What is SEO Consulting Services? Your SEO consultant

SEO might seem complicated at first glance. But at its core, it's about understanding search engine algorithms and implementing the right strategies to optimize websites and content. The goal is to improve rankings in Google and other search engines for relevant keywords.

Higher rankings lead to:

• More organic search traffic to your site
• Increased brand awareness and credibility
• More conversions and sales from new visitors

Studies show 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. So if your business isn't found on that vital first page, you're missing out on massive opportunities.

Professional SEO consultants have the expertise to analyze your website, find technical gaps, and build an effective strategy optimized around your business goals. By tapping into their knowledge, you can gain a valuable competitive edge.

SEO consultants offer a wide range of services, including:

Keyword research - Identifying high-value search terms and analyzing competition to select strategic keywords.

On-page optimization - Improving individual web pages through meta tags, content, HTML, site architecture and more.

Link building - Earning high-quality backlinks from relevant sites to improve domain authority.

Content strategy - Creating blogs, articles, and other content optimized for organic search.

Technical SEO audit - Detecting technical errors like crawl errors, broken links, site speed issues.

Local SEO - Building local search presence by getting listed on directories like Google My Business.

Reporting & Analytics - Setting up tracking to measure SEO KPIs and monitor website analytics.

The specific services included depend on your business' unique needs and goals. An experienced consultant will tailor a strategy aligned to what matters most for driving growth.

Trying to handle SEO in-house when you don't have expertise can do more harm than good. Here are four key reasons to hire a consultant:

1. Save Time & Resources

SEO is a full-time job. From keyword research to publishing content and link building, it requires significant time invested. Hiring a consultant saves precious internal resources.

2. Gain Expert Insights

SEO changes all the time with Google algorithm updates. New trends, techniques, and best practices continuously emerge. Consultants are experts who live and breathe this. They can translate their knowledge into an effective strategy for your business based on proven results, not guesswork.

3. Custom Strategy Aligned to Your Goals

Cookie-cutter approaches don't work in SEO. The right keywords, content, and link building strategy differs for every business based on their target audience, competitors, website, and objectives. An experienced consultant will conduct in-depth analysis of your business to build a high-impact strategy tailored to your specific needs.

4. Achieve Faster Results & Higher ROI

Doing SEO right takes comprehensive knowledge and consistent execution. Rather than navigating the learning curve, consultants can hit the ground running to improve organic search performance faster. Their expertise pays dividends through higher rankings, traffic, and return on investment.

Key Takeaways

1. SEO consulting services include technical audits, keyword research, content creation, link building, and reporting.
2. Hiring a consultant saves time, provides expert insights, and leads to higher ROI.
3. They tailor a data-driven SEO strategy aligned to your unique business goals.
4. With over 3.5 billion searches per day, SEO is vital for reaching potential customers.

By partnering with a consultant who knows what they're doing, you can build organic search presence, drive qualified traffic to your site, and ultimately boost conversions and sales.

An SEO consultant takes a strategic, data-driven approach to optimizing websites for organic search success. Their day-to-day work involves a range of important tasks and responsibilities.

Conduct Keyword Research

Choosing the right keywords and phrases to target is the foundation of an effective SEO strategy. Consultants use advanced tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Keyword Planner to research high-value keywords aligned to business goals.

For a law firm looking to rank for local search terms, for example, keywords may include:

• personal injury lawyer Milwaukee
• Milwaukee car accident attorneys
• best workers compensation lawyer Milwaukee

The consultant analyzes search volume, competition, and other factors to select viable keywords.

Perform On-Page Optimization

Optimizing individual web pages entails both copywriting and technical work. Consultants may:

• Optimize page titles and meta descriptions for target keywords
• Improve page content, headings, and structure
• Enhance HTML, site architecture and internal linking
• Fix technical errors like broken links, duplicate content issues, etc.

These on-page factors are critical for search engine crawling and indexing.

Build High-Quality Backlinks

Links from authoritative, relevant websites are one of the strongest ranking signals. Consultants use white hat tactics like:

• Guest posting on industry blogs
• Creating resources and partnerships
• Securing press mentions
• Building citations for local SEO

Backlinks help build domain authority and show search engines the site is trusted.

Set Up Tracking and Reporting

Analytics provide crucial data to measure SEO success. Consultants implement tracking like Google Analytics, create custom reports, and monitor:

• Organic traffic
• Rankings for target keywords
• Lead and sales conversions from organic
• ROI of SEO efforts

Robust reporting shows what's working and helps guide optimization.

By leveraging consultant expertise in areas like keyword research, technical SEO, content creation, and link building, businesses can execute proven strategies tailored for their website and goals. The result is more visibility in search and measurable growth.

Most businesses today understand the value of search engine optimization. But even if you know SEO is important, executing an effective strategy requires significant expertise. Here are four key reasons partnering with an SEO consultant can help take your organic search results to the next level:

A. Most Businesses Lack In-House SEO Expertise

SEO is a specialized field requiring constant education and hands-on experience. Unless you have a skilled SEO expert on staff, chances are your internal team lacks the in-depth knowledge needed to maximize your search potential. An experienced consultant already has the skills and insights you need.

B. SEO is Complex and Continuously Evolving

Between google algorithm updates, new techniques, changing best practices and more, keeping up with SEO requires dedicated focus. Consultants make it their business to stay on top of every change and innovation. Tapping into their expertise saves you from having to try and keep pace yourself.

C. Consultants Stay on Top of Algorithm Changes

Google rolls out hundreds of algorithm updates annually, both major and minor. Each shift impacts search rankings and results. While you may not have time to analyze the implications of each change, consultants make it their job to continually monitor and respond to updates. They know what works now, not just 6 months ago.

D. Consultants Develop Data-Driven Strategies Tailored to Your Goals

Rather than taking a generic, one-size-fits-all approach, seasoned consultants conduct in-depth analysis of your existing content, website, competitors and more. They use this data to build an SEO strategy customized for your unique business objectives. The result is a focused game plan optimized to help you meet your specific goals.

The Bottom Line

A skilled SEO consultant brings strategic insights, expert technical knowledge and hands-on implementation experience that typically lies outside a company's capabilities. By augmenting your team with a dedicated specialist, you gain an invaluable asset to elevate your SEO to new levels and maximize your search potential.

SEO consultants provide a diverse array of services to improve organic search performance. The specific offerings will vary based on the consultant or agency, but often include:

A. Website Audit

A detailed SEO audit examines the current health of a website to identify opportunities and issues. Things audited include:

• Site architecture
• Quality of code
• Page speed
• Mobile optimization
• Indexation issues
• Duplicate content
• Technical errors

Audits reveal problems hurting site performance so they can be remediated. Consultants use tools like ScreamingFrog, SEMRush, and Google Search Console to conduct audits.

B. Keyword Research

Selecting the right keywords is crucial for an effective SEO strategy. Consultants perform in-depth research to identify words and phrases with:

• High search volume
• Relevant to products/services
• Align to business goals
• Good cost per click
• Reasonable competition

Advanced paid tools like Ahrefs provide search volume data and keyword suggestions. This informs content creation and optimization.

C. On-Page Optimization

Optimizing individual web pages helps search engines understand page content and rank it higher. This includes:

• Adding keywords to page titles, meta descriptions, headers
• Improving page speed by compressing images
• Enhancing content quality, length and structure
• Fixing technical errors on pages
• Improving HTML, site architecture

On-page factors directly impact search indexing and rankings.

D. Link Building

Earning backlinks from other high-authority sites signals trust and authority to search engines. Ethical link building strategies consultants use include:

• Guest posting on relevant blogs
• Creating unique assets like guides, tools or resources
• Securing press mentions
• Partnering with complementary brands
• Building local citations

High-quality backlinks are one of the best ways to improve domain authority and rankings.

E. Content Strategy

Consultants often create custom content optimized for SEO as part of their strategy, including:

• Blog articles
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Ebooks or whitepapers
• Interactive tools
• Local page content

Ideally, content targets researched keywords and provides value.

F. Technical SEO

Technical site enhancements impact search crawler accessibility and performance. Technical SEO tactics:

• Fixing crawl errors
• Improving site speed and security
• Ensuring mobile responsiveness
• Setting up XML sitemaps
• Implementing HTTPS

Robust technical foundations lead to better SEO capability.

G. Local SEO

For businesses wanting local visibility, consultants focus on:

• Google My Business optimization
• Local content and optimization
• Citations and reviews
• Building locality signals
• Targeting geo-modifiers in link building

This improves visibility in local pack and map rankings.

H. Analytics & Reporting

Ongoing analytics provide insight into SEO efforts. Consultants setup tracking and reporting for:

• Ranking changes
• Traffic from organic
• Site speed metrics
• Lead and sale conversion metrics
• ROI on SEO investment

The right data clarifies whether optimization is working. Consultants analyze and optimize based on insights.

Not all SEO consultants possess the same knowledge, experience and track record of delivering results. Choosing the right partner to optimize your website and guide your organic search strategy is an incredibly important decision.

Here are the most important factors businesses should look for when vetting and selecting an SEO consultant:

Relevant Industry Experience

Look for a consultant who has significant experience specifically in your niche, whether that is ecommerce, SaaS, healthcare, finance, or another vertical. They will understand your target audience, competitor landscape, terminology, marketing objectives and industry-specific challenges.

For example, a consultant well-versed in technical B2B services can optimize for long-tail keywords critical for that audience. One experienced with regulated industries like healthcare or insurance will know how to navigate strict compliance requirements.

Proven SEO Results

The consultant should be able to provide concrete examples of the results they have achieved for clients through organic search optimization. Ask to see metrics like:

1. Increased organic traffic
2. Higher rankings for target keywords
3. More leads and sales from SEO
4. Measurable ROI delivered

Case studies and examples across different types of companies indicate an ability to execute successful strategies tailored to unique businesses.

Specialized SEO Expertise

Given the intricacies of SEO, it is beneficial to work with a specialized consultant rather than a general digital marketer or agency. SEO-specific expertise demonstrates they stay on top of the latest algorithm updates, trends, and tactics in the field.

Clear Reporting and Communication

Communication should be clear, tailored around your business goals, and provided consistently. The consultant should deliver monthly reports conveying organic search KPIs, updates on optimization efforts, and insights to guide strategy. Data-driven recommendations explaining what they plan to do and why are key.

Competitive, Transparent Pricing

Quality SEO work takes significant effort, so extremely cheap consultants are likely not investing the time needed to drive results. However, the rates should still be competitive for the value delivered and scope involved. Beware of hidden fees. Transparent, straightforward pricing builds trust.

Aligns Strategy to Your Goals

A strong consultant gets to know your organization and goals, and develops an SEO strategy aligned to what matters most. Rather than taking a one-size-fits all approach, they tailor efforts around your objectives to deliver an ROI.

Taking the time to carefully assess consultants against these criteria will help you identify the ideal partner to deliver ongoing organic search success.

In today's digital landscape, businesses cannot afford to ignore the importance of organic search. With billions of searches across Google and other engines daily, search visibility is vital for driving website traffic, leads and sales.

Yet SEO remains complex and ever-evolving. As Google's algorithms change, strategies and best practices need to adapt in response. For companies without the in-house expertise, investing in a partnership with an experienced SEO consultant can deliver huge benefits.

The right consultant becomes an invaluable asset who:

• Deeply analyzes your existing website and digital presence to identify opportunities for organic growth
• Conducts keyword research to select high-value terms aligned to your business and audience
• Optimizes on-page elements through compelling, keyword-optimized content, site enhancements and technical optimizations
• Builds high-quality backlink profiles to build authority and boost rankings
• Sets up analytics and reporting to prove the ROI of SEO efforts
• Keeps your strategy updated based on algorithm changes and trends

Rather than navigating SEO yourself through trial and error, hiring a consultant gives you a expert resource dedicated to executing a data-driven approach tailored specifically to your organization.

With the amount of additional traffic, brand visibility and revenues an effective SEO strategy can drive, partnering with a consultant offers an incredibly high ROI. Their ability to move the needle and get results makes it well worth the investment.

If you are looking to significantly expand your organic search presence, there's no better time than now to hire an SEO consultant. With their expertise, you can start down the path of long-term search engine success.