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What does an SEO consultant do, and when do you need one?

Simon Tern

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Simon Tern

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An SEO consultant helps your business show up in Google’s organic search results, meaning without paying for every click. The work comes down to three things: the site works technically, the content answers what people search for, and other sites link to you. All of it tied to measurement that shows whether it brings in customers.

What does an SEO consultant do in practice?

Technical SEO. The consultant makes sure Google can find, read and understand the site. That covers site structure, load times, redirects and structured data.

Content. The consultant builds a keyword plan and works out which pages are needed. The copy should answer what the visitor is actually wondering about, not just contain the right words.

Links. Pages that others point to are seen as more credible. The consultant helps you build links that are worth something, without shortcuts that can hurt you.

Measurement. Without follow-up you cannot know what helps. The consultant ties the SEO work to enquiries and revenue, not just to rankings.

When do you need an SEO consultant?

  • You are building a new site or changing platform and do not want to lose visibility.
  • You have lost traffic and do not know why.
  • You show up for the wrong keywords, or not at all.
  • You have an agency but cannot see what is being done.
  • You want to take SEO over from an agency and tie it to leads and revenue.

When do you not need one?

If the site is new, has no content and you are not sure what to sell, SEO is not the first step. It helps more to sort out the offer and the site first. An honest consultant will tell you so.

What an engagement looks like

I work in four steps: current situation, prioritisation, delivery and follow-up. You get a short list of what has the most impact first, and a review every month. Read more about how I work.

How fast do you see results?

Most people see a clear direction within four to eight weeks. For competitive keywords it takes longer, often months. I tell you in the first review what is realistic for your keywords.

Read more about SEO as a service, or talk to me about your situation.

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