks to your website. Here, the SEO consultant creates and implements a link-building strategy and reaches out to other relevant and reputable website owners to encourage them to link back to your site.
Link-building strategies come in many forms, some of them including:
- Guest posting
- Resource link building
- Broken link building
- Manual outreach
Why are backlinks important? Backlinks are viewed as endorsements from other authoritative websites, which makes your site credible and trustworthy in the eyes of both users and the search engine.
The more high-quality backlinks you have, the better the chances are for achieving higher rankings.
With that said, there are SEO consultants who exclusively offer link building as their main service because it demands a lot of time, effort, and creativity to execute successfully.
Some of the things they do here include examining the quantity and quality of unique referring domains, the number of backlinks, anchor text profile, and spammy links, among others.
Local SEO
Local SEO is a more specific type of SEO focused on optimizing a website for local search results. This is especially important for businesses that are aiming to increase not only their online traffic but also foot traffic to their physical stores.
Think about coffee shops, car repair services, professional services, gyms, and yoga studios, among many others.
Here, the SEO consultant’s tasks may include:
- Local keyword research and analysis
- Business profile optimization (Google My Business, Yelp, etc.)
- Customer reviews engagement and management
- Social media marketing
As you may have noticed, local SEO involves some tasks that overlap with both on-page and off-page SEO techniques. However, what sets local SEO apart is its emphasis on dominating the local market.
With so many businesses competing in a specific local area, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to make a business stand out, especially since trends can be volatile and change rapidly.
Tips on choosing an SEO consultant
When choosing the right SEO service, it’s important to not simply go for someone who claims to be the “best seo consultant”. Below, we have provided a list of things you need to look into to help you decide on choosing the right one.
1. Look at their experience and expertise
You should see to it that they have a proven track record of success in providing the specific service that you require. Do they have any evidence of their expertise in, say, technical SEO? How long have they been focusing on this area of specialization?
You can do this by browsing through the consultant’s or company’s website and heading over to their About Us, Client Testimonials, and Case Studies sections. Here, you can get insights into how long they have been in the industry, how they overcame specific challenges to success, and what their clients have to say about working with them.
You can also check review sites, such as blogs, Trustpilot, and Google My Business, to name a few. This can give you a different perspective on the pros and cons of working with the SEO consultant, based on the experiences of clients who have worked with them in the past.
2. Check their company values
It’s not just about how good they are. Do they believe in full transparency? Do they prioritize communication?
The SEO consultant’s values matter because no matter their expertise, a difficult working relationship can hinder the results you need. You can evaluate their values by reviewing their mission and vision statements. Alternatively, you can check review sites to get insights from past clients about their experience working with the SEO consultant, including how they were treated.
3. Avoid anyone who guarantees results
Beware of SEO consultants who guarantee specific results or who promise to get your website to the top of search engine rankings overnight. SEO is a long-term process and requires continuous efforts to maintain and improve your website’s ranking. There is no guarantee of immediate success, and anyone who claims otherwise is likely using unethical and ineffective techniques.
4. Consider the value for money
Of course, it’s important to find an SEO consultant whose services fit your budget. However, be wary of SEO marketing experts who offer cheap prices that seem too good to be true. Chances are, they are using unethical, black-hat SEO tactics, which can be detrimental to your business’s online growth.
Working with excellent SEO consultants may seem expensive at first, but, as many businesses have preached, you get what you pay for in the long run.
So, instead of looking solely at the price tag, make sure to know what you actually need and what you’re paying for, including the scope of work, and the SEO consultant’s track record of quality of work.
Do some research and see how much other SEO consultants in your area are charging for the same scope of work. By getting multiple quotes and comparing them, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and what is a fair price for the results you’re seeking.
Why KBA Web would be best to hire as your SEO Consultant?
At KBA Web, we are a team of SEO experts in Australia who have helped several businesses in the past achieve their SEO goals.
Experience with various industries
We have worked with clients across various niches or industries before, for example, personal care services and individual support services, giving us the confidence that we can help your business succeed further.
Tailored SEO
We also understand that every business is different, with its own unique goals and challenges. That’s why we tailor our SEO services to each of our clients. We take time to understand your concerns and objectives so we can come up with a strategy that works for you.
Commitment to transparency and continuous learning
We pride ourselves on our commitment to transparency. We treat you as partners and so, we keep you in the loop every step of the way. Apart from that, we love and enjoy learning, which is how we’re able to keep up with the latest SEO trends, technologies, and tools that can help a business grow further.
No minimum term
Unlike other SEO specialists in Australia, we don’t force you to sign a long-term contract with us. You have the option to cancel our services after the first month if you are not satisfied or if you see that things are not working out for you. We understand that as a business owner, you want what’s best for your business. So we give you the freedom to make decisions that work for your business, even if it means parting ways with us.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help your business grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can go looking for SEO consultants in several ways:
Where can I find an SEO consultant?
- Ask for recommendations from your friends, acquaintances, and professional networks as they may have connections with reputable consultants.
- Simply, run a Google search. For example, if you search “Australian SEO expert”, you’ll get a good list of SEO consultants all around Australia.
- Read blogs and review sites. This way, you’ll get insights on different SEO agencies or consultants, including the quality of their work and the experiences of clients during the work process.
- Browse through social media. Many SEO consultants have social media presence on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, where you can get a sense of their value based on how they engage with their audience.
How much does an SEO consultant charge?
How much SEO consultants charge for SEO services depends on several factors, including the competition in your industry, the scope of the project (the bigger the project, the more tasks that need to be done), and the experience and reputation of the SEO consultant.
It can also depend on the working arrangements between you and the consultant. You may agree on an hourly basis, a monthly retainer, or a project-based fee.
What’s included in the SEO Consultation?
During SEO consultation, you and the consultant will discuss your business goals and your target market, as well as the challenges your website is currently facing. This way, the consultant will gain a better understanding of where you are coming from and will use that to craft an SEO strategy that best suits your circumstances.
Here, the SEO consultant may give you a brief overview of how they are going to go about analyzing your website. This may also include a short demo on the SEO tools they will use and how they will study your competitors, such as looking at their website traffic, backlink profile, etc.
Finally, you’ll establish expectations with regard to the scope of work (i.e. what’s included and what’s not), the suitable work arrangement (e.g. hourly, monthly, project-based, custom, etc.), timelines and reporting setups, and any additional fees involved, among others.
Final thoughts
SEO is a crucial aspect of online marketing that can take your business from “good” to “best”.
To achieve this, working with a proven SEO consultant is the way to go. These professionals can help improve your website’s ranking, attract more customers, and drive more traffic and conversions, ultimately leading to further success.
But always remember that choosing the “right” SEO consultant is a crucial first step. You must look for someone with a proven track record of success and who shares the same values that you uphold. Avoid consultants who make unrealistic promises or use shady SEO tactics.
So, take your time to find the right consultant so you can relax knowing that your business is in capable hands.
