Not sure how to find a good SEO consultant? You came to the right place.
SEO can be a game-changer for your business. Not only can it improve your rankings on Google for relevant keywords, but it can help unlock great growth potential.
At the same time, creating an effective SEO strategy is a challenging task.
How do you create something that will work best for your business with so many changing SEO trends, questionable SEO players, and thousands of strategies?
The answer to this problem is simple. Hire the right SEO consultant. However, finding the correct consultant takes a lot of work. And most decision-makers don’t have the time to do this themselves.
With our experience as a full-service SEO agency, we have built a quick guide on everything you need to know about hiring the right SEO consultant.
What we’llWhat is an SEO Consultant?
A consultant is a seasoned professional or an expert in their field or industry. An SEO consultant thus knows everything about the field of search engine optimization. They have an in-depth knowledge of different SEO strategies and practices that they can also coach other professionals or businesses and help them get exceptional results.
These consultants are responsible for planning, implementing, and managing an entire SEO strategy for their clients. This means they have knowledge of different areas such as web marketing, content strategy planning, web analytics, link building, and keyword strategy. They also use tools such as Ahrefs to guide their strategy and measure important KPIs.
In conjunction with search engine optimization, many consultants also offer a full-service SEO package which means they will help you with everything from SEO planning to content marketing.
What we’ll cover:
Why should you hire an SEO Consultant?
Here are all the ways an SEO consultant can help your business:
- They will take care of four important aspects of SEO: keyword research, on-site SEO, link-building, and technical SEO.
- Help you achieve top ranking on search engines for any and all relevant keywords. For example, if you have a project management tool, an SEO consultant will help you rank on relevant keywords such as “project management”, “best tools for managing projects,” and so on.
- Boost your website’s organic traffic. In the age of digital, more traffic means more conversions and more revenue.
- Improve overall user experience. SEO also caters to technical functions such as site speed and site navigation. By improving these functions, you also improve user experience.
- Help develop stellar SEO content that aligns with your brand’s voice. Great content backed by a proper SEO strategy can do wonders for your conversions.
-Improve your business’s authority by having a strong web presence and search engine rankings.
- Save on high costs by not having an in-house team for SEO.
How do you find a good SEO Consultant?
With so many SEO consultants and companies, how do you find the right one for your business? Here’s a 7-step guide to making the correct decision.
1. Know what makes a good SEO consultant
The definition of a good SEO consultant for a SaaS company may differ from one for a manufacturing company. To get started, list all the criteria that make up a good SEO professional.
Let’s take an example of what this list might look like for a SaaS company.
- Knows how a SaaS company functions.
- Knows key SaaS KPIs like Churn rate, Monthly Recurring Revenue, Customer Lifetime Value, and how different SEO strategies can impact these KPIs.
- Understands the buying journey. For example, a B2B SaaS company might have a longer sales funnel.
- Can come up with out-of-the-box SEO campaigns that beat the competition. For example, there are a lot of similar SaaS tools in the market. Ranking for short-tail keywords may be tough. An SEO expert for SaaS companies should know that and develop alternative strategies.
- Has knowledge of different marketing platforms for SaaS and how they can be capitalized for SEO.
2. Know their domain expertise
While many consultants offer their SEO services for different domains, you might want to select one that caters to your specific domain. For example, some SEO consultants have expertise in SaaS, and they highlight the same on their websites or profile.
The benefit of working with these domain SEO experts is that they have spent many years understanding which SEO strategies work best for a particular domain. They also stay up-to-date on best practices and domain-specific news to come up with creative campaigns.
Nevertheless, you might want to pick a general SEO consultant. In such a scenario, look at the different services they provide. Some may offer just keyword research, whereas others offer an entire content plan with detailed briefs on how each content piece will help you rank on a particular keyword.
3. Take a look at their previous work
You can ask your SEO consultant for samples or a portfolio of their previous work. You can also ask for additional details, like the results they achieved for each client. While looking at the samples, check if they have worked for a company similar to yours and the strategies they used. This will point out if they are the right fit for your business.
Here’s how MADX has created case studies where we talk about the results we have achieved for our clients.
In rare cases where the consultant doesn’t have a readymade portfolio, you can take some time to look at their website. Is the site easy to navigate? Do they have good content? Have they made use of relevant keywords? As consultants focus more on their client websites than their own, it’s okay to have a couple of things here and there.
4. Know what key questions to ask
To know if the SEO consultant is a good fit for your business, you can use the following questions as a guide:
- How much experience do you have with SEO?
- Have you worked with a business like mine before? What strategies did you use?
- What parts of SEO do you have expertise in?
- What things will you need from us to be successful?
- When will we start to see results?
- What is your process or approach like?
- What is your fee structure like? Will I need to pay extra fees for anything?
You can use these questions as a guide but make sure you also ask questions related to your domain. If you are planning to use the consultant’s service in conjunction with your internal team, clear the process and responsibilities at the start to avoid any confusion later on.
5. Look for quality of communication
A good SEO strategy may take a few months to get results. When you’re in it for the long run, it makes sense to partner with an SEO consultant who communicates effectively. You don’t want to participate in unnecessary long emails or meetings. At the same time, you don’t want to be ghosted by your consultant for a stretch of time.
Here’s what effective communication should look like.
You can check these points while interacting with your consultant during the consideration stage. If you need to wait for a long period to get a reply, it could be time to move on.
Before you finalize any consultant, you can talk about the communication process, how often they’ll communicate, and the ways in which the communication will take place.
6. Look at reviews and testimonials
Most SEO consultants will demonstrate their client's reviews and testimonials on the website.
Not only can you take a look at what their clients are saying about them, but you can head over to their websites and see the kind of articles they are putting up, the keywords they are making use of, the site structure, and other technical SEO aspects they are capitalizing on. This will give you a basic indication of the SEO consultant's strategies and if they are any good.
7. Have specific SEO goals and KPIs
Having specific SEO goals and KPIs can help you choose the right consultant. For example, if your goal is to rank high for specific keywords and content, you can communicate the same with your consultant and check out the strategies or approaches they are suggesting.
KPIs or Key Performance Indicators are also a great way to check whether your marketing efforts are successful. You’ll need to constantly measure those and get in touch with your consultant to ensure that these KPIs keep improving. You can even ask your consultant how exactly they will improve the KPIs to reach your goals.
Here’s an example for you to get started.
Where to find a good SEO consultant?
Here are a few ways to kickstart your search for an SEO consultant:
- Get references from your peers: Talking to people you know and trust for references is the ideal way to go. You can even ask them for additional details like how satisfied they were with the services, what package you should opt for, and so on.
- Online platforms: You can search for SEO consultants on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. The only downside is that you might have to search a lot to differentiate the quality consultants from the rest.
- Search on Google: You can get a general list of SEO consultants by searching on Google. It’s important to note that just because an SEO consultant ranks higher than others, it doesn’t mean they are the best. The point of this search is to get a consideration list and then filter based on your criteria.
- Ask on social media groups: You can ask for opinions on social media groups relevant to your niche and SEO in general. You might get a couple of great recommendations from this source.
- Ask us: We are always ready to answer your queries and provide recommendations based on your budget, goals, domain, and expectations. As we work day in and day out on SEO, we believe we can help you find the correct consultant-client fit, irrespective of whether you’d be working with us or not.
How much does it cost to hire an SEO Consultant?
While SEO consulting rates vary, they may cost $100-300 per hour or $5000-30,000 per project. It is to be noted here that this rate may vary depending on the package and consultant you choose. This rate may be higher than the normal range if you’re going for an experienced consultant or SEO company.
At the same time, if you opt for a few services instead of the full package, you may need to pay a little less. Whatever package you choose, make sure you discuss any additional fees that may be required later, so there’s no confusion.
Ready to hire a good SEO Consultant?
SEO is a dynamic and risky game that every brand must participate in to win in this digital age. While many may be tempted to do it all on their own, it’s best to trust seasoned professionals with experience in getting the best results from SEO.
The search may take some time, but finding the right SEO consultant can boost your ROI and conversions. If you’re still confused, get in touch with us, and we’ll try our best to guide you on the right path.
Read more on SEO:
SaaS SEO: The ultimate growth strategy
The SaaS SEO strategy for long-term growth
7 reasons why listicles are a powerful way to drive SEO traffic
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