What does an SEO consultant do?
Got a website, but struggling to get your pages to rank organically for terms? This is where an SEO consultant can help.
Even before that, perhaps you’ve just started out and aren’t quite sure what content to include on your site in the first place. You’ll need to analyse the SERPs, explore what keywords users are searching for, the intent behind what’s ranking, etc.
This takes, as you’d expect, a whole lot of time, money, and effort – that’s why many businesses opt for SEO consultancy services instead. But what exactly can you expect from the role?
The role of an SEO consultant
What does an SEO consultant do? Well, the role is varied but largely focused on boosting the visibility of your website in the eyes of search engines and users.
Likely duties of an SEO consultant
- Undertake keyword research to identify what users are searching for
- Devise an SEO strategy and content plan to implement
- Broaden lead generation and sales by boosting organic traffic
- Advise on on-page optimisation, like optimising tags, metadata, anchor text, etc.
- Liaise with guest sites to outreach articles and build your backlinks
- Carry out technical SEO audits to ensure your website’s health isn’t compromising performance
- Analyse and provide monthly reports to keep you informed on rankings
- Stay in tune with algorithm and industry updates to keep their practices up to date
Hoisting your website out of obscurity: Do you really need an SEO specialist?
Well, this depends on your marketing knowledge and your ambitions for your site. Of course, should you already be quite internet savvy and have enough time and resources to keep on top of your website, then maybe no – you’ll be fine without.
However, should any of the following reflect your current situation, you may benefit from hiring an SEO consultant:
- “I’m a small business just starting out without much experience in website development or SEO. Nor do I have heaps of spare resources to dedicate to keeping my site fresh.”
- “I’m a business with a website that’s performing OKAY – however, my industry is saturated and I’m struggling to stand out from the crowd.”
- “My website is brand new, with little domain authority, and the keywords I want to rank for are being dominated by established sites that are boosted by profiles with strong referring domains.”
- “My website was previously doing well – however, recent algorithms have taken the wind out of its sales and it’s now on a downward spiral.”
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does cover some of the key reasons why many businesses employ some form of technical SEO services to hoist their website out of obscurity.
Choosing the right SEO expert for your business
Already in the process of looking for an SEO consultant? Well, the key things you should be looking out for will largely orbit around your core business objectives and the industry you operate in. Ideally, you’ll hire an SEO that’s aligned and experienced in getting results on both points.
Plenty of SEO services could be useful for your website, depending on what you’re hoping to achieve. However, the core types are:
- Technical SEO (the back-end technical stuff that your website needs to pass to send good trust signal to search engines)
- Content SEO (content planning and on-page SEO practices to ensure your website’s content is optimised)
- Local SEO (optimisation techniques to boost your visibility in local search results)
- Mobile SEO (honing in on mobile search traffic to improve your rankings on mobile devices)
Jamie Beatty, a senior SEO account manager here at Embryo, has given a bit of food for thought about choosing the right SEO expert:
“As a business, when choosing the right SEO expert, it’s so important to look for someone with a comprehensive understanding of your industry and who is completely transparent and honest when it comes to setting expectations for growing your business. These are the individuals that usually have the best track records of successful SEO strategies that have been able to hit a client’s key objectives”.
SEO consultants vs SEO agencies
During your hunt for an SEO consultant, you’ll likely be weighing up whether to go for an independent consultant or an agency.
Or hiring in-house, perhaps, if you have the budget for another full-time team member.
There are pros and cons of opting for either. Here’s an overview:
| SEO Consultant | SEO Agency | |
| Proven expertise | Likely have a specialism in very specific areas – such as website formats, SEO types, and industry knowledge. | Team of experts, meaning the allocation of a consultant (or consultants) that are best aligned with your business profile. |
| Communication | Often will be in charge of managing their own communication so you will liaise with them directly. | Depending on the size of the agency, as well as having access to the SEO consultant, your account may also be looked after by account managers or client services representatives. |
| Price | For the most part, independent consultants will charge a cheaper hourly rate than an agency. | Higher overhead costs and teams to maintain, so likely a higher fee attached. |
| Scalability | Limited resources split across multiple clients so likely restricted in terms of capacity. | Ability to handle larger scale projects due to the size of the team and in-house resources available. |
| Track record | Relies heavily on word of mouth and digital presence to ensure their reputation brings in continued business. | Often have a portfolio of past successes, case studies, and award-worthy campaigns to give them a competitive edge. |
Boost your digital presence with our expert SEO consultancy services
If you need help with improving your website’s performance, then we’d love to talk.
At Embryo, our team of SEO experts and content marketers is behind some of the most effective organic SEO strategies, helping businesses show up in the SERPs where your customers are on the lookout for your services.
Got a question? Simply ask.
