{"id":2291,"date":"2023-08-16T05:13:37","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T05:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/what-is-an-seo-consultant-do-you-need-one\/"},"modified":"2023-08-16T05:13:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T05:13:37","slug":"what-is-an-seo-consultant-do-you-need-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/what-is-an-seo-consultant-do-you-need-one\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is an SEO Consultant? Do You Need One?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>An SEO consultant assists businesses in improving their websites\u2019 visibility in search engines like Google.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, I\u2019ll walk you through what SEO consultants do, whether your business needs one, and the most important questions to ask before hiring them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does an SEO consultant do?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>An SEO consultant provides several SEO services to improve your website\u2019s online visibility. Here are a few examples of the most common services they provide.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keyword research <\/strong>\u2013 Find what your customers are searching for.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link building <\/strong>\u2013 Get links from other websites so you rank higher.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEO reporting <\/strong>\u2013 Give updates on your website\u2019s SEO progress to refine your strategy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>On-page SEO <\/strong>\u2013 Improve your website internally to help it rank better.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technical SEO <\/strong>\u2013 Avoid technical issues to keep your website in good health.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Local SEO <\/strong>\u2013 Enable you to rank for local keywords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sidenote\">\n<p>Sidenote.<\/p>\n<p> This isn\u2019t an exhaustive list of services, but these are some of the most popular services that most SEO consultants will offer to improve the visibility of your website in the major search engines.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you need an SEO consultant?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>To answer this question, you\u2019ll need to consider whether the following scenarios apply to your website. The more of these scenarios you answer \u201cyes,\u201d the more likely you\u2019ll need an SEO consultant to help resolve these issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your organic traffic has dropped (and you don\u2019t know\u00a0why)<\/h3>\n<p>If your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-dropped-dramatically\/\">Google ranking has dropped dramatically<\/a>, your organic traffic has plummeted, and you don\u2019t know the reason, it could cause serious damage to your business.<\/p>\n<p>To check for any drops, it\u2019s best to go to Google Search Console (GSC) and click on the \u201cPerformance\u201d tab. Set the date to the last 12 months.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1542\" height=\"1072\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5.png\" alt=\"Example of a drop in clicks, via Google Search Console\" class=\"wp-image-164545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5.png 1542w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5-611x425.png 611w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5-768x534.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5-1536x1068.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1542px) 100vw, 1542px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1542\" height=\"1072\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5.png\" alt=\"Example of a drop in clicks, via Google Search Console\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5.png 1542w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5-611x425.png 611w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5-768x534.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-5-1536x1068.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1542px) 100vw, 1542px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>If you see a steep drop in clicks, that may be a sign you need to hire an SEO consultant\u2014sooner rather than\u00a0later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\">\n<p>Sidenote.<\/p>\n<p> Sometimes, organic traffic drops can be caused by seasonal fluctuations. For example, the website above relies on the Christmas period for most of its search traffic.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have access to GSC, you can set up a free <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a> account. With this account, you can check your estimated organic search traffic.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1364\" height=\"778\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3.png\" alt=\"Checking estimated organic search traffic in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-164547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3.png 1364w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3-680x388.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3-768x438.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1364\" height=\"778\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3.png\" alt=\"Checking estimated organic search traffic in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3.png 1364w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3-680x388.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-3-768x438.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your website has technical issues (and you don\u2019t know what\u2019s causing them)<\/h3>\n<p>Keeping your website in good technical health is important in SEO. If there are serious issues, those can often lead to a significant loss in organic traffic.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to check your website, the best place to start is by running a free audit using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve run your audit, you\u2019ll get a <strong>Health Score<\/strong> that indicates the status of your website\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of what that looks\u00a0like:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-5.png\" alt=\"Health Score in Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164549\" width=\"339\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-5.png 678w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-5-400x425.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-5.png\" alt=\"Health Score in Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164549\" width=\"339\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-5.png 678w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-5-400x425.png 400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The Health Score of this website is 31, meaning there could be some major technical issues affecting this website\u2019s performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To fix these issues and get a higher score, you\u2019d probably need to hire an SEO consultant.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your competitors are getting more search traffic than\u00a0you<\/h3>\n<p>If your competitors are outperforming you online, it\u2019s likely you could get more organic search traffic as well\u2014with the help of\u00a0SEO.<\/p>\n<p>The fastest way to check a competitor\u2019s organic search traffic is to enter their domain into our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/traffic-checker\">free website traffic checker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"972\" height=\"878\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' free website traffic checker\" class=\"wp-image-164550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3.png 972w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3-471x425.png 471w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3-768x694.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 972px) 100vw, 972px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"972\" height=\"878\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' free website traffic checker\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3.png 972w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3-471x425.png 471w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-3-768x694.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 972px) 100vw, 972px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve entered your competitor, you\u2019ll get a full breakdown of their organic traffic, top keywords, top countries, and top\u00a0pages.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1396\" height=\"1312\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4.png\" alt=\"Report generated by Ahrefs' free website traffic checker&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4.png 1396w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4-452x425.png 452w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4-768x722.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1396px) 100vw, 1396px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1396\" height=\"1312\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4.png\" alt=\"Report generated by Ahrefs' free website traffic checker&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4.png 1396w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4-452x425.png 452w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image8-4-768x722.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1396px) 100vw, 1396px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>You can then do the same for your website and compare traffic numbers.<\/p>\n<p>If you have multiple competitors, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a> to view the <strong>Organic competitors<\/strong> report.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1425\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2.png\" alt=\"Organic competitors report, via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2-596x425.png 596w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2-768x547.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2-1536x1095.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1425\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2.png\" alt=\"Organic competitors report, via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2-596x425.png 596w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2-768x547.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image4-2-1536x1095.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You want to rank higher for important keywords for your business<\/h3>\n<p>If you know a bit about SEO, you\u2019ll know the importance of certain keywords for your business.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To check where you\u2019re ranking for these keywords, you can use our free\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To do so, click the \u201cOrganic keywords\u201d box in your site\u2019s project from the main dashboard.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1582\" height=\"772\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2.png\" alt=\"&quot;Organic keywords&quot; box on main dashboard, via ahrefs.com\" class=\"wp-image-164556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2.png 1582w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2-680x332.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2-1536x750.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1582px) 100vw, 1582px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1582\" height=\"772\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2.png\" alt=\"&quot;Organic keywords&quot; box on main dashboard, via ahrefs.com\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2.png 1582w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2-680x332.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-2-1536x750.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1582px) 100vw, 1582px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>You\u2019ll then be taken to the <strong>Organic keywords<\/strong> report, where you can check your keyword positions for different keywords.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1736\" height=\"798\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4.png\" alt=\"Organic keywords report with positions highlighted, via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools\" class=\"wp-image-164558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4.png 1736w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4-680x313.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4-768x353.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4-1536x706.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1736px) 100vw, 1736px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1736\" height=\"798\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4.png\" alt=\"Organic keywords report with positions highlighted, via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4.png 1736w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4-680x313.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4-768x353.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-4-1536x706.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1736px) 100vw, 1736px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019re not ranking well for your keywords, then it\u2019s probably a good idea to consider working with an SEO consultant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seven questions to ask when hiring an SEO consultant<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you answered \u201cyes\u201d to any of the above questions, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll need to hire an SEO consultant.<\/p>\n<p>But with so many unscrupulous SEOs out there and so much money on the table, it\u2019s important to vet potential SEO consultants thoroughly before you commit to working with them. This process often starts by asking the right questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what to ask your SEO consultant before hiring them:<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. How much do you charge?<\/h3>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter how good an SEO consultant is. If they\u2019re out of your budget range, you won\u2019t be able to work with them\u2014so it makes sense to ask this question first.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the most common rates SEO consultants charge based on the results from our survey:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hourly<\/strong>: $101\u2013$150<\/li>\n<li><strong>Per project<\/strong>: $2,501\u2013$10,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Retainer<\/strong>: $2,501\u2013$5,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sidenote\">\n<p>Sidenote.<\/p>\n<p> The pricing will also vary depending on the country. In the U.S. (and other countries with a high purchasing power parity), you should expect to pay at least $100 per hour to get a good SEO consultant. To hire the best English-speaking consultants, you can expect to be charged $200+ hourly rates.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Most SEO consultants (71.43%) charge monthly retainers, but a decent chunk of them (55.10%) offer per-project pricing too. Hourly payment is less common, but roughly a third of consultants (34.69%) still charge this\u00a0way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If your SEO consultant quotes way more or less than these numbers, ask about their experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Our survey found that the longer a consultant has been in business, the more they\u2019re likely to charge (which makes\u00a0sense):<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1278\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3.png\" alt=\"Line graph showing SEO hourly rates (by time in business)\" class=\"wp-image-164560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3-532x425.png 532w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3-768x613.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3-1536x1227.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1278\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3.png\" alt=\"Line graph showing SEO hourly rates (by time in business)\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3-532x425.png 532w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3-768x613.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image11-3-1536x1227.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. What\u2019s your specialization?<\/h3>\n<p>As SEO covers so many different industries, it\u2019s almost impossible to be an expert in all of\u00a0them.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why it\u2019s a good idea to ask an SEO consultant what industries they specialize in to understand where their strengths lie.<\/p>\n<p>For example, an SEO consultant may have 10 years of e-commerce experience. This makes them a good candidate for an e-commerce business but not the best candidate for a SaaS business.<\/p>\n<p>When looking for an SEO consultant, it makes sense to find one who already has experience in your industry or has worked with a similar business before.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. What\u2019s your track record?<\/h3>\n<p>Most SEO consultants list a few clients on their websites. But this information is not always accompanied by testimonials or case studies reflecting their SEO performance. If you\u2019re missing this information, it\u2019s worth asking them.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to check is to use a tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>. You can plug in one of their client\u2019s websites and check the estimated <strong>organic traffic<\/strong> in the\u00a0chart.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1776\" height=\"1576\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4.png\" alt=\"Overview 2.0, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-164562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4.png 1776w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4-479x425.png 479w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4-768x682.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4-1536x1363.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1776px) 100vw, 1776px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1776\" height=\"1576\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4.png\" alt=\"Overview 2.0, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4.png 1776w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4-479x425.png 479w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4-768x682.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-4-1536x1363.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1776px) 100vw, 1776px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>From there, you\u2019ll be able to see whether they did a good job or\u00a0not.<\/p>\n<p>If you see an upward trend, then it\u2019s a good sign. But always discuss a few cases with the consultant when you get in touch with them. They can tell you the periods when they worked for a certain client.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, you won\u2019t see much growth or may question the performance in other ways. Let the consultant justify their results. SEO is a long-term game, and you rarely see any significant changes in organic traffic in the first months of cooperation.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Do you guarantee SEO results?<\/h3>\n<p>If an SEO consultant guarantees results, especially first-page rankings for your keywords<em>\u2014<\/em>run.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>No matter how good an SEO consultant is, they can\u2019t \u201cguarantee results\u201d in SEO. There are too many variables and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-factors\/\">ranking factors<\/a> involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The reality is that with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">Google\u2019s algorithm updates<\/a>, it\u2019s hard for even the most experienced SEO consultants to predict exactly what\u2019s around the corner in terms of\u00a0SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. What SEO tools do you\u00a0use?<\/h3>\n<p>Industry poll after industry poll reveals that most SEOs use Ahrefs, so you can expect most consultants to mention this\u00a0tool.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a recent example:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3.png\" alt=\"Aira survey showing most respondents choosing Ahrefs (if they could only pick one tool)\" class=\"wp-image-164564\" width=\"430\" height=\"472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3.png 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3-387x425.png 387w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3-768x843.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3.png\" alt=\"Aira survey showing most respondents choosing Ahrefs (if they could only pick one tool)\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164564\" width=\"430\" height=\"472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3.png 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3-387x425.png 387w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image13-3-768x843.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>And another:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5.jpg\" alt=\"Matt Diggity's survey showing most respondents selecting Ahrefs as their site audit tool of choice&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164566\" width=\"430\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5.jpg 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5-351x425.jpg 351w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5-768x929.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5.jpg\" alt=\"Matt Diggity's survey showing most respondents selecting Ahrefs as their site audit tool of choice&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164566\" width=\"430\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5.jpg 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5-351x425.jpg 351w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-5-768x929.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>And one\u00a0more\u2026<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3.png\" alt=\"Proper SEO Group's survey showing most respondents selecting Ahrefs as the most accurate keyword tool\" class=\"wp-image-164568\" width=\"430\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3.png 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3-440x425.png 440w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3-768x741.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3.png\" alt=\"Proper SEO Group's survey showing most respondents selecting Ahrefs as the most accurate keyword tool\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164568\" width=\"430\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3.png 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3-440x425.png 440w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-3-768x741.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>But Ahrefs can\u2019t do absolutely everything, so most consultants use other tools. Here are a few you can expect:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Screaming Frog<\/li>\n<li>BuzzStream<\/li>\n<li>Pitchbox<\/li>\n<li>Google Search Console (GSC)<\/li>\n<li>Google Analytics (GA)<\/li>\n<li>Google Looker Studio (GLS)<\/li>\n<li>Surfer<\/li>\n<li>Hunter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If a consultant doesn\u2019t mention some of these tools, it could be a red flag. As SEO is focused on tools, you should expect your SEO consultant to understand most of the tools mentioned.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. What\u2019s your approach to Google\u2019s guidelines?<\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s no right answer to this question.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But leaning toward the extremes (doing everything\/nothing according to Google) should be treated with caution.<\/p>\n<p>Many SEO consultants have had great success reading between the lines of Google\u2019s guidelines and have got astonishing results. Still, the sustainability of these methods is usually short-term and not ideal for a business owner looking to grow their business for the long\u00a0term.<\/p>\n<p>Breaking Google\u2019s guidelines also comes with a great deal of risk. At best, it could be an algorithmic penalty. At worst, it could result in a manual penalty\u2014usually spelling the end of a website.<\/p>\n<p>The path you take here depends on your risk appetite. But my advice in most cases is to go with an SEO consultant who doesn\u2019t try to break Google\u2019s guidelines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. What do you need to get started?<\/h3>\n<p>When you ask the SEO consultant this question, the response you\u2019re looking for is for them to ask if there\u2019s been any previous SEO work done on your\u00a0site.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The reason for this is it\u2019s a good indication of whether they\u2019re willing to charge you again for work that might have been done already.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some questions that they may ask\u00a0you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Has any keyword research been\u00a0done?<\/li>\n<li>Is there a content plan?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Has an SEO audit been completed?<\/li>\n<li>Have you done any link building?<\/li>\n<li>Are there any SEO reports?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another thing that most SEO consultants may ask for is access to Google Analytics and Google Search Console.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These are industry-standard tools, and it\u2019s helpful for the SEO consultant if they can see the state of the website (usually before working on\u00a0it).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If an SEO consultant shows an interest in the work that\u2019s been completed on the website, it\u2019s probably a good sign that they\u2019re efficient, thorough, and prepared to do a good\u00a0job.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Finding a decent SEO consultant to improve your website\u2019s organic visibility is not always easy. You may have to work with several before you find a good fit for your business.<\/p>\n<p>Often, the best way to find a decent SEO consultant is to connect with them on LinkedIn or go with a personal recommendation from another website owner.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-consultant\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An SEO consultant assists businesses in improving their websites\u2019 visibility in search engines like Google. In this post, I\u2019ll walk you through what SEO consultants do, whether your business needs one, and the most important questions to ask before hiring them. What does an SEO consultant do? An SEO consultant provides several SEO services to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}