Key takeaways
- A good consultant explains what they will do, in plain words, and ties it to leads and sales.
- Walk away from guaranteed #1 rankings, secret techniques and private link networks.
- You own Search Console, Google Analytics and your Business Profile. The consultant is added as a user.
- Compare proposals with the same scorecard, not by price alone.
What does a good SEO consultant actually do?
A good SEO consultant finds what stops your site from getting customers through search, fixes it in order of impact and reports progress in business terms. That usually means technical fixes, better pages for your main services, local visibility and content that answers real questions. They explain every change and never hide the work.
The label matters less than the method. On the SEO consultant home page I describe the process I follow: audit first, a 90-day plan, then monthly work you can see. Whoever you hire, ask them to describe theirs just as clearly.
Which questions should you ask before hiring?
Ask for examples of past work with real data, whether they follow Google's rules, what results they expect and when, their experience in your industry, who will do the work and how they will report. Google publishes a similar list for business owners, and a serious consultant will answer every question without hesitating.
Google's own guide, Do you need an SEO?, suggests asking for examples of previous work, whether they follow Google Search Essentials, what results to expect and in what timeframe, their experience in your industry and market, and how they will communicate. I add a few practical ones:
- Who exactly will work on my site, and will I talk to that person?
- What will you do in the first 30, 60 and 90 days?
- Can you show Search Console or analytics screenshots from a similar project?
- Which numbers will you report, and how often?
- What happens to the content, pages and accounts if we stop working together?
- What is the notice period to cancel?
Listen for specifics. "We will optimize your site" is not an answer. "We will fix the 40 pages that are not indexed, rewrite your five main service pages and set up call tracking" is.
What are the red flags when hiring an SEO?
The biggest red flags are guaranteed #1 rankings, claims of a special relationship with Google, secret techniques they will not explain, cheap packages of hundreds of links, and unsolicited emails promising page one. Google warns about each of these, and the tactics behind them can break its spam policies and hurt your site for months.
| What they say | Why it is a problem |
|---|---|
| "We guarantee #1 on Google." | Google states plainly that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking. |
| "We have a special relationship with Google." | Google says there is no priority submission for SEOs. |
| "Our method is secret." | Google advises caution with anyone who will not explain what they intend to do. |
| "500 links for $99 a month." | Bought links and private link networks are link spam under Google's policies. |
| "We will publish 300 articles next month." | Mass-produced pages with little value can count as scaled content abuse. |
| "We will set up the accounts in our name." | You lose your data and history the day you leave. |
The spam policies for Google web search describe link spam, scaled content abuse and other tactics that can lower rankings or remove pages from results. A cleanup after a penalty often costs more than doing the work properly from the start, which is also why very cheap offers end up expensive (I explain the numbers in how much SEO costs).
Which accounts should you own instead of your consultant?
You should own every account that holds your data: Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, your Google Business Profile, your domain, hosting and website admin. Create them under a company email, then add the consultant as a user with the access they need. If you part ways, you remove them and keep all the history.
| Account | Who should own it | What the consultant gets |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | You, as verified owner | Full user access. Only owners can add or remove users. |
| Google Analytics 4 | You, with the Administrator role | Editor or a lower role. Adding users requires Administrator. |
| Google Business Profile | You, as primary owner | Manager. Managers cannot add or remove users or delete the profile. |
| Domain and hosting | You, under a company email | A separate login or a temporary technical user. |
| Website admin (CMS) | You | Their own user account, never your password. |
Google documents each of these roles: Search Console owners, users and permissions, adding users in Google Analytics and Business Profile owners and managers. When I start with a client, the first step is always to ask for user access on their accounts. If a business has no accounts yet, I help them create them in their own name.
How do you read an SEO proposal?
Read an SEO proposal for four things: a diagnosis of your specific site, a list of concrete tasks for the first months, the numbers that will be reported, and clear terms for price and cancellation. If a proposal could have been sent to any business without changes, it was probably written before anyone looked at your website.
- It mentions real problems found on your site, with examples of URLs.
- It lists deliverables: pages, fixes, content, profiles, not only “hours” or “optimization”.
- It connects the work to leads, calls, bookings or sales, not only rankings.
- It gives a realistic timeline and says what depends on you (approvals, access, content).
- It states the price, what is included and the notice period to cancel.
- It says who owns the pages, content and accounts at the end.
A paid SEO audit is a good way to test a consultant before a monthly plan: you get a written diagnosis you keep, whatever you decide next. And ask to see a sample report; my guide on what an SEO report should show tells you what to look for.
A simple scorecard to compare candidates
Score each candidate from 1 (weak) to 3 (strong) on every line. It takes ten minutes after each call and turns a gut feeling into something you can compare.
| Criterion | What a 3 looks like | Score (1 to 3) |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis | Found real issues on your site before or during the first call | |
| Clarity | Explained the plan without jargon or secrets | |
| Proof | Showed data from similar projects, anonymized if needed | |
| Ownership | Asked to be added as a user on your accounts | |
| Honesty | No guarantees, and said what SEO cannot do for you | |
| Reporting | Reports leads and revenue signals, not only rankings | |
| Terms | Clear price, clear scope, reasonable notice period | |
| Communication | Responsive, shared hours with your team, one point of contact |
A total below 16 out of 24 is a warning. Two candidates with similar scores? Pick the one whose first month you understand best.
How I answer these questions myself
If you are comparing me with others, here are my own answers. I have 5+ years in SEO. I work on the technical SEO of 600+ US car dealerships on an agency team and supervise the SEO of 18 US online stores with more than 3 million products. You talk directly with me, in English or Spanish, during US business hours from Medellín. My prices are public on the pricing page, plans are month to month, and every account stays in your name. You can read more about me, check the results or book a free 30-minute diagnosis for your site.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to hire a local SEO consultant?
Not necessarily. What matters is experience with your type of business and your market, clear communication and overlapping working hours. Many consultants work remotely with good results.
How long should I give an SEO consultant before judging results?
Expect early signs like fixed errors and indexed pages in the first two to three months. Leads and rankings usually need longer, depending on competition.
Should I sign a long SEO contract?
Month-to-month terms with a reasonable notice period protect you better. If a provider needs a long lock-in, ask why.
Can an SEO consultant work with my web developer?
Yes. A good consultant writes clear change requests that your developer can apply, and checks them after they go live.
What if my previous SEO agency set up accounts in their name?
Ask them in writing to transfer ownership to your company email. Google's tools allow owners to add new owners and then remove themselves.
