A strong online presence is the first thing for any business these days. But with millions of websites competing for attention, how do you ensure yours gets seen by visitors before others? The simple answer is that you do not have to do it. Instead an SEO consultant will ensure the ranking factors for you.
Here, an SEO consultant is a specialist to help your website rise through the search engine rankings. Although working passively, he is the key to attracting more organic traffic to your online business. Let’s dive into the roles and duties of an SEO consultant in a nutshell.
What are the SEO Consultant Essentials?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the art and science of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). An SEO consultant is an expert in this field. The person has a deep understanding of three things:
- How search engines work and need
- How current SEO trends work globally
- How to adapt to ever-changing algorithms
Let’s dive deep and learn how an SEO consultant does everything.
What Does an SEO Consultant Do?
An SEO consultant’s key tasks include SEO audits, keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, technical SEO, content strategy, and reporting. Combined, they find the missing links that do not let your websites reach the top ranking.
We have a short overview of each work part if you want to know how the work is done.
SEO Audits
An SEO consultant thoroughly analyzes your website to identify strengths and weaknesses that affect search ranking. The person conducts multiple factors to evaluate the performance.
- Page indexation issues
- The backlink profile
- Page loading speed
- Content and keyword quality
- Content structures
Keyword Research
An SEO consultant helps you discover relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for and optimize your content accordingly. They look for the words or phrases people seek in the present. Then, they filter the niche keywords related to the business.
On-Page Optimization
You must know which keywords are working for the content. An SEO consultant uses professional tools and experience to list the best keywords alongside elements. This identification can help you optimize your website’s content, structure, and code to improve its search engine friendliness.
Off-Page Optimization
This part focuses on the external factors that make a strong presence of any website. The main factors are the mention and PR via backlinks and guest postings, which is a major ranking factor for search engines. An SEO consultant knows which website has the best authority to verify your trustworthiness to search engines.
Technical SEO
An SEO consultant’s success hinges on technical SEO knowledge. Typically, technical SEO involves understanding some basic website elements and their performance.
- Loading speed
- Mobile-friendliness
- Data structure
Together, everything impacts search engine visibility. These factors influence how search engines crawl and index a website.
Content Strategy
A perfect content strategy attracts your target audience. The reason is that carefully crafted content provides valuable information and contains the elements to attract the crawlers. Therefore, an SEO consultant builds a customized content strategy for a specific website.
Reporting & Analysis
An SEO consultant can track your website’s SEO progress over time. This work provides actionable recommendations to improve your ranking further. Also, you will have a comparable performance report to identify past mistakes.
Signs You Need An SEO Consultant
If your website isn’t generating the desired traffic or you are struggling to improve your search ranking, an SEO consultant can be a valuable asset. Some more symptoms will let you know the demand of an SEO consultant. Those are:
- When you are not sure where to start with SEO for your newly designed website.
- When your website has hidden technical SEO issues and errors.
- When you lack the time or expertise to manage SEO besides business.
- When your competitors are outranking you in search results by some unknown magics.
How to Find an SEO Consultant?
The right SEO consultant can make a big difference in your online success. Here are some tips for finding a qualified professional:
- Get Recommendations: Ask your colleagues, business partners, or other website owners for recommendations. Also, you could get an idea and proof of their work from familiar people.
- Research Online: Search on Google for consultants with a strong online presence. Plus, join groups and look for positive reviews and experience from SEO consultants in your industry.
- Interview candidates: Get leads from LinkedIn or Fiverr and discuss your goals, budget, and expectations. Make sure they have a clear understanding of SEO best practices and can explain their approach.
- Check Links: When you read an article, look for the external links redirecting to an expert SEO consultant or agency. Often, people refer to reputed agencies’ links in their blog content.
What is the Difference between SEO Consultants vs. SEO Agencies?
While SEO consultants work independently, SEO agencies offer a wider range of digital marketing services, including SEO. Consider your needs and budget when deciding which option is right for you.
An SEO Consultant
SEO consultants are like skilled freelancers in the SEO world. They offer a personalized approach. They focus on in-depth SEO strategy development and make custom recommendations for your needs. Their expertise lies in auditing your website, pinpointing areas for improvement, and crafting an SEO roadmap. Consultants are often cost-effective and ideal for businesses with existing marketing teams seeking SEO guidance or those with well-defined goals. However, the implementation of the strategy falls on your shoulders.
SEO Agency
SEO agencies bring a team of specialists to the table. They offer a broader range of digital marketing services beyond just SEO. Their work potentially includes content creation, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and social media management at the same place.
This comprehensive approach to SEO can benefit businesses by making a complete online marketing strategy. Furthermore, agencies typically have the resources to handle complex projects and ongoing SEO management. However, their services often come at a higher cost compared to solo consultants.
What Tools Does an SEO Consultant Use?
Many SEO consultants use tools to help with keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and website audits. The tools vary from person to person; using the right strategy is the main goal here. But we have listed the best tools average SEO consultants use daily.
- SEMrush: SEMRush offers a comprehensive suite of SEO tools, including rank tracking, competitor analysis, keyword research, and backlink monitoring.
- Ahrefs: Ahref is another powerful SEO toolset known for its in-depth backlink analysis and competitor research capabilities.
- Moz: Moz is a popular all-around SEO platform that provides tools for keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Screaming Frog explores your website and detects technical SEO issues such as broken links, duplicate content, and slow-loading problems.
- Google Search Console: Google Search Console is an amazing tool from Google. You can get valuable insights into your website’s performance on search engines. Basically, it checks keyword ranking, crawling errors, and mobile friendliness issues.
Last Words
An SEO consultant can be a powerful partner in your journey to online success. Moreover, the consulting person can give you relief by taking all the SEO-related responsibility into own hands.
FAQs
What does an SEO specialist do daily?
SEO specialists constantly analyze clues like website performance and keyword rankings to monitor a site’s health like a detective. Since search engines and user behaviour shift, these SEO professionals must monitor daily to ensure each webpage attracts the right visitors.
What is SEO consulting a good profession?
SEO consultants are the navigators of the digital world. They must be experts at finding the right keywords, optimizing website content, and building backlinks. By understanding all the technical aspects, they can become the pioneer in the digital world for business owners.
How to hire an SEO consultant?
Finding the right SEO consultant involves three steps! First, define your goals regarding traffic and sales. Then, research SEO strategists with experience in your industry. After that, ask for a website audit to assess their skills. You can interview multiple people and ask smart questions about your business.