Best SEO Consultant For Your Business: My 8 Picks

The best SEO consultant for a business that wants more customers from Google is me, Julian Goldie, and the first step is a free SEO strategy session.

I'm telling you straight that this is my own list on my own site, so I've ranked myself first and you should weigh that.

Below me are seven independent SEO consultants I respect, and I've only included facts about them that I could check publicly.

This version is written for business owners, agency owners and creators who care about one thing, which is whether SEO turns into revenue.

So after the ranked list, I'll show you how different kinds of businesses actually use an SEO consultant, what to ask, and what to avoid.

Top 3 SEO Consultant Picks For Businesses

Here's the short version before we go deeper.

🥇 Julian Goldie (Goldie Agency) is best if you want a plan on a free call and then a team that can execute content and links.
🥈 Aleyda Solis (Orainti) is best if your brand needs a senior strategist, including for AI search.
🥉 Cyrus Shepard (Zyppy SEO) is best if you're a SaaS or tech company that wants user-focused SEO.

How I Picked These SEO Consultants

I judged every consultant on the same four things.

I wanted a public track record you can check, like research, newsletters or conference talks.
I wanted a clear speciality that maps to a real business problem.
I wanted an easy way to start, so you're not signing a long contract blind.
I wanted evidence they take AI search seriously, because that's where buyers are starting to ask questions.

I didn't rank anyone by price, because I couldn't verify public prices and I'm not going to guess.

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My 8 Best SEO Consultant Picks For Business Owners

1. Julian Goldie and Goldie Agency (yes, this is me)

I got into SEO the hard way, with a cryptocurrency website that got zero Google traffic for months while I travelled around Asia.

I learned link building to fix it, it worked on my own affiliate sites, and then I started selling it as a service.

I started Goldie Agency completely solo, and it's now a 7-figure SEO and link-building agency with 70+ people in Bangkok.

AI now handles about 80% of our internal operations, which is why we can move fast without cutting corners on checks.

The way to start is a free SEO strategy session, and if you want to sharpen your own SEO skills with other serious operators, there's the SEO Elite Circle mastermind.

Best for: Business owners who want strategy and execution under one roof.

Price: The strategy session is free, and paid work is quoted after the call.

2. Aleyda Solis (Orainti)

Aleyda Solis founded the boutique SEO consultancy Orainti.

She publishes the Crawling Mondays series, the #SEOFOMO newsletter and the free LearningSEO.io roadmap.

She was named European Search Personality in 2018, and her recent work covers measuring visibility in AI search.

Best for: Brands and in-house teams that need senior strategic direction.

Price: I couldn't verify a public price, so ask for a quote.

3. Cyrus Shepard (Zyppy SEO)

Cyrus Shepard founded Zyppy SEO after working as an SEO at Moz.

Zyppy lists B2B SaaS, tech companies, later-stage startups and mid-market brands as its best-fit clients.

He also runs Zyppy List, a directory of vetted agencies and consultants, which is handy if you're comparing options.

Best for: SaaS and tech companies.

Price: I couldn't verify a public price, so check Zyppy's site.

4. Glenn Gabe (G-Squared Interactive)

Glenn Gabe runs G-Squared Interactive, which offers algorithm update recovery, technical audits, migration support and training.

He's published Google update analysis on his blog since 2006.

Best for: Bigger businesses whose traffic dropped after a Google update.

Price: I couldn't verify a public price, so ask for a quote.

5. Marie Haynes (Marie Haynes Consulting)

Marie Haynes Consulting has helped businesses with Google's algorithms since 2008.

Marie is known for her work on Google updates, penalties and site quality, and she keeps a public timeline of Google updates.

Best for: Businesses in sensitive niches that need to understand Google's quality signals.

Price: I couldn't verify a public price, so ask her team.

6. Kevin Indig (Growth Memo)

Kevin Indig has advised fast-growing startups independently since mid-2022, after leading SEO and growth work at Shopify, G2 and Atlassian.

He writes the Growth Memo newsletter on organic growth and AI search.

Best for: Funded startups that want a growth advisor at leadership level.

Price: I couldn't verify a current price, so ask him directly.

7. Barry Adams (Polemic Digital)

Barry Adams founded Polemic Digital in 2014 to specialise in SEO for news publishers.

He writes the SEO for Google News newsletter and has practised SEO since 1998.

Best for: Publishers and media businesses that earn from Google News and Discover traffic.

Price: I couldn't verify a public price, so ask for a quote.

8. Jason Barnard (Kalicube)

Jason Barnard founded Kalicube and is known as "The Brand SERP Guy".

His focus is what people see when they search your brand name, your Knowledge Panel, and how AI assistants describe your brand.

Best for: Founders and companies where trust in the brand name drives sales.

Price: I couldn't verify a public price, so ask Kalicube.

Best SEO Consultant By Business Type

This is the part most lists skip, so I've matched each kind of business to the kind of help it usually needs.

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If you'd like a wider list of people to learn SEO from rather than hire, read my post on the best SEO professionals.

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How Businesses Actually Use An SEO Consultant

Here are the real ways I see businesses get value from a consultant, with no made-up results attached.

Use case 1: Getting a plan before spending on content

Plenty of owners pay for blog posts before they know which searches actually bring buyers.

A consultant flips that order, so you start with the searches that convert and only then create content.

That's exactly what my free strategy session is designed to do.

Use case 2: Recovering after a traffic drop

When traffic falls after an update, panicking and changing everything usually makes things worse.

An update specialist looks at what changed, compares it with Google's guidance and gives you a priority list.

Use case 3: Planning a website move safely

A redesign, a new platform or a domain change can wipe out years of rankings if redirects are missed.

Bringing in a consultant before launch is cheap insurance compared with recovering afterwards.

Use case 4: Training your own team

Some businesses already have writers or a marketer and just need someone to teach them the right process.

A consultant who runs training or a mastermind builds the skill inside your company so you're not dependent forever.

Use case 5: Agencies that need senior SEO judgement

If you run a marketing or web agency, a consultant can review tricky client sites when your team gets stuck.

That lets you take on SEO work confidently without hiring a full-time senior SEO on day one.

If you're building an agency yourself, my guide on how to start an AI agency covers the business side.

SEO Consultant vs SEO Agency For A Business Owner

A consultant mostly sells judgement, which means you get advice and a plan that your people put into action.

An agency mostly sells execution, which means a team writes, fixes and builds links for you.

If you've got nobody to implement the advice, a consultant's audit can end up sitting in a folder.

If you've got no clear strategy, an agency can stay very busy without moving your revenue.

The best setup for most small businesses is a strategist who either has a team or works closely with yours.

Questions To Ask Before You Pay An SEO Consultant

Google suggests a set of questions in its guide to hiring an SEO, and these are the ones I'd ask as a business owner.

Ask to see examples of past work and real success stories.
Ask whether they follow Google Search Essentials.
Ask what results to expect, by when, and how they'll measure success.
Ask about their experience in your industry and your location.
Ask how they'll report to you and whether they'll explain every change.
Ask which parts of their work use AI and what a human reviews.

Engagement Types And How To Budget For Them

I'm not going to quote prices, because consultants rarely publish them and they vary a lot by scope.

What I can tell you is how the work is usually packaged, so you can ask for the right quote.

A strategy call is the lowest-risk first step, and mine is free.
A one-off audit gives you a written list of fixes in priority order.
A recovery or migration project has a clear start and end.
A monthly advisory retainer gives you ongoing access to an expert's judgement.
Training or a mastermind teaches your own team to do the work.

Ask every consultant to tie the quote to a specific deliverable and a specific success measure.

Red Flags That Waste Your Money

Walk away from anyone who guarantees a number one ranking, because Google says nobody can guarantee that.
Walk away from anyone who claims a special relationship with Google.
Be wary of cold emails promising page one.
Be wary of anyone who won't explain what they're changing on your site.
Walk away from link schemes and mass-produced pages, because they break Google's spam policies and can hurt the whole site.

How AI Is Changing The Value Of An SEO Consultant

AI has made the grunt work of SEO dramatically cheaper.

Research, first drafts, schema markup and reporting can now be handled by AI agents in minutes.

At Goldie Agency, AI runs roughly 80% of our internal operations, and my own sites are published by agents I supervise.

That means the value of a good consultant has moved towards strategy, judgement and quality control.

Google now even lists optimising for generative AI as a service an SEO may provide, so ask every consultant how they plan for AI answers as well as rankings.

You can see the answer-first approach I use for AI search in my King of AEO post.

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The Verdict For Business Owners

The best SEO consultant for your business depends on whether you need a plan, a recovery, a specialist or a team.

If you want both the plan and the people to execute it, book the free strategy session with me.

If your problem is very specialised, the independents on this list are excellent places to look.

Also On Our Network

FAQ: Best SEO Consultant

Who is the best SEO consultant for a small business?

On my list, I rank myself and Goldie Agency first, and I'm open that it's my own site.

For a small business, the best SEO consultant is one who can give you a clear plan and either execute it or work closely with your team.

How much does an SEO consultant cost?

Most consultants don't publish fixed prices, and costs vary a lot by scope, so I won't quote a number.

Ask for a written quote tied to one deliverable, such as an audit, a recovery project or a monthly advisory retainer.

Should I hire an SEO consultant or an SEO agency?

Hire a consultant if you have people who can implement the advice.

Hire an agency if you need a team to do the content, technical and link-building work for you.

How do I know if an SEO consultant is legit?

Ask for past work, check they follow Google Search Essentials, and avoid anyone who guarantees a number one ranking or claims a special relationship with Google.

Can AI replace an SEO consultant?

AI can now handle much of the research, drafting and reporting.

It doesn't replace the strategy, judgement and quality checks a good consultant brings.

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About Julian

I'm Julian Goldie, an SEO entrepreneur, author and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom, which has 3,400+ members.

I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation and SEO.

I started Goldie Agency on my own, and it is now a 7-figure SEO and link-building agency with 70+ people.
I've grown my YouTube channel to 400,000+ subscribers.
I wrote "Link Building Mastery".
My Udemy courses have taught 29,000+ students.

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Start with the free strategy call, match the specialist to your problem, and you'll find the best SEO consultant for your business.

Best SEO Consultant For Your Business: My 8 Picks

Top 3 SEO Consultant Picks For Businesses

How I Picked These SEO Consultants

My 8 Best SEO Consultant Picks For Business Owners