What does an SEO consultant do?
An SEO consultant brings together strategy, technology and content to help you rank higher. In practice, this means: examining your website with a SEO audit, doing the right keyword research, doing your technical SEO in order, manage your content strategy and report clearly on the results. Whether you are looking for an SEO specialist, SEO expert or SEO consultant: it is always the same role, someone who systematically improves your visibility.
When do you need an SEO consultant?
You need an SEO consultant when your website becomes visible in Search Console, but the positions, CTR or leads lag behind. The consultant then finds out which pages already have traction, which searches are just outside the top ten and which technical or content obstacles need to be removed first.
This is especially useful if you do not want a standard SEO package, but a priority list based on data: which page to rewrite, which title to test, which to add internal links and which content you should not create.
When do you hire an SEO specialist?
You hire an SEO specialist when your organic growth is important and individual tips are no longer sufficient. The specialist must be able to determine which pages should move first, which technical blocks slow down growth and which content is missing.
Searches such as hire an SEO specialist, hire an SEO expert, SEO consultancy and freelance SEO consultant have the same core: you are looking for expertise directly. That's why we're addressing that intent on this page and not creating flimsy separate pages for each job title.
Consultant, specialist, freelancer or agency: what's the difference?
The terms are used interchangeably, but the real difference lies in the form of collaboration. With a consultant or freelance SEO specialist, you work directly with the expert; an agency deploys a team, an in-house employee is on your payroll.
| Aspect | Consultant/freelancer | Desk | In house |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact | Directly with the expert | Often via account manager | Own colleague |
| Overhead | Low | Higher | Fixed salary |
| Flexibility | High | Average | Low |
| Focus | Focused and personal | Broad team | Depending on knowledge |
When are you looking for an SEO specialist?
You are looking for an SEO specialist when you not only want advice, but also need someone who sets priorities and monitors implementation. The term SEO specialist is often used for someone who delves deeper into technology, content, data and search intent.
An SEO specialist is especially useful in these situations.
- Your website gets impressions, but few clicks or leads
- Important pages are just outside the top ten
- You have a lot of content, but no clear internal link structure
- Technical SEO, Core Web Vitals or indexing block growth
- You want to combine SEO with AI-vindbaarheid
What does an SEO specialist do differently than a general marketer?
An SEO specialist works in depth on search intent, technical quality, content structure and measurable organic growth. A general marketer looks more broadly at channels, campaigns and positioning.
| Roll | Focus | When to choose? |
|---|---|---|
| SEO specialist | Rankings, technology, content, links and Search Console data | When organic growth lags behind |
| SEO consultant | Strategy, priorities, guidance and expertise | When you want to combine direction and execution |
| General marketer | Campaigns, branding, channels and communication | When SEO is one part of a broader marketing mix |
Jan Kenis as SEO consultant
Jakency is not a large agency with intermediate layers: you work directly with Jan Kenis, founder and SEO consultant from Lummen. What sets him apart from the average SEO consultant is the combination of classic SEO with GEO: not only more visible in Google, but also listed in AI search and answer engines such as ChatGPT and Perplexity. One point of contact for two worlds. You can see what he built earlier at the projects; his background and areas of expertise are on the profile of Jan Kenis.
To assess whether an SEO will really help you, Google provides useful guidance in its own guide on hiring an SEO, and remains the official SEO starter guide from Google a good test of whether someone works with the right principles.
Our view
A pattern we often see: companies pay an agency for a fixed package, but never speak to the person who does the work. With a consultant you sit directly at the table with the person who makes the choices. That saves noise and makes every euro easier to track.
Which SEO consultancy do you specifically receive?
SEO consultancy is practical advice that ends in choices, not in general recommendations. You will be prioritized based on Search Console data, competitors, technical condition, search intent and commercial value.
| Question | Consulting answer |
|---|---|
| Which page first? | The page with existing impressions, commercial value and achievable profit |
| New page or expand? | Only create new when the search intent is clearly distinct |
| Technology or content? | First solve blockages, then make the content stronger |
What does SEO consultancy deliver in concrete terms?
SEO consultancy provides a substantiated sequence of actions, with clear owners and measurement points. So you don't get a general list of tips, but decisions that your team can implement or that Jan implements himself.
| Situation | Deliverable | Desired outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Website gets impressions but few clicks | Query and page analysis with new titles and content priorities | More relevant clicks from existing visibility |
| Multiple pages compete for the same term | Intent map with keep, merge and internal link | One strong owner per search intent |
| Marketing team lacks technical SEO knowledge | Technical briefing, priorities and post-implementation control | Development work that resolves demonstrable blockages |
| Company also wants to appear in AI answers | GEO analysis of entities, sources, answers and measurement questions | A measurable approach for Google and AI visibility |
When do you choose advice, guidance or implementation?
Choose advice for a well-defined decision, guidance when your team implements itself and implementation when capacity or specialist knowledge is lacking. In a hybrid process, Jan divides the work per task, so that you only use external time where it is really needed.
How do you hire an SEO consultant?
Hiring an SEO consultant or SEO specialist starts with a no-obligation discovery call. This is followed by a free SEO scan or a deeper audit, a concrete plan with priorities, and implementation or guidance, depending on what you have in-house. If you would rather outsource the entire process, read how Outsource SEO works.
Why is SEO specialist on the same page?
We cover SEO specialist and SEO consultant on one strong page because the search intent is almost the same: hire someone who improves your SEO. A separate page would quickly repeat the same content and therefore compete with this page.
That is why this page covers both terms. Anyone looking for an SEO specialist, SEO consultant, SEO expert or SEO advisor will receive one clear answer about the role, the approach and the collaboration.
When do you look for an SEO specialist per city?
You are looking for an SEO specialist per city when local competition determines who gets requests. Searches such as SEO specialist Antwerp, SEO specialist Ghent, SEO consultant Hasselt or SEO agency Leuven have the same commercial core: looking for someone who can improve local visibility.
That's why we strengthen local intent with separate city pages where it makes sense, such as SEO Antwerp, SEO Ghent, SEO Brussels and SEO Hasselt. The role and approach of the specialist remain centralized here to avoid overlap.
How much does an SEO consultant cost?
There is no standard rate for an SEO consultant. The costs depend on the condition of your website, your competition and your ambition. The advantage of a consultant compared to an agency is that you do not pay overhead and work more directly. We only determine the budget and approach after an introduction, so that you pay for what you really need. Jan works from Limburg for clients in Belgium and international markets, from Antwerp and Ghent to Brussels, Hasselt and Leuven. For broader market context, you can also read what SEO costs.