Has your business tried to handle SEO internally, only to see your competitors’ listings at the top of search results? Or do you know how to use SEO to benefit your business despite knowing its importance and having heard of it?
Basically, if your business is not on the first page of Google, your customers will not find you. 28.5% of people click the top organic search result, according to an analysis of 80 million phrases. Additionally, clickthrough rates on Google’s page 2 are far below 1%.
That’s where the need for an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) consulting agency comes in. SEO consultants assist companies in raising the position of their websites in search engine results. They boost your company’s ability to generate income, make it easier for potential customers to find you, and keep you competitive.
Key Takeaways
- A good SEO consultant helps businesses attract the attention of their targeted online audience through search engines. They attract customers, stay competitive, and use data for decisions.
- SEO consultants must stay updated with the latest Google SEO guidelines. They do keyword research, optimize websites, fix tech issues, and give helpful advice.
- The benefits of SEO consulting are brand awareness, growth, and online relevance. They research, optimize, and fix errors.
- Essential skills: experience, results, strategy, explaining value. Choose an SEO consultant carefully after talking to a few.
Did you Know? 💡
According to a study by Terakeet, the cost of acquiring new consumers with an effective SEO strategy is 87 percent lower than with paid search.
So, if you have asked yourself:
- What Does an SEO Consultant Do?
- Do You Need a Skilled SEO Consultant?
- How Do I Find a Good Consultant?
- Should You Consider an SEO Agency Instead?
Here’s the article just for you: We will address your questions and more. By the end, you will understand all about SEO consultants and their work.
How Does An SEO Consultant Work? Who Are They?
The job of an SEO consultant can change based on where they work. They could do different things, from specific SEO jobs to giving big-picture advice to companies.
Here’s a list of things an SEO consultant might do:
Here’s a list of things an SEO consultant might do:
- Find the right keywords with an SEO audit.
- Make a plan for organic search optimization with off- and on-page SEO.
- Make existing content on the web pages better for SEO.
- Fix technical problems that affect your brand’s digital marketing practices using Google Analytics.
- Make the website easier to use and navigate with proper on-page optimization.
- Look at other website link-building strategies that rank highly for the exact keywords.
- Suggest ways to make calls to action for better business growth.
They also work with other marketing teams to share content on social media and in emails.
Here are some of the skill sets you should be looking for when you come across some of the best SEO consultants in the industry.
- Tailor SEO strategies to match what your business requires.
- Predict the success of an SEO effort based on user searches and competition.
- Show you how SEO functions.
- Give examples of past client successes.
- Utilize up-to-date SEO techniques, tools, and software.
- Craft unique content that ranks highly in search results.
- Study the data for SEO suggestions.
Why You Need To Hire An SEO Consultant Agency
Knowing when you should hire an SEO consultant is often straightforward. Hire an SEO consultant if search engines like Google are essential to your business promotion and your website is not bringing in new customers or sales.
Here are some signs that you should look at:
The Website Traffic Is Decreasing Consequently
When you want to know if your SEO plan is doing well, you can look at the visitors you get from search engines. If the number of people coming to your website from searches is not going up (or is going down), you might need help from an SEO expert or find a new one.
Note: Seasonal fluctuations can sometimes cause organic traffic drops. For example, an eCommerce website dealing in Christmas cakes receives most of its search traffic during the winter.
Some companies might not care much about getting visitors from search engines, but those companies are very uncommon. It probably does, even if you don’t think it matters for your business. Did you realize that 51% of shoppers use Google to find information before buying online? That’s a lot of people you might be missing if your website doesn’t show up on Google.
Your Site Has Been Down After You Were Penalized
Did your website’s position in Google search results drop after a recent update? It’s possible that Google lowered your ranking because your website didn’t follow its rules. When Google gives your website a lower rank, it’s hard to improve without someone who knows much about search engines.
If you receive an email like the example below, it is a good idea to hire an expert in improving search results, called an SEO consultant.
An SEO consultant could assist your website in getting better if it was penalized before. They can also guide you in following Google’s rules to prevent more punishments in the future.
The In-House Marketing Team Isn’t Getting Results
Some companies attempt to create an in-house SEO team or hire a marketing manager with expertise in multiple areas of digital marketing. Unfortunately, this is not always successful. An SEO consultant will have more experience than an in-house team and be less expensive, even if your SEO department only consists of one individual.
Your Website Has Technical Issues (And You Do Not Know Where The Problem Is)
Maintaining your website’s technical health is essential for SEO. Serious problems frequently result in a substantial decline in organic traffic.
Free audit tools are the best place to start if you want to examine your website. After completing your audit, you will receive a Health Score that indicates the overall health of your website.
Here is an illustration of what this looks like:
This website’s Health Score is 31, indicating that there may be significant technical issues impeding its performance.
You likely need an SEO consultant to address these issues and achieve a higher ranking.
Now we know a business’s problems, implying the need to hire an SEO specialist. Let us look at some of the tasks SEO professionals do, as they have the best SEO knowledge to help you move your brand forward.
What Does An SEO Expert Do To Help A Business Owner?
SEO consulting involves many on and off-page SEO strategies combined with a digital marketing strategy to improve the business’s position in the search engine results. Read on to learn more about them in brief.
Keyword Research
Doing keyword research is a big deal when planning what to put on your website. It’s about ensuring your site matches what people are looking for on search engines. To do this, you need to know the words or questions your potential customers use to find out what you offer.
Simply put, it’s like getting into the minds of your customers and figuring out how they look for things online.
Experts in SEO do this research. They make a list of relevant keywords that your content should include. They also tell you how much you should use these words and where to put them to boost organic traffic.
For example, they suggest adding popular longer phrases to your blog titles and descriptions. They also say to sprinkle the less popular words once or twice in your article.
After that, your SEO person and content planners work together. They decide what topics to write about and what kind of content to make, all based on these critical words.
Because, think about it, there’s no sense in making content about things no one is looking for. It’s also not wise to rank high for stuff that’s hard to show up for in searches.
Website Audit
During a website checkup, the expert looks at your website from a search engine’s point of view and gives advice on improving it. They examine each web page, its content, how fast the site works, and other things that affect how it appears on search engines.
An SEO checkup aims to see if search engines can quickly tell if your website is helpful for people looking for information. The SEO expert checks to see if search engines can understand what your website is all about.
They also see if those search engine systems think your website matches well with common words people use to search for things.
Besides your content and words, search engines also care about how easy your website is to use, if it’s trustworthy, and if it’s seen as an expert source.
If your website takes too long to load, people might have trouble using it, making it less visible in searches. Without a security certificate, search engines may worry about your site’s safety and lower its ranking.
When an SEO expert starts working with you, they do a site checkup and repeat it periodically to see how their work affects things. For instance, it’s wise to check after a significant change from Google to see if your site’s visibility has changed.
Competitor Research
An SEO marketer does more than just increase the visibility of your website in search engines. They also check out your competitors, figure out what words they’re doing well with, and find ways for your site to do even better.
Let’s say you sell dog food, and one of your main competitors has a super popular article about “picking the best dog food.” You must make an even more helpful guide for your website to beat them.
As the number of words that can help your site appear in search results grows, looking up your rivals by hand can get tricky. Therefore, it is vital in SEO to use tools to make this easier and get the needed information.
But there’s much more to studying your rivals than just getting ideas for your own stuff. Checking out your competitors also means:
- Finding gaps during competitor analysis, i.e., finding areas where you can be better than the competition
- Checking out who’s linking to their site
- Watching to see where your keywords rank
- Checking out what words they’re paying for in ads
On-Page And Off-Page Optimization
When people talk about making their website appear in search results without paying for ads, they usually talk about organic search optimization.
Working on your website’s content, words, loading speed, computer-readable information, and address organization is part of this.
But there’s another important part, too. This happens outside your website to make more people visit it and improve how important search engines think your website is.
A big part of this outside work is building links. Imagine other websites talking about your website or putting links on theirs. This is like them saying, “Hey, this website has really good stuff!” When this happens, search engines see it and think your website must be excellent and worth showing people when they search.
But it’s not just about how many websites link to yours; it’s also about how popular and trustworthy those other websites are and how updated the information is. All these things matter. Someone who helps with search engine optimization can guide you on how to get good links. They might tell you to use social media, write articles for other websites, get people with many followers to talk about your website, or just get your brand name out there.
This kind of work outside your website takes more time and effort, but it often works better in the long run. If you hire someone good at search engine optimization, they will know how to improve your website and get more people to talk about it.
Content Optimization
SEO consulting also means improving your website by using the right words and phrases people search for. An SEO expert might team up with writers to create content that focuses on these words and gives valuable information to readers. This improves the strategy for sharing content.
However, making content better doesn’t mean squeezing in lots of keywords. Instead, a skilled SEO consultant advises where to put keywords, like in titles, descriptions, and headings. They make it sound natural and authentic.
When it comes to blogs and pages, improving content involves several steps that start before writing even begins. Looking into keywords well is essential. This makes sure you’re writing about things your readers care about. Also, using links inside your website and from other places helps your content show up higher when people search.
What Questions Should You Ask When Evaluating A Search Engine Consultant? (A Complete Checklist)
When considering a search engine consultant, posing the right questions is vital. Here are critical inquiries to ensure the right fit for your needs:
- Ask about their experience in SEO. Have they worked with businesses similar to yours?
- Inquire about their previous clients and success stories. Can they share examples of improved search rankings or increased website traffic?
- What approaches do they use to boost search engine visibility? Do they emphasize ethical and white hat techniques?
- How do they stay current with search engine algorithm changes? Are they adaptable to evolving SEO trends?
- How do they choose keywords? Is their process aligned with your business goals?
- Do they analyze your competitors’ strategies? Can they identify opportunities based on this analysis?
- Do they suggest content improvements? How do they align content with SEO goals?
- Do they grasp technical SEO aspects like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data?
- How do they approach building backlinks? Do they prioritize quality over quantity?
- How do they track and report progress? What metrics do they focus on?
- How often will they provide updates? Are they open to regular discussions?
- Will their strategies be tailored to your specific business, or are they using a generic approach?
- How long before you might see noticeable results? Beware of overly optimistic promises.
- How do they avoid actions that could lead to search engine penalties?
- Are they willing to educate you about SEO basics and their proposed strategies?
- If applicable, do they have experience with local SEO? Can they enhance your local search presence?
- How do they integrate social media with SEO efforts?
- What are their fees, and how do they structure their pricing? Is it aligned with the value they provide?
- Can they offer client testimonials or references to validate their claims?
- Do they focus on quick fixes or a sustainable, long-term SEO strategy?
- Will they provide detailed insights into their actions and the results they achieved?
- Are there any unethical practices they strictly avoid? (e.g., link schemes).
- Could they share a specific case where they tackled a challenging SEO issue?
- How do they ensure they’re continually learning and adapting to industry changes?
- What’s included in their contract? Are there any long-term commitments?
Asking these questions helps you assess a search engine consultant’s expertise, ethics, and suitability. Remember, a good consultant will provide transparent and realistic answers, aligning their strategies with your business goals for a successful SEO partnership.
Recap
Over the years, many aspects of the SEO game have changed, but one element has remained unchanged.
Content is still king, so creating exceptional, attention-grabbing content is essential for any business in the digital age.
Employing a proficient SEO consultant agency that can assist you in developing quality SEO strategies and exposing them to a broader audience is unquestionably a wise decision. But you should also ensure that you and your content production team have a few advanced strategies.
Local SEO Buzz is a dynamic SEO consultant agency specializing in digital marketing, website development, online reputation management, and local SEO services. Focusing on enhancing online visibility, we offer tailored solutions to businesses aiming for regional dominance. Our expert team includes Facebook marketing consultants adept at driving engagement through strategic social media marketing services. From optimizing your web presence to harnessing social platforms, Local SEO Buzz empowers businesses to stand out and thrive in local and international markets.
