The SEO consulting process explained—a creative’s guide to SEO management consulting

You’ve created great content and shared it online. The problem? No one’s seeing it. You review analytics every day, but your traffic is flatlining. What’s next? Well, it might be time to bring in a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant.

SEO is complicated and often feels impossible to navigate. Search algorithms constantly change, and Google doesn’t exactly tell us how it prioritizes sites. It all feels like a bit of a black box, and as a small creative brand, you probably don’t have the time or budget to spend on SEO.

SEO consultants can guide you through this ever-changing landscape—it’s their job to stay up-to-date with the latest buzz around what works with search engines. Let’s learn more about SEO consulting and give you some tips you can use to boost your business.

SEO consulting: what is SEO and why do I need to know about it?

Before we learn about the role of an SEO consultant, it helps to have some background on exactly what SEO is and isn’t. You can learn more in our SEO tips for graphic designers, but here’s a quick refresher.

SEO basics: The importance of being on the first page

Think about the last time you did a Google search. Did you find what you wanted on the first page of search results or the twelfth? It was on the first, wasn’t it? Odds are, the link you clicked was well-optimized.

SEO techniques give you a chance to be seen on the search engine results page or SERP. Top-ranking results typically use a combination of on-page and off-page techniques to help search engines prioritize the listing. For example, if you’re a videographer in London, of course, you want to appear in these results. An SEO consultant can help you get there.

How to boost your rankings: on-page vs. off-page SEO

To better understand these techniques, here’s a real-life example. If you’re selling your house, I’ll bet you do two things: stage the property and advertise the listing. Think of that staging as on-page SEO: you’re making the property itself look great so that when people show up, they love what they see. Advertising the property is similar to off-page SEO. It helps more people find your property.

On-page SEO tactics focus on the website itself. This consists of several factors. The best-known category is keyword usage, which includes using the key terms you want to be found for. Another is tagging and structuring your content in a way search engines understand. That includes header tags, text that describes images (called “alt text”), and properly organizing your site structure.

Off-page SEO happens away from your website. It includes actions you take on other sites to boost your site’s search ranking. These tactics help improve your site’s visibility in search results.

Search engines heavily prioritize backlinks, which are links to your site on other websites. It’s a sort of “social proof” that search engines use to know who to trust. Needless to say, it’s important to build relevant links so that you’re a trusted domain.

SEO consulting process explained: what is an SEO consultant, and why do I need one?

So what does an SEO consultant do? They’re trained professionals who know how to take full advantage of the latest SEO strategies to ensure that your content is seen. The ultimate goal of an SEO consultant is to drive the right kind of traffic to your website that leads to more sales, inquiries, or however you define success.

What does an SEO consultant do?

A great SEO consultant can help you develop an SEO strategy to reach your goals. They’ll review your existing results and look for opportunities. The suggested steps could include on-page and off-page tactics. Here are examples of tactics that SEO consultants have recommended to me in the past. Review them and see if you can use them for your own website:

• Competitor analysis: if you’re targeting ranking at the top for a specific keyword, it helps to review your competition. How many backlinks do they have? What keywords do they rank for? SEO consultants can prepare this type of analysis to steer you in the right direction.
• Keyword research: many times, there are opportunities to target keywords that have high search volume but low competition. SEO consultants can help you find these sweet spots via research.
• Content strategy development: many times, SEO consultants are also content strategists. They’ll help you find opportunities to develop material that leads interested searchers to your site.
• Site performance optimization: these are technical, “under the hood” adjustments that improve the site’s performance. They include factors like ensuring that the page loads quickly and tagging content in a way a search engine can understand.

Here’s an example of the kind of analysis an SEO consultant might provide:

What an SEO consultant probably won’t do

Don’t expect your SEO consultant to do everything for you. For example, if you need to publish thought leadership content, you may actually be the right person to do the work. (Keep in mind: AI-powered tools can be a big help here.) However, an SEO consultant can help you build a list of suggested actions.

Also, remember that there are right and wrong ways to do SEO. Don’t fall for consultants who promise unbelievably good results quickly. They may be leaning on shady, short-term tactics. Buying backlinks, rather than building them organically, is a common trick. So is keyword stuffing: incessantly using the same keywords in an attempt to drive up traffic. Search engines eventually catch on to these tactics and may penalize your site.

Sure, you may be able to take shortcuts that generate page views. But if that traffic doesn’t match your ideal clientele, you won’t grow the business. Ten qualified leads a month can be far more valuable than a million page views, and organic SEO consultants ensure proper steps are taken to meet your goals.

A good SEO consultant can help you balance all of these factors. Frankly, to succeed in today’s crowded online landscape, expert advice is essential. So why not let an SEO consultant help you make sense of search engines that may otherwise feel like a mystery?

SEO management consulting: finding an SEO consultant

You’ve learned the advantages of hiring an SEO consultant to help your creative business thrive. Before reaching out to candidates, it helps to define your budget to spend on SEO so you can filter options realistically. Just like the competitive landscape in general, the market for SEO consultants is vast.

Are you wondering what to ask SEO consultants? You may not know how to find a good SEO consultant that fits your needs. And how can you be sure they’re reputable and don’t use the junk strategies we talked about above?

As in hiring any other professional, there’s no single process for finding an SEO consulting service. With that in mind, here are some general rules and strategies for you to try:

• Set your objectives first. Clear goals are important. Are you trying to drive more clicks? Increase sales conversions? Develop a content strategy? All of these are important parts of SEO. However, some SEO consultants have specialized areas, and it helps to target those with matching acumen.
  
• Explore who’s out there on social media and more. Social media—X, Instagram, and more—can be good resources for finding SEO consultants. These platforms make it easier to reach out. Cast a broad net: don’t talk to just one consultant. Get a feel for several candidates on social media and other marketplaces.
  
• See how your consultant’s page ranks! Found a technical SEO consultant, but their own page is buried in the ranks? Frankly, that’s a danger sign. A highly ranked SEO consulting page is a sign that your candidate is able to practice what they preach.
  
• Check what consultants are available near you. Geographic proximity, while not required, is often useful. And similarly located consultants may understand the nuances of a country or region in ways that will help your SEO. Tools like Clutch help you search for SEO consultants by location. (You can also hire an international SEO consultant who focuses on optimizing across all areas.)
  
• Seek a collaborative relationship. Organic SEO consultants should embrace teamwork. In my experience, SEO consultants that focus on my specific goals are those that have brought me the most success.
  
• Take a deep dive into client testimonials. Reviews and client ratings are great ways to get a feel for an SEO consulting candidate’s work. You can validate prior successes and get a feel for their work. Aim for consultants with a proven record, backed up by the success of other clients.

How to work with an SEO consultant successfully

Once you’ve retained an SEO consultant, your working relationship is underway. But remember: the simple act of hiring an SEO consultant doesn’t guarantee success. You’re just getting started. Follow these steps to make sure the relationship is successful.

1. Set clear goals

Right from the beginning, you must agree on goals. What does that really mean? In short, it means that you set clear objectives that you and your SEO consultant will strive to meet.

Most business builders face one of two key challenges that lead them to hire SEO consulting services:

• You have traffic, but it’s not relevant to what you’re trying to achieve. Maybe you have plenty of eyeballs on your site, but they aren’t converting into contact form completions or sales.
• You simply don’t have enough traffic. You’re converting your current visitors into “next steps,” but you need to turn up the volume.

2. Agree on realistic strategies

Your SEO consultant can connect these challenges to actionable strategies. They may ask you to write a series of articles, for example, to establish thought leadership in the space. The best SEO consultants can connect your business challenge to actions to take. This is the key to creating relevant traffic.

It’s important to remember that you need to be realistic. Imagine, for example, if you have a small independent bookstore online. Having the goal of being the #1 search result for “books” just isn’t going to work. No matter how good your SEO consultant is, some spaces are too mature and crowded to break into overnight.

3. Find a niche

To avoid those crowded spaces, zone in on a particular niche. Maybe you offer books to your local community, and ranking tip-top for “Asheville book store” is achievable. This is a realistic, defined goal that you can reach with the proper investment in the right tactics. SEO consulting services are more effective with realistic targets.

Bear in mind that even realistic goals take some time. Don’t panic if you don’t see strong results in a week or a month. SEO consulting work can bring results, but it takes time. And once implemented, it takes a bit longer for search engines to index. In other words, prepare to wait a while for gains to be seen.

4. Keep the information flowing

Help your SEO consultant achieve results by working with them throughout the process and giving them what they need. Your average technical SEO consultant will want two things: information and collaboration.

Information means allowing them access to website analytics, marketing strategies, and more. Great SEO doesn’t work in a silo. It takes your existing business plans and goals and optimizes how they are shared online. This optimization boosts your traffic. Without this data, your consultant can’t track their own performance.

Collaboration means sharing plans, not just data. This way, you can ensure that your message is being communicated accurately to your online clients. Don’t sacrifice authentic messaging for better SEO! Similarly, be willing to adapt your message. It’s perfectly normal to make these changes to better serve SEO goals. And you can do it while remaining true and authentic to your own core values and message.

Monitoring progress with an SEO consultant

Once you’ve implemented a strategy with an SEO consultant, you’ve set the stage for growth. But to measure success, be sure to track performance so that you can see how well you’re doing on the way to meeting your goals.

Tools for website analytics

With the proper tools, you can remove the guesswork involved in tracking your SEO efforts. First and foremost, of course, are your own website analytics. Tools like Plausible, Fathom, and Google Analytics will show you key data about your site’s traffic.

You can use these tools as a general measure of your traffic, but remember to connect it back to the number of desired actions your audience is taking. Many analytics tools also support event tracking, which can help you track and chart actions like contact forms, purchases, and more.

How to track search-engine rankings

Since we’re talking about SEO optimization, let’s not forget to focus on the key: how our site ranks and how often it appears in search results. Google’s Search Console helps you track your site’s performance on Google.

There are countless other tools to embrace that help you monitor the performance of your SEO consultant and their work. Platforms like Semrush, Moz, and Ahrefs provide tools for metric tracking. Beautiful visuals let you instantly conceptualize how you’re doing—and where you are going. 

Avoid vanity metrics

There’s a careful balance to maintain as you track your search engine metrics. Too many business owners gravitate toward “vanity metrics” like page views. And while it’s great to see your traffic improve, it means little if visitors don’t take action.

Choose tools that align with your own SEO strategies. Then, use them regularly to track performance. Ideally, you can even set benchmarks. Targeting more contact form completions to measure opportunities to set sales calls? That’s a metric by which you can measure success and identify gaps.

Refine your strategies based on the data

Use data and performance tracking to fuel shifts in your strategies too. They’re especially useful if you’re engaged in content marketing. If you’re pushing content onto your website with the aim of boosting search engine traffic, you can easily identify what types of content perform the best, and then produce more of that content.

Tracking helps you stay on pace, it allows your consultant’s strategies to evolve, and it helps you meet the needs of potential customers.

Get started with SEO consulting: hire an SEO consultant today!

Now you know all about SEO consultants, what they do, and how they can help you grow your traffic. And I showed you what to look for in a successful SEO consultant.

The truth is that SEO is complex and time-consuming. Hiring a professional SEO consultant is a commitment, so set clear objectives and carefully track performance. Then, revisit and evolve as your goals change. With an SEO consultant by your side, you can confidently navigate the unknown!

If you need top-notch graphics and photos to revamp your site and socials, browse Envato‘s extensive library of creative assets. Or check out our SEO tips for graphic designers and other SEO tutorials.