Whilst there are many marketing methods that can be used to drive website traffic if you are looking specifically to boost organic visits via search, then you need to work on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategies for your website. But in my experience as a freelance SEO consultant, it’s one area of digital marketing that many small business owners do all they can to avoid. They tend to be worried that it costs too much and have heard horror stories about others being fleeced by shady SEO agencies that cost a small fortune for little return.
Now don’t get me wrong, of course not all SEO agencies are shady. There are some excellent agencies that know their stuff and will create results. However, many charge eye-watering fees that might be within the budget of big brands, but not feasible for most small business owners. So, what are you to do? The answer is to work with a freelance SEO consultant.
What is a Freelance SEO Consultant?
A freelance SEO consultant is a search engine professional that knows their stuff too but instead of being employed by an agency, works on a self-employed basis. Usually working alone from their home office, or in a small team/remote agency with other freelancers. A freelance consultant may focus on working with a particular business niche or type of business owner. For example, I offer SEO services that are created specifically with small business needs in mind and help them start moving toward their digital marketing and business goals. Some may work with female entrepreneurs only or in specific industries like sustainable business, B2B, online retailers etc.
Keep reading for 4 specific benefits of working with someone like me. (And you don’t have to just take my word for how beneficial it is! See what my clients have to say.)
The Benefits of Choosing a Freelance SEO Consultant
1. Cost-Effective & Economical
Freelance SEO consultant services are an affordable investment for your business and a cost-effective alternative to working with larger digital agencies. Agencies have to charge more as they simply have higher overheads than the average freelancer. They have an office to run, staff benefits to pay and a whole host of other expenses to cover. Because of this they also tend to deal with large brands or businesses with substantial budgets, so they may simply be out of the price range of the average small business.
Some agency retainers start at around £1,000 a month plus you may have to sign a contract for at least 12 months of service. Or if you choose an hourly service to avoid signing a contract, you could be looking at a cost of around £100 per hour. To save money you could decide to keep SEO in-house rather than using an agency. The only problem with this is if you haven’t got the in-house expertise, you’ll need to pay for training or take on a new staff member.
Retaining an affordable SEO consultant on a flexible monthly package is much cheaper than hiring a permanent employee. if your business doesn’t have the luxury of its own marketing team (or has a very small team that needs an injection of help and expertise) but still wants the benefits of using a professional, then hiring an affordable freelance SEO consultant could be the answer. It gives you all the benefits of a new team member, without the cost and hassle of taking on a new employee.
Another issue for small businesses is having a steady cash flow. Up to 57% have reported problems with cash flow and it can ruin an otherwise thriving business. I’ve created flexible monthly SEO packages that can be adjusted to suit business budgets or even paused for a few months if cash flow isn’t flowing! Short-term contracts allow you to plan business budgets with ease.
2. Affordable Business Investment
Don’t forget that any spending is actually an investment you can expect to see a return on eventually. Working on SEO is a long-term digital marketing strategy and depending on the size of your website, niche and monthly spend, you can expect to start seeing results within 6-12 months. As your website gains more targeted traffic, it will start to generate more online leads and sales. Your website will become an extra member of your sales team that never sleeps and is always available!
Our monthly SEO packages range are priced at £175 / £350 and £700 a month and are totally flexible.
3. Expert Knowledge & Experience to Boost Your Rankings
An experienced freelancer has all the expert knowledge needed to start boosting website rankings and get your business found on Google. Many small business owners find SEO confusing and aren’t 100% sure what’s involved so having some expert help is vital for getting SEO-savvy. Often, all it needs is an expert eye and a clear plan of action to start making the changes required.
When I start working with clients I often find that they have no idea whether their website is SEO-friendly or not. Some of them aren’t even sure what being SEO-friendly actually means in the first place! I’ve also had clients who don’t see the value and are only ‘doing SEO’ because their mentor told them to! They do the basics then I don’t hear from them for a few months, then they are back for more work when they finally start getting orders via their website. This happened with one of my B2B clients (and I still work for them 3 years later!). Their online leads went from zero to around 10-15 inquiries per day, which may not sound like a lot but when you’re a B2B site selling bulk/wholesale goods, that is actually a wonderful result! That business now takes around 60% of its orders via its website, from a starting point of none!
My goal is to help small business owners and marketers feel less nervous about SEO and get savvier about the strengths and weaknesses of their own websites. So, I’m transparent about planned work and reporting completed work to my clients. I’ve worked with clients in the past that have handed their website over to an agency or a freelancer they’ve ‘met’ in a Facebook group or similar. They don’t have the first clue what that person is doing behind the scenes of their website and often find out later that they’ve actually done something detrimental to their rankings (like adding spammy backlinks to dodgy websites). They’ve been burned and are understandably a little wary about trusting anyone again. The secret squirrel approach is not for me – I’m always clear about what I’m doing and I want my customers to have some understanding of what is going on by clear reporting of work and tracking results.
4. Personalised Services Tailored to Your Business Needs
Although I may not work in your office, I consider myself very much part of the team for the various businesses I work for. There’s no reason why working virtually means being remote with your business! I love taking the time to really get to know your business, products, or services as it’s key to learning what makes your target audience tick and what content they are looking for. This is important for SEO as working out what your customers are looking for is one of the keys to cracking search.
There’s nothing better than developing a long-term working relationship and becoming part of an outsourced team. I want my clients to be successful and love having a hand in making that happen. I also want it to happen in a timeframe/budget that suits your business. That’s why I’ve created some affordable monthly SEO retainers so that even if your budgets are low, you can still get professional advice and support to ensure your business website is performing the best it can. And with 20 years of experience in digital marketing and qualifications in marketing, I can see the full picture of how your website fits into your broader business and your goals.
And if something happens and you need to pivot and change plans? No problem! Adaptability is the name of the game and a freelance SEO’er like myself will adapt with your business as it changes and grows.
Start to Gain Clarity on SEO Strategy with a Free SEO Audit
Get clear on the health of your business website by requesting your free Snapshot SEO Audit. Get savvy about where your website is now and what needs doing.
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