Most SEO consultants talk a big game. But how do you actually find one who delivers?
We interviewed an SEO expert, David Krauter, who's been doing this for years, and has worked, hired and outsourced to enough consultants to know the good from the dodgy. Here's what he told us - and honestly, some of it surprised us.
They Must Prove Themselves in 30 Days
Good SEO consultants don't ask for months of blind faith. They show results fast.
"You've got to prove your worth," David said. "Ideally, in the first 30 days, you want to show that you can impact your rankings positively."
Now, this doesn't mean using shady tricks or anything like that. It means finding legitimate quick wins that actually work. Which brings us to...
Four Things That Move the Needle Fast
David identified four areas where good consultants get quick results. Some of these might seem obvious, but bear with me:
Title tags matter most. "Dialling in your title tag to the keyword is one. It's always worked, it always will. It remains a very, very strong signal."
Content needs to be relevant. When we asked what makes content right, he said one word: "Relevance." Simple, but apparently most people get this wrong.
Fix technical problems. Remove the stuff that's blocking your site from performing. Sometimes it's the basics that kill you.Do real outreach. Not spam. Real relationship building. Though I suspect this is easier said than done.
Most Consultants Get Title Tags Wrong
Here's something interesting. David called writing title tags and meta descriptions "an art."
Why? "You've got to nail the keyword relevance, but you want to get that click, so it's that art of massaging the right keywords into a good call to action."
Most consultants just stuff keywords in there and call it a day. Good ones balance what Google wants with what makes people actually click. It's trickier than it sounds, but that's what your consultant is for.
Problem-Solving Skills Beat Technical Skills
Here's something most people miss - and I'll admit, I didn't see this coming either. Technical knowledge isn't enough.
David put it bluntly: "There's plenty of technical SEO's, but the majority of them lack problem-solving skills. A technical person follows a system. If that system doesn't fit your situation... well... more than likely it will fail."
Look for consultants who think beyond checklists. They need to understand your specific business and market, not just apply the same old solutions to every problem. Though finding someone like this might be the real challenge.
They Should Think Like Marketers, Not Just SEO Techs
Good consultants "understand marketing and aren't just locked in on specific SEO technicalities. The bigger picture is to grow your business - not just get rankings."
Ask potential consultants how SEO fits into your overall business goals. If they only talk about keywords and rankings, keep looking. I mean, rankings are great, but they don't pay the bills if nobody's buying anything.
Can They Explain Things Simply?
A consultant's job is to "listen to the client, work out what challenges they face and then break the solution down into easy to understand terms."
If a consultant can't explain what they're doing in plain English, they probably don't understand it well enough themselves. Our agency regularly hears: "Thanks for finally breaking this down in easy to understand terms."
Avoid consultants who hide behind jargon. You know the type - they throw around terms like "semantic indexing" and "crawl budget optimisation" without explaining what any of it means for your business.
The Biggest Problem? Bad Tracking
We asked what most businesses overlook in SEO. His answer surprised us.
"Tracking the effectiveness of the SEO campaign. You have to understand the full picture. Rankings is one signal, traffic is another signal, but then conversions are another signal."
Here's the thing: these don't always move together. Your rankings might go up before your traffic does. Or traffic might increase before sales do. It's frustrating, but that's how it works.
"If you're not tracking that stuff, you're actually not understanding whether your SEO is working properly or not."
Your consultant should track all three from day one. No exceptions.
Focus on Revenue, Not Vanity Metrics
Don't get distracted by impressive traffic numbers. I've seen businesses get excited about doubling their website traffic while their actual sales stayed flat.
Look for consultants who can tie their work to actual business results. Good consultants track leads generated, deals closed, and revenue created - not just page views and clicks. If they get shy when you ask about revenue impact, keep looking.
Though I'll say this - sometimes the connection between SEO work and revenue isn't immediate. But they should at least be thinking about it.
Ask for Case Studies and Proof
Before you hire anyone, ask to see their previous work. Good consultants should provide concrete case studies showing:
- What strategies they used
- The results they achieved
- How long it took to see improvements
If they can't show you proof of past success, don't hire them. Period.
Now, some consultants might say they can't share details because of NDAs. That's fair to an extent, but they should have something they can show you. Even anonymised results are better than nothing.
Industry Experience Matters
Look for consultants who understand your specific industry. Someone who's helped SaaS companies won't necessarily know how to help local plumbers.
Ask about their experience with businesses like yours. They should understand your customers' buying process and the challenges specific to your market.
Though I suppose there's something to be said for fresh perspectives too. Sometimes an outsider sees things you've missed. But generally, industry experience helps.
SEO Works Better With Other Marketing
Good consultants don't work in isolation. They understand how SEO connects to everything else.
Take reviews, for example. "If you're gonna have a good reputation with reviews, you can use that in your schema, it's gonna increase your click-through rate."
More reviews mean better click-through rates. Better click-through rates help your SEO. It's all connected, which makes sense when you think about it.
The Most Underrated Marketing Channel
This caught us off guard, especially coming from a digital marketer. We asked about underrated marketing channels. His answer: "Offline."
"The people's letter boxes are empty. Their inboxes are full. Facebook is just ads everywhere. Why don't we go back to some letter boxes?"
Smart consultants think beyond Google. They understand how offline marketing can support your SEO.
I'm not sure I'm ready to start stuffing mailboxes again, but his point about everything being oversaturated online makes sense.
Red Flags to Avoid
Guaranteed results. Avoid anyone promising overnight success through shortcuts. "You don't want to cut corners or do black hat stuff to try and game the search engines. Long term, it's never going to work."
Suspiciously cheap pricing. If someone's charging way below market rates ($50-150/hour is typical), there's usually a reason. Quality SEO work takes time and expertise. You get what you pay for, unfortunately.
Vague explanations. If they can't clearly explain their strategy, they probably don't have one.
No proof of results. Anyone can claim they're an expert. Ask for evidence.
Trust and Transparency Matter
Good consultants build trust early. You need to feel comfortable sharing sensitive business information with them.
"You need to be willing and confident to reveal commercially sensitive information to your consultant. You will need to have the trust that this information will only be used to benefit your business."
A consultant who won't explain their methods or share detailed reports isn't worth your time. They should also provide regular updates on what they're doing and the results they're seeing.
Perhaps this goes without saying, but you want someone you actually like working with. SEO takes months, not weeks, and at the end of the day - it's a relationship game.
Key Questions to Ask Any SEO Consultant
Based on these insights, here are essential questions to evaluate any SEO consultant:
- What quick wins can you identify in my first 30 days?
- How do you track rankings, traffic, and conversions?
- Can you show me case studies from businesses similar to mine?
- What's your approach to title tag optimisation?
- How does SEO fit with my other marketing?
- Can you explain your strategy in simple terms I can understand?
- How do you solve problems when standard tactics don't work?
- Do you think like a marketer or just an SEO tech?
- How do you tie SEO work to actual revenue results?
- What experience do you have in my industry?
Don't feel like you need to ask all of these, but pick the ones that matter most to your situation.
The Bottom Line
Good SEO consultants prove themselves fast. They find quick wins without cutting corners. They track the right things. And they understand how SEO connects to your other marketing.
Most importantly, they don't ask you to wait six months to see if anything's working. They show you progress within 30 days.
They also focus on growing your business, not just improving your rankings. They can explain what they're doing in plain English. And they have proof of success with businesses like yours.
That's how you separate the real experts from the people just talking a good game. Though honestly, even with all this advice, finding the right consultant still takes some luck. Reach out to us if you’re feeling uncertain about your consultant choice, or want some advice on where to go next with your marketing budget.