How to Choose an SEO Consultant (SEO Agency)

Are you struggling to choose the right SEO consultant? Have you been misled by questionable SEO firms in the past? Looking for a reliable company or reputable SEO consultant? This article provides comprehensive guidance on:

• Determining if you actually need an SEO consulting firm
• Understanding services offered by SEO consultants
• Following an appropriate selection process
• Knowing typical cost ranges
• Identifying key qualities of effective SEO consultants
• Reviewing recommended SEO consulting companies and freelance experts

As an in-house SEO specialist for a corporate business, I've worked with over 10 different SEO firms. Unfortunately, I've repeatedly encountered low-quality services that left me frustrated and disappointed. Drawing from these experiences, I've compiled essential guidelines for choosing an SEO consultant to help others avoid similar pitfalls. This article is specifically written for in-house SEO personnel with limited experience working with external consultants.

You might think you're savvy enough to avoid being misled, but be aware that unscrupulous SEO companies often employ sophisticated sales tactics. Proceed with caution and use this article as a reference guide only. Please note that we cannot be held responsible for any outcomes resulting from your decisions.

Do You Actually Need an SEO Consulting Firm?

With over 13 years of experience in the SEO industry, I can confidently state that not every company needs to prioritize SEO. In today's market, strategies like search ads and Performance Max campaigns on e-commerce platforms often deliver excellent ROI. Additionally, branding investments through display and video ads can indirectly boost SEO traffic—in many cases, strategic advertising becomes the most effective SEO approach.

Consider engaging an SEO consultant when your advertising ROI has plateaued, when you want to optimize the search user experience, or after addressing other business priorities. SEO consultants are particularly valuable when:

• Your company has sufficient resources to invest in SEO due to its scale and high organic search traffic
• You already have an in-house SEO specialist but want to mitigate risks by bringing in external expertise
• Organic search represents a significant portion of your website traffic, requiring specialized guidance

Services Offered by SEO Consulting Firms

Current Situation Analysis and Improvement Proposals

SEO consultants conduct comprehensive website audits, identify issues, and propose specific improvements. When evaluating proposals before signing a contract, focus on these key points:

• Avoid generic templates. Many SEO firms use standardized templates for their proposals. Generic suggestions about Core Web Vitals, crawling optimization, or content marketing could come from anyone. Instead, evaluate how well they understand your specific business challenges.
• Look for business-specific insights. A good consultant should complement your team's capabilities based on a thorough understanding of your business challenges, KPIs, and workflows. Experienced consultants avoid unnecessary recommendations.
• Verify they use industry-standard tools. Check whether they utilize respected tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, Screaming Frog, and Lumar (formerly DeepCrawl). Be cautious of firms that emphasize proprietary tools over industry standards.
• Ensure data-driven analysis. Provide access to your Google Analytics and Search Console data, and evaluate how thoroughly they analyze this information. Ask about their analytical process and how it led to their recommendations.
• Be wary of absolute guarantees. SEO involves many uncertainties, so consultants who make definitive promises often lack depth of expertise.
• Value clear communication. Professionals who can explain complex SEO concepts clearly typically possess extensive experience. The ability to make technical concepts accessible demonstrates both expertise and communication skills—essential for effective knowledge sharing within your organization.

Keyword Analysis and Selection

Search queries can be analyzed in detail using Google Search Console and specialized SEO tools. These queries reflect user intent and provide valuable insights for content creation. For example, if you're promoting acne medication, analyzing search trends can reveal seasonal patterns and identify specific customer concerns, helping you optimize both content and promotional timing.

Site Audit (Technical SEO Evaluation)

Technical SEO optimizes your website's code to ensure Google accurately understands your content. During a site audit, specialized tools analyze all pages to identify technical issues. This might reveal problems such as unindexed pages (not appearing in search results) or incorrect canonical tag implementation that could be limiting your visibility.

Search Ranking Tracking and Reporting

This service identifies key search terms driving traffic to your site and monitors your rankings for these terms over time. For instance, if your site ranks third for "acne medication," tracking this position helps evaluate whether your SEO efforts are effective and whether ranking fluctuations impact sales performance.

Consulting Services (Advisory Support)

Comprehensive expert guidance on all SEO-related questions and challenges. This might include addressing technical questions like "How do redirects affect SEO?" or "What's the SEO impact of optimizing alt tags?" It can also cover strategic concerns such as "What SEO approach will maximize traffic and sales for our upcoming promotional campaign?"

Average Costs of SEO Consultants

SEO consulting fees typically fall into two main categories. It's important to note that vague contracts like "SEO consulting for $5,000 per month" without clearly defined deliverables or hours can lead to situations where you're paying without seeing tangible results. Consider the following fee structures instead:

Hourly Billing Method

Rates vary based on the consulting firm's size and reputation, but market rates typically range from $100 to $200 per hour. For initial engagements, consider starting with a 30-hour package (approximately $3,000-$6,000) with the option to extend if performance meets your expectations.

Scope-Based Billing Method

This approach, commonly used by larger SEO agencies, clearly defines specific deliverables for a fixed monthly fee. For example, a package might include "monthly SEO reporting, bi-weekly meetings, and on-page optimization support" for $5,000 per month. While this structure works well for ensuring routine tasks are completed, disagreements can arise about whether new requests fall within the original scope, making this option less ideal for some situations.

Key Qualities of Effective SEO Consultants

Since the primary purpose of hiring external consultants is to supplement your internal team's capabilities, the ideal consultant will possess skills and resources your team lacks. While specific needs vary by organization, consider these general selection criteria:

Relevant Experience and Track Record

Thoroughly review the consultant's client history, methodologies, and documented results. Ideally, they should have experience with businesses similar to yours in terms of industry, size, and business model. For instance, if you're seeking SEO support for an international e-commerce platform, prioritize consultants with extensive experience in that specific niche. SEO strategies vary significantly between different business types (B2B vs. B2C, domestic vs. international), making relevant expertise crucial.

Personal Website Management

Consultants who actively maintain their own websites typically demonstrate genuine passion for web technology and SEO. These professionals often conduct their own experiments and research, developing practical knowledge through hands-on experience. By contrast, junior consultants at large agencies may have theoretical knowledge but limited practical application, warranting more careful evaluation.

Balance of Strategic and Tactical Capabilities

While some consultants excel at high-level strategy, their recommendations may not always align with practical implementation realities. This disconnect often stems from insufficient understanding of your organization's constraints, team structure, or available resources. Consultants with hands-on implementation experience can better grasp your business model and specific challenges, resulting in more feasible and precise recommendations.

Cross-Disciplinary Expertise

While organic search traffic in Google Analytics remains a key performance indicator, modern SEO success increasingly depends on comprehensive digital marketing strategies. As Google's algorithms evolve, factors like brand building through paid advertising and social media marketing have become increasingly important. Consultants with broader digital marketing expertise can provide more holistic recommendations that maximize SEO effectiveness.

Additionally, consultants who leverage advanced data science techniques using programming languages like Python and R can offer unique value, particularly in competitive markets where standard approaches may no longer suffice.

Recommended SEO Consulting Companies in Tokyo

Based on my personal collaboration experiences, here are some standout agencies:

Highly Recommended Partners

• Wasabi Communication - While I can't speak for the entire company, their representatives demonstrated exceptional expertise and responsiveness. Their extensive SEO experience and data analysis capabilities enabled them to effectively lead our project team.
• Principle - Though primarily focused on advertising, their representative excelled in data analysis and consistently delivered evidence-based proposals with professional responsiveness.
• Locario - Another advertising-focused agency whose initial representative showed outstanding expertise and responsiveness. Note that service quality varied somewhat after a change in representatives.

Companies with Lower Satisfaction Ratings

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For specific details about these companies, please contact me directly.

Notable SEO Companies (No Direct Experience)

• Enterprise-Level Services
  • Irep
  • Opt
  • Septeni
• Small and Medium Business Services
  • JADE
  • Web Rider
  • Nile
  • Plan-b
  • IOX
  • Full Speed
  • Speee
• Bilingual SEO Agencies Suitable for International Companies
  • Zo Digital
  • Humble Bunny
  • Info Cubic

Leveraging Free SEO Resources

Before committing to a formal consulting arrangement, consider tapping into professional communities where you can exchange information and ask questions. These platforms connect you with SEO experts willing to share insights:

• CRO Growth Hacks (Slack)
• Online Geniuses (Slack)
• SEO Signals Lab (Facebook)

Conclusion

I hope this information helps you select the right SEO consultant for your needs. If you have any questions or would like additional guidance, please don't hesitate to reach out.