Question 1

What does an SEO consultant do?

Accepted Answer

An SEO consultant audits your site, finds what's costing you traffic, and builds a plan to rank for queries that drive revenue. In practice that's technical fixes (crawl, speed, schema), on-page work (headings, intent coverage, internal linking), content strategy, and link building. Good ones now also track AI search visibility, because Google isn't the only place your buyers ask for recommendations.

Question 2

How is AI SEO (GEO) different from traditional SEO?

Accepted Answer

Traditional SEO ranks you on the search results page. AI SEO, also called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), gets you cited inside the answer that ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews give back to the user. The technical foundations overlap (clean code, structured data, quality content, real backlinks), but AI SEO adds entity coverage, quotable answer blocks, and citation monitoring across multiple AI surfaces. Done well, you rank in Google and get recommended in AI tools at the same time.

Question 3

How much does your SEO consultancy cost?

Accepted Answer

Engagements typically run between $2,000 and $10,000 per month, scoped against the work and the outcome we agree on. Project-based audits start in the low four figures. You'll have a fixed monthly number before any work starts. No timesheets, no scope-creep invoices.

Question 4

Do you work with agencies on a white-label or partner basis?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Technical SEO, AI SEO and content strategy delivered through agency partners under your brand. Same fixed monthly pricing. Get in touch and we can talk through how it fits.

Question 5

How long does SEO take to show results?

Accepted Answer

Technical fixes show up in weeks. Content and link compounding takes 3 to 6 months to shift competitive rankings. AI citation visibility can move faster, sometimes within a single content cycle. Anyone promising page one in 90 days for a competitive Melbourne keyword is either lying or using tactics that'll get you penalised.

Question 6

Should I hire an SEO consultant or an SEO agency?

Accepted Answer

Depends on what you need. An agency gives you a team and a process, but you usually work with a junior account manager and the senior expertise is split across many clients. A freelance SEO consultant gives you direct access to a senior practitioner doing the work, fewer clients, no agency markup. If you want the strategy, technical work and reporting from the same brain, consultant. If you want scale across many channels at once, agency.

Question 7

What should I look for in an SEO freelancer?

Accepted Answer

Look for someone who's done the work at the senior level, rather than someone who's managed others doing it. A good SEO freelancer should be the same person who runs the audit, the strategy, and the technical fixes. Ask for specific client outcomes (traffic growth, ranking shifts, revenue impact), not just logos. And check they're tracking AI search visibility now, because Google is no longer the only place customers ask for recommendations.

Question 8

What industries does your SEO consultancy specialise in?

Accepted Answer

I've worked across tech, fintech, luxury fashion, high-end furniture, tours and travel, and construction tech. The playbook changes by industry. Fintech needs compliance-aware content and serious technical foundations. Luxury fashion needs editorial linking and brand search optimisation. The constant is turning organic traffic into revenue.

Question 9

What does a technical SEO audit include?

Accepted Answer

A technical SEO audit covers crawl and indexability, site architecture and internal linking, page speed and Core Web Vitals, structured data and schema coverage, canonical and redirect logic, JavaScript rendering, log file analysis (for larger sites), and the technical readiness for AI search. You get a prioritised list of fixes with effort versus impact, not a 200-page PDF.

Question 10

Do I need to be in Melbourne to work with you?

Accepted Answer

No. Most clients are remote across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. I'm based in Melbourne and happy to meet in person if you're local, but the work runs the same either way.

Question 11

What if you're not the right fit?

Accepted Answer

I'll tell you on the discovery call and point you somewhere better. I'd rather lose a bad-fit engagement than take it on and disappoint.

Field notes on SEO and AI search.

What Is Generative Engine Optimisation? An Australian Business Guide

How to Rank in Google AI Overviews (AU 2026 Guide)

How to Get Cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity (Without Being Already Famous)

How to Choose an SEO Agency in Australia (2026)

SEO for Small Business in Australia (2026 Guide)