Search engine optimisation (SEO) consultants are hired to produce results. They need to work with web developers, designers, programmers, writers, and PR consultants to ensure that the tasks are streamlined to produce the desired outcome. In this regard, it is important to note that being an SEO consultant requires excellent management skills.

Although the term “SEO consultants” are now broadly defined today, we’ll assume for the purposes of this article that they are the overall project manager of a website. Here, we will focus more on the practical side of SEO rather than its specific processes.

Reports should be Actionable

Some specialists spend countless hours analyzing websites for their clients. Some of the common reports that are produced include competitor analysis, technical audits, and link building strategies among others. Unfortunately, all these are worth nothing if nothing is done with the information. Will the client read it? Would they understand it? Most likely they will not.

Instead of providing 100-page reports, it is better to outline what the clients need to do. Actionable points must be highlighted. That’s the reason why SEO specialists are hired in the first place. A sample of the action plan is below:

• Create an XML Sitemap
• Submit your URL to local directories (attached in the spreadsheet)
• Post comments on these sites (attached)

If you are a client and the SEO consultant fails to do this, get back to them for the information. A complete technical analysis should not be the end of the project unless otherwise specified. The step outlined here is crucial for you to see actual results for your website.

Cooperation is a Must 

It is common for bigger companies to hire a number of agencies for their web promotions initiative. For example, they may hire different agencies for SEO, PPC, Email Marketing, and Affiliate Marketing. These agencies often need to work together; one agency might create the strategy while another is tasked to implement it.

In many cases, clients assume that their work is done after they hire the agencies. This may be true if they get an especially proactive agency, but normally they complete the job assigned without conducting follow-ups. If you are a client, make it a point to instruct everyone to work together in order to produce excellent results. It is just as important for the marketing agencies to know how each other work as it is for them to know you as a client.