What does an SEO consultant do?
An SEO consultant diagnoses why a website is not ranking, plans what to fix, and either does the work or guides an in-house team or developer to do it. Typical work includes SEO audits, keyword and competitor research, technical SEO, content strategy, local SEO, migration support and training a marketing team.
What is the difference between an SEO consultant and an SEO agency?
An SEO consultant works directly with you, while an SEO agency usually works through account managers and a larger team.
| SEO consultant | SEO agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you speak to | The specialist doing the work | Usually an account manager |
| Overheads | Low | Higher: offices, sales and management layers |
| Best for | Small and medium businesses, audits, recoveries, specialist technical work | Large campaigns needing big content and PR teams |
| Contract | Often flexible | Often 6 to 12 months |
MCRSEOPRO works as a consultancy: you get specialist attention without paying for agency layers.
When should you hire an SEO consultant?
You should hire an SEO consultant when you need expert judgement more than extra hands. Common reasons include:
- A sudden ranking or traffic drop that needs diagnosing before anything else changes
- A website redesign or migration, where a mistake can wipe out years of rankings
- An in-house marketer or developer who needs a clear plan and someone to check the work
- A previous agency that delivered reports but not results
- A new website that needs the right structure from day one
How do we work as SEO consultants?
We work in three ways: one-off audits, ongoing monthly SEO, and project support.
- SEO audits: a prioritised action plan you can implement yourself or with us
- Monthly SEO: hands-on local, technical and content work, reported monthly
- Project support: migrations, redesigns, ranking recoveries and second opinions on another agency's work
What experience should an SEO consultant have?
A good SEO consultant should show real results for businesses like yours, explain their reasoning in plain English, and be comfortable with both technical SEO and content. Ask to see examples of their work, how they diagnosed problems, and what they would do first on your site.
How much does an SEO consultant cost in Manchester?
SEO consultants in Manchester typically charge £50 to £150 an hour, or £500 to £2,000 a month for ongoing work. Our audits start at £500 and monthly SEO starts at £450 plus VAT. See our SEO packages.
Questions
Asked and answered
Do you meet clients in person?+
Yes, by arrangement, anywhere in Greater Manchester. Most ongoing work is handled by phone, WhatsApp and video calls.
Can you work alongside our existing agency or developer?+
Yes. We often audit and guide while another team implements, or give a second opinion on an agency's strategy.
Is a freelance SEO consultant cheaper than an agency?+
Usually, because there are fewer overheads. The bigger difference is that you deal directly with the person whose skill you are paying for.