Truth be told, you can do SEO on your own. BUT you might take time to learn it, especially the technical aspects and how the search engine algorithm works. If you want to get faster results and if you’re going to focus on your operations, then let an expert or a specialist handle SEO for you.
Enter the SEO consultant — a specialised professional focused on analysing, optimising, and implementing strategies to improve a website’s search performance. This piece will help you learn what an SEO consultant does, particularly:
- Key Roles and Responsibilities of an SEO Consultant
- 5 Essential Skills of an SEO consultant
- Must-Have Tools of an SEO Consultant
- Why You Need to Hire an SEO Consultant
Who is an SEO Consultant?
An SEO consultant is a professional who specialises in optimising websites to improve their visibility on search engines. Unlike general marketers, SEO consultants have deep knowledge of search engine algorithms, ranking factors, and technical aspects of website optimisation. Their primary goal is to drive organic traffic to improve visibility and increase conversions.
In-House SEO Specialist vs SEO Consultant
You can hire an in-house SEO specialist or an SEO consultant as a business owner. The main difference between the two is that the former is a full-time employee, and the latter is a contractual employee or works on a project basis. The table below compares an in-house SEO specialist versus an SEO consultant to determine which route is best for your business.
| 方面 | In-House SEO Specialist | SEO Consultant |
| Employment | Full-time employee within a single company | Works on a contract or project basis for multiple clients |
| Perspective | Internal, company-specific | External, brings fresh insights across industries |
| Focus | Primarily focused on one website or brand | Works with diverse brands and website types |
| Scope of Work | On-going maintenance and optimisation | Strategic consulting, audits, specific projects |
| Project Duration | Long-term, continuous | Short-term or project-based, with defined timelines |
| 费用 | Fixed salary with benefits | Flexible costs, usually hourly or project-based |
| Skill Breadth | Typically specialised in one company’s needs | Broader knowledge across various industries and SEO techniques |
| Adaptability | Limited to the company’s SEO practices | Regularly adapts to new industries, trends, and tools |
| Innovation and Trends | May focus on consistent internal strategies | Regularly updated on industry trends and best practices |
An SEO consultant differs from an in-house SEO specialist’s role and approach. Hiring either one depends on the needs of your business. In the upcoming sections of this article, you will appreciate why you need an SEO consultant in your corner.
Key Roles and Responsibilities of an SEO Consultant
SEO Consultants take on various responsibilities in optimising a website and ensuring its high rank on search engines. They approach SEO through a structured process comprised of six main tasks: auditing, strategy, on-page and off-page optimisation, technical development, competitor analysis, and monitoring. Let’s explore each role and responsibility:
SEO Audit and Analysis
Before solving a problem, you need to know and understand the challenge first. The same goes for optimising a website. In the first phase of an SEO consultant’s work, they must conduct a comprehensive website audit.
A website audit involves evaluating the site’s overall health, identifying issues that hinder its high ranking, and establishing a benchmark for future improvements.
- Conducting Initial Website Audits: Consultants assess everything from technical SEO elements to content relevance and authority. They use audit tools to evaluate page load speed, mobile responsiveness, and crawlability.
- Assessing Technical, On-Page, and Off-Page SEO: An audit covers three main aspects of SEO: technical SEO, which focuses on the structure of the website; on-page SEO, which focuses on content optimisation and keyword usage; and off-page SEO that examines backlinks and social signals that contribute to the website’s authority.
The SEO consultant must conduct a comprehensive audit to identify the website’s weaknesses, make recommendations, and take action to improve rankings.
Keyword Research and Strategy Development
Image source: Dalton Luka
Keyword strategy plays a crucial role in effective SEO. Keywords bridge the gap between a business’s offerings and what users search for. A good keyword strategy guides all other SEO efforts, ensuring your website’s content meets the needs and interests of your target audience.
- Performing Keyword Research: SEO consultants conduct in-depth keyword research to understand the search terms users are likely to enter. They consider various factors like search volume, competitiveness, and user intent. Targeting the right keywords helps attract the right audience to the website.
- Developing a Targeted Keyword Strategy: Once the keywords are identified, consultants create a strategy to integrate them effectively into website content, headers, URLs, and meta descriptions. This ensures that each page on the website is optimised to meet specific user queries, enhancing relevance and searchability.
On-Page and Off-Page Optimisation
Image source: MediaOne
On-page optimisation refines the website’s content and contains various off-site or external activities to solidify the website’s authority and trust.
- Roles in Content Creation and Keyword Integration: SEO consultants work closely with content creators to ensure that content aligns with the keyword strategy. This includes creating new content or optimising existing pages to include relevant keywords, heading structures, and metadata.
- Building High-Quality Backlinks and Authority Management: Off-page SEO establishes the website’s authority. Consultants seek high-quality backlinks from reputable sites, which can significantly impact search rankings. They may also use tactics like guest blogging, influencer partnerships, and social sharing to build a site’s authority and trustworthiness.
技术性搜索引擎优化
Aside from the on-page and off-page optimisation, technical SEO is one of the most essential SEO efforts. By improving the technical or foundational aspects of the website, you can provide a positive user experience, accessibility, and ranking on search engines. The behind-the-scenes effort includes:
- Ensuring Website Speed, Mobile-Friendliness, and User Experience: SEO consultants optimise technical factors that affect site speed, mobile usability, and overall user experience. Page load speed and mobile responsiveness are critical, influencing search rankings and user retention.
- Addressing Technical Issues (Broken Links, Redirects, Sitemaps): Technical SEO also involves fixing issues that may hinder a site’s performance. Broken links, redirect chains, missing sitemaps, and duplicate content are common problems consultants address to ensure the site is easily navigable for both users and search engines.
Competitor Analysis
Image source: SEMrush
Observing your competitors and identifying which efforts work well for them is essential to improve your website and overall brand health. Competitor analysis provides insights about similar businesses’ best practices and opportunities to outperform them in search results.
- Analysing Competitors’ SEO Performance: SEO consultants assess competitors’ strategies by looking at keyword rankings, backlink profiles, and content quality. This helps them understand industry benchmarks and establish realistic targets.
- Identifying Gaps and Opportunities in Competitor Strategies: By identifying gaps, such as keywords competitors have overlooked or content areas they haven’t fully covered, consultants can develop strategies to capture untapped audiences and strengthen the client’s market position.
Monitoring and Reporting
Image source: MediaOne
SEO is a long-term commitment. It is an ongoing process that also requires consistent monitoring to ensure that strategies remain effective and that the campaign is still on track with the business goals. SEO consultants regularly monitor the key performance indicators (KPIs) and report the campaign’s progress to the stakeholders.
- Tracking SEO KPIs: Key metrics include organic traffic, keyword rankings, bounce rate, conversion rate, and backlink growth. These metrics allow consultants to measure the success of their strategies and make adjustments as needed.
- Providing Insights for Continuous Improvement: SEO consultants provide clients with regular reports highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommended next steps. This transparency helps clients understand the impact of SEO efforts and stay informed about their website’s performance.
5 Essential Skills of an SEO Consultant
A successful SEO consultant must possess various skills, including technical expertise, analytical insight, and interpersonal skills. These skills enable the consultant to make data-driven decisions, improve the website according to the results, and effectively communicate the campaign’s progress to stakeholders. Search engine algorithms continue to change, so an SEO consultant must be adaptable and committed to continuous learning.
To learn more about how to be an effective SEO consultant, let’s explore the five essential skills required:
Analytical Skills
SEO is a data-driven field. It contains performance metrics, search trends, and an understanding of user behaviour. Hence, an SEO consultant must be comfortable with daily data analysis and understanding insights.
- Interpreting Data to Make Informed Decisions: Consultants use various analytics tools (such as Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs) to assess metrics like organic traffic, bounce rate, conversion rate, and keyword rankings. Strong analytical skills enable consultants to interpret this data, identifying patterns and trends that inform strategic decisions. For instance, if a high bounce rate is observed, an SEO consultant can delve into page speed, content relevance, or user experience factors to resolve the issue.
For SEO consultants, data must be their best friend. It gives them insight into a website’s strengths and weaknesses, helping them refine strategies to achieve better search engine rankings and user engagement.
Content and Copywriting Skills
In SEO, content is king. However, content is useless if it does not serve the target audience’s needs. Therefore, an SEO consultant must be able to optimise content for search engines while resonating with the target audience. An SEO consultant may not be a full-fledged writer, but they must understand how to create and refine search results-friendly content.
- Optimising Content with SEO Best Practices: This effort involves strategically placing keywords, optimising headers and meta descriptions, and ensuring the content aligns with user intent. Consultants need to ensure the content not only ranks but also provides value to users, encouraging longer session durations and lower bounce rates.
- Aligning SEO with Content Marketing Goals: Effective SEO doesn’t stop at optimisation; it should work harmoniously with a brand’s content marketing strategy. For example, if a client is launching a product, an SEO consultant might develop a content calendar with blog posts, product pages, and promotional content optimised for relevant keywords. This helps drive targeted traffic and reinforces the brand’s message through multiple channels.
Technical Proficiency
SEO consultants need a foundational understanding of web development principles to address technical issues that could impact search engine rankings. While they don’t necessarily need to be programmers, basic technical knowledge allows them to communicate effectively with web developers and troubleshoot common issues.
- Understanding HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Basics: Familiarity with HTML allows consultants to optimise page elements like title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags. Knowing CSS and JavaScript basics helps them address page layout, load times, and mobile usability issues. For example, if JavaScript hinders search engine crawlers from accessing important content, an SEO consultant can recommend alternatives or solutions to improve crawlability.
- Familiarity with CMS Platforms, Especially WordPress: Many businesses use content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Shopify, or Joomla, so consultants need to be proficient with these platforms. WordPress, in particular, is widely used, and SEO consultants often utilise plugins like Yoast or Rank Math to simplify on-page optimisation. Navigating and configuring these platforms allows consultants to improve SEO efficiently and effectively.
Communication and Client Management
Since SEO consultants operate on projects, they must know how to work closely with clients and stakeholders. Clear communication and effective client management are vital for fostering positive, collaborative relationships.
- Translating SEO Insights for Clients and Stakeholders: SEO can be complex, and not all clients understand its nuances. Consultants must explain SEO insights, strategies, and results in clear, non-technical language. This might involve breaking down complex data points into actionable insights, describing how specific changes could improve performance, or summarising monthly reports with clear recommendations.
- Managing Client Expectations Effectively: SEO is a long-term endeavour, and results are often gradual. Consultants must communicate realistic timelines, set achievable goals, and update clients on progress. Managing expectations helps build trust and ensures clients understand the value of SEO efforts, even when immediate results aren’t visible.
Adaptability and Continuous Learning
SEO is ever-evolving as search engines update their algorithms regularly. Aside from the algorithms, SEO tools continue to pop up. Hence, an SEO consultant must know how to adapt to these changes and learn quickly how to utilise tools for their benefit.
- Keeping Up with SEO Algorithm Updates and Industry Changes: Search engine algorithms are regularly updated, sometimes significantly impacting rankings. SEO consultants must stay informed of changes like Google’s core updates, which often shift best practices. By understanding and adapting to these changes, consultants ensure their strategies remain effective.
- Experimenting with New Tools and Methods: SEO tools like Moz, Ahrefs, and Surfer SEO regularly release new features, and new tools frequently enter the market. Consultants who explore and experiment with these tools gain fresh insights and may discover more efficient ways to achieve their goals. Additionally, experimenting with new optimisation methods, such as schema markup for structured data or interactive content for better engagement, allows consultants to refine their approach and deliver more value to clients.
Must-Have Tools for SEO Consultants
An SEO consultant must know how to use tested and proven tools to do their job effectively. Based on the tasks they can perform, here are the must-have tools for SEO consultants.
| Tool Category | 目的 | Examples |
| SEO Audit and Analysis |
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| 关键词研究 |
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| 内容优化 |
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| Analytics and Reporting |
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| Competitor Analysis |
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SEO Audit and Analysis Tools
Image source: Screaming Frog
SEO audit tools are foundational for consultants, providing insight into technical aspects that can impact search engine rankings.
- Screaming Frog is widely used for crawling websites, detecting broken links, duplicate content, and other SEO issues that hinder performance.
- Ahrefs and SEMrush provide a more comprehensive overview, offering insights into backlink profiles, keyword rankings, and traffic estimations.
Keyword Research Tools
Image source: Ubersuggest
Keyword research is central to SEO, guiding both content creation and optimisation.
- Google Keyword Planner is a popular choice, especially for targeting Google search trends. It provides keyword volume, competition, and suggested bid prices, which are helpful for both organic and paid strategies.
- Ubersuggest, another versatile tool, offers keyword suggestions, volume trends, and SEO difficulty scores, making it ideal for consultants seeking diverse keyword opportunities and competitor insights.
Content Optimisation Tools
Image source: SurferSEO
Content optimisation tools help ensure the content aligns with SEO best practices and is tailored to user intent.
- Clearscope analyses top-performing content and suggests semantic keywords, allowing consultants to enhance content relevance without overstuffing primary keywords.
- SurferSEO offers in-depth, page-level recommendations based on real-time SERP analysis, including ideal word count, keyword density, and content structure.
分析和报告工具
Image source: Boise State University
Tracking SEO performance is crucial for measuring success and communicating results to clients.
- Google Analytics provides in-depth insights into website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions.
- Google Search Console complements this with valuable data on keyword performance, indexing issues, and page impressions.
- Data Studio allows consultants to create visually appealing, customisable reports, integrating data from multiple sources to view SEO progress comprehensively.
Competitor Analysis Tools
Image source: SimilarWeb
Understanding competitors’ strategies can reveal gaps and opportunities.
- Ahrefs allows consultants to examine competitors’ backlinks, domain authority, and keyword rankings, which is invaluable for identifying link-building and keyword opportunities.
- SimilarWeb provides a broader view, offering data on competitor traffic sources, audience demographics, and engagement metrics.
- SpyFu focuses on competitor keywords and ad performance, making it a valuable tool for consultants who need to understand rivals’ organic and paid strategies.
Why You Need to Hire an SEO Consultant
Hiring an SEO consultant offers businesses several key advantages, particularly for boosting their online presence and attracting more relevant traffic. Here’s a look at some of the primary benefits:
Increased Website Visibility and Traffic
An SEO consultant’s expertise can significantly improve a website’s visibility on search engines like Google. Through comprehensive audits, targeted keyword research, and competitive analysis, consultants develop strategies that enhance a site’s search engine ranking.
By focusing on relevant keywords and optimising content and technical elements, an SEO consultant ensures the website is more accessible and attractive to search engines, ultimately driving more organic traffic. Increased visibility attracts more potential customers, expanding reach and building brand awareness.
Improved Conversion Rates Through Targeted Strategies
SEO consultants prioritise attracting traffic and converting visitors into customers. Through careful keyword selection, content optimisation, and user experience improvements, they help create a seamless path to conversion. By understanding user intent and aligning website content accordingly, consultants ensure visitors find what they want, leading to higher engagement and better conversion rates.
They also implement techniques like internal linking, well-placed calls-to-action, and optimised landing pages that make it easier for visitors to take desired actions, such as purchasing or signing up for a service.
Cost-Effective Approach Compared to In-House Hiring
Hiring an SEO consultant is often more cost-effective than hiring a full-time SEO specialist, particularly for small to mid-sized businesses or companies with limited SEO needs. Consultants offer flexibility, allowing businesses to engage their services only as needed, whether for specific projects, audits, or ongoing guidance.
This flexibility reduces overhead costs associated with full-time employees, such as benefits and training, while delivering high-quality, specialised SEO expertise. For many companies, consultants provide an affordable way to achieve SEO goals without committing to the long-term costs of an in-house team.
常见问题
What exactly does an SEO consultant do?
An SEO consultant works to improve a website’s visibility on search engines. This involves performing SEO audits, keyword research, on-page and off-page optimisation, technical SEO fixes, competitor analysis, and creating strategic plans for content and link-building. They also monitor performance and report on SEO KPIs to track progress.
How long does it take to see results from SEO consulting?
SEO is a long-term strategy, and results can vary based on factors like industry competition, the website’s current state, and the level of optimisation needed. Typically, it may take three to six months to see significant improvements, but specific changes (like technical fixes) can yield faster results.
How is an SEO consultant different from an in-house SEO specialist?
An SEO consultant is often hired on a project or contractual basis to provide expert advice and specific strategies. In contrast, an in-house SEO specialist is a full-time employee dedicated to the ongoing SEO needs of a single company. Consultants often bring specialised expertise for short-term or complex projects, while in-house specialists handle day-to-day SEO maintenance.
What tools do SEO consultants use to improve website rankings?
SEO consultants rely on various tools, including Screaming Frog for audits, Ahrefs and SEMrush for keyword and competitor analysis, Google Analytics for performance tracking, and SurferSEO for content optimisation. These tools provide data that inform strategic decisions to improve search engine rankings.
How can I tell if my business needs an SEO consultant?
Businesses with stagnant or declining search visibility, those launching new websites, or companies lacking in-house SEO expertise can benefit from hiring a consultant. An SEO consultant brings fresh insights, specialised skills, and a strategic approach to help improve organic traffic, especially for businesses looking to gain an edge in a competitive online space.
