Hiring a SEO consultant tends to be a last ditch effort once other marketing tactics have failed. However, SEO is one of the most important investments you an make in your business. Having a strong online presence is crucial for a business to succeed. With millions of websites competing for attention, it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play.

I have been designing WordPress websites for small business owners for over a decade without realizing that I had been doing SEO all the while. By building websites following sustainable web design principles, I had unintentionally been building sites that rank very well.

What is SEO and How Does It Relate to Sustainability?

SEO is the practice of optimizing a website to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages. It involves various strategies that help businesses attract organic traffic and increase their online visibility. There are many things that are key to SEO that overlap with sustainable web design such as website performance, user experience, and quality content.

In this article, we will explore the importance of SEO and how hiring an SEO consultant can help businesses maximize their return on investment (ROI).

The Importance of SEO

The majority of consumers turn to search engines like Google to find products, services, and information. In fact, studies show that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. This highlights the importance of having a strong online presence and appearing on the first page of search engine results. If your website is not optimized for search engines, you are missing out on a significant amount of potential traffic and customers.

92.96% of global traffic comes from Google Search, Google Images, and Google Maps. (SparkToro)

Statistics and data further support the importance of SEO. According to a study by BrightEdge, organic search drives 51% of all website traffic, while paid search only accounts for 10%. This shows that organic search is a major driver of website traffic and should not be overlooked. Additionally, a study by Search Engine Journal found that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. This means that if your website is not ranking on the first page, you are unlikely to receive much organic traffic.

Understanding the Role of an SEO Consultant

An SEO consultant specializes in optimizing websites for search engines. I personally believe that combine SEO with web design services gets better results. My background is in WordPress development and I’m able to get better results by combining my web design knowledge with my understanding of search engine algorithms.

The role of an SEO consultant is to analyze a website’s current SEO performance, identify areas for improvement, and develop and implement strategies to increase its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages.

An SEO consultant differs from an in-house SEO team in that they are external experts who provide objective and unbiased advice. They bring a fresh perspective and can offer insights and strategies that an in-house team may overlook. Additionally, hiring an SEO consultant can be more cost-effective for businesses, as they do not require a full-time salary or benefits. Instead, businesses can hire an SEO consultant on a project basis or for a specific period of time. Some consultants can also provide training to an in-house marketing team. I provide training online through my courses and also in person in the Eugene, Oregon area.

How an SEO Consultant Can Help Maximize Your ROI

One of the main reasons businesses invest in SEO is to increase their return on investment (ROI). An SEO consultant can help businesses achieve this by implementing strategies that drive organic traffic and improve conversion rates. By optimizing a website’s content, keywords, and technical elements, an SEO consultant can help businesses attract more qualified leads and customers.

For example, an SEO consultant may conduct keyword research to identify the most relevant and high-performing keywords for a business’s industry. They can then optimize the website’s content to include these keywords, making it more likely to appear in search engine results for relevant queries. This can lead to an increase in organic traffic and, ultimately, more conversions and sales.

One of the things that I love about doing search engine optimization is that the results are so tangible. The outcome of SEO work can be measured and evaluated. It’s not wise to guarantee a business owner that you can get them on the first page of Google, but you can show than a rise in search engine ranking for specific keywords. This is a measurable result.

The Benefits of Investing in an SEO Consultant

Investing in an SEO consultant offers numerous benefits for businesses.

• Increase website traffic
• Inrease brand visibility and awareness
• Improve conversion rate and sales
• Boost search engine rankings
• Improve the user experience of a website
• Reduce website bounce rates
• Fix website errors

Firstly, hiring an SEO consultant can help increase website traffic. By optimizing a website for search engines, businesses can attract more organic traffic and reach a wider audience. This can lead to increased brand visibility and awareness, as well as more opportunities for conversions and sales.

Secondly, an SEO consultant can help businesses achieve higher search engine rankings. By implementing effective SEO strategies, an SEO consultant can help businesses improve their search engine rankings and increase their visibility to potential customers. The goal is to get your business to show in the top 3 search results since this will dramatically increase traffic to your website.

The top three Google search results get 54.4% of all clicks. (Backlinko)

Lastly, an SEO consultant can help improve the user experience of a website. User experience is an important factor in SEO, as search engines prioritize websites that provide a positive and seamless user experience. An SEO consultant can analyze a website’s design, navigation, and loading speed, and make recommendations for improvement. By enhancing the user experience, businesses can increase engagement, reduce bounce rates, and improve their search engine rankings.

When considering the cost of hiring an SEO consultant, it is important to weigh it against the potential return on investment. While hiring an SEO consultant may require an upfront investment, the long-term benefits can far outweigh the cost. Increased website traffic, higher search engine rankings, and improved user experience can all contribute to higher conversions and sales, ultimately leading to a higher ROI.

A SEO Consultant Can Help Your Avoid Common SEO Mistakes with Professional Guidance

Many businesses make common SEO mistakes that can hinder their online visibility and ranking. A SEO consultant can help businesses avoid this mistake by conducting keyword research and implementing a strategic keyword optimization strategy. Here are some common mistakes:

• Keyword stuffing
• Neglecting technical SEO such as website speed
• Failing to update website content regularly
• Not creating SEO friendly blog posts
• Having no content strategy
• Building content around unwinnable or irrelevant keywords
• Only testing the website homepage

One of the most common mistakes is keyword stuffing, which involves excessively using keywords in an attempt to rank higher on search engine results pages. However, search engines have become more sophisticated and can penalize websites that engage in keyword stuffing.

Another common SEO mistake is neglecting the technical aspects of SEO. Search engines consider factors such as website speed, mobile-friendliness, and crawlability when determining search rankings. If a website is slow to load or not mobile-friendly, it can negatively impact its search engine rankings. An SEO consultant can conduct a technical audit of a website and make recommendations for improvement, ensuring that it meets search engine requirements. I offer free SEO audits to small business owners. This is a great start to begin to make improvements.

Many businesses fail to regularly update their website’s content, which can result in a decline in search engine rankings. Search engines prioritize fresh and relevant content, so it is important to regularly publish new content and update existing content. One of the best ways to achieve this is with a business blog. An SEO consultant can help businesses develop a content strategy and create high-quality, optimized content that appeals to both search engines and users.

Neglecting to update website content is like neglecting to maintain a garden – both result in a decline in favorability. Search engines value fresh and relevant content, so businesses should regularly publish and update their website content. Hiring an SEO consultant is like hiring a gardener to develop a strategy and create appealing content that pleases both search engines and users.

By working with an SEO consultant, businesses can avoid these common SEO mistakes and improve their overall SEO strategy. An SEO consultant can provide professional guidance and expertise, ensuring that a business’s SEO efforts are effective and aligned with best practices.

A SEO Consultant Can Build Customized SEO Strategies for Your Unique Business Goals

Every business is unique, with its own goals, target audience, and industry. This is why a one-size-fits-all approach to SEO is not effective. An SEO consultant can create a customized SEO strategy tailored to a business’s specific needs and goals. They will conduct a thorough analysis of a business’s website, industry, and competitors to identify areas for improvement and develop a strategy that will yield the best results.

For example, an SEO consultant may identify that a business’s website is lacking in relevant and high-quality backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to a business’s website and are an important factor in search engine rankings. The consultant can then develop a link-building strategy to acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in the industry. This can help improve the website’s authority and visibility on search engine results pages.

A website’s backlinks are like referrals from other websites. They are essential for search engine rankings. Obtaining high-quality backlinks can improve a website’s authority and visibility.

A SEO Consultant Can Help You Stay Ahead of the Competition

An SEO consultant can provide businesses with valuable insights into their competitors’ SEO strategies. They can analyze the keywords, backlinks, and content strategies of competitors and identify areas where a business can gain a competitive advantage.

If we discover that a competitor is ranking higher on search engine results pages for a specific keyword. We can then develop a strategy to optimize a business’s website for that keyword and outrank the competitor. By staying informed about competitors’ SEO strategies, businesses can make informed decisions and take proactive steps to improve their own SEO performance.

This information can also be used to improve a business’s own SEO strategy. By analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, an SEO consultant can identify opportunities for improvement and develop strategies to capitalize on them. This can help businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors and attract more organic traffic and customers.

Measuring the success of an SEO strategy is crucial for understanding its impact and making informed decisions. An SEO consultant can use metrics and analytics to track and analyze the performance of a business’s SEO efforts. They can provide businesses with valuable insights into key performance indicators (KPIs) such as organic traffic, search engine rankings, and conversion rates.

By using tools like Google Analytics to track the number of organic visitors to a website, the keywords that are driving traffic, and the pages that are generating the most conversions. This data can help businesses understand which aspects of their SEO strategy are working well and which need improvement. By regularly monitoring and analyzing SEO metrics, businesses can make data-driven decisions and optimize their SEO strategy for better results.

We can provide you with regular reports and updates on their SEO performance, ensuring that you are always informed about the impact of their SEO strategy.

Tracking and analyzing SEO data is like monitoring the heart rate during exercise. It helps businesses understand how their SEO efforts are performing and make necessary adjustments. An SEO consultant acts as a personal trainer, providing regular reports and updates on SEO performance to ensure businesses stay informed about the impact of their SEO strategy.

A SEO Consultant Can Help You Build Sustainable Growth

While SEO can deliver immediate results, it is also a long-term strategy that requires ongoing effort and investment. An SEO consultant can help businesses build sustainable growth by developing long-term SEO strategies that yield consistent results over time. They can create a roadmap for success and guide businesses through the process of optimizing their website and improving their search engine rankings.

A SEO consultant may recommend creating a content marketing strategy that focuses on regularly publishing high-quality, optimized content. This can help attract organic traffic and build a loyal audience over time. By consistently producing valuable content, businesses can establish themselves as industry leaders and attract more organic traffic and customers.

There are numerous success stories of businesses that have achieved sustainable growth through long-term SEO campaigns. For instance, a case study by HubSpot highlighted how a small software company saw a 300% increase in organic traffic and a 50% increase in leads after implementing a long-term SEO strategy recommended by a consultant. This demonstrates the potential for long-term ROI that can be achieved through effective SEO strategies.

Making the Case for Hiring an SEO Consultant: Cost vs. Value Analysis

When considering hiring an SEO consultant, it is important for businesses to conduct a cost vs. value analysis to demonstrate the potential return on investment. While hiring a SEO person may require an upfront investment, the long-term benefits can far outweigh the cost.

Businesses can make the case for paying for SEO help by highlighting the potential increase in website traffic, higher search engine rankings, and improved user experience. They can provide data and statistics to support their argument, such as the percentage of website traffic that comes from organic search and the impact of higher search engine rankings on conversions and sales.

Businesses can compare the cost of hiring an SEO consultant to the potential value and return on investment. They can calculate the potential increase in revenue that can be achieved through improved SEO performance and compare it to the cost of hiring a consultant. This can help stakeholders understand the long-term benefits and value of investing in SEO.

Having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses to succeed. SEO plays a vital role in improving a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine results pages. Hiring an SEO consultant can help businesses maximize their return on investment by implementing effective SEO strategies and optimizing their website for search engines.

Hiring an SEO consultant is like investing in a high-quality marketing campaign. The initial cost may be significant, but the potential long-term benefits and return on investment make it worthwhile.