Freelance SEO Strategist
Build an SEO strategy that gets results, fast. As a freelance SEO strategist, I help B2B software companies, SaaS brands, and growth-focused service companies develop data-driven search search strategies that increase organic traffic, reduce CAC, and deliver sustainable long-term results.
Diagnose what's holding you back and rank on page one
Achieve your organic marketing goals with a strategic SEO roadmap
Get expert SEO support without agency overheads or staffing costs
Why your company needs a freelance SEO strategist
Chances are you’ve already got an in-house marketing team. They’re probably great at what they do, but they need a clear strategy, expert direction, and the confidence to execute. As a freelance SEO strategist, I provide the thinking and frameworks that make your SEO efforts bear fruit.
My SEO consultancy services include:
✔️ SEO Strategy Development: Create a personalised roadmap that prioritises your highest-impact SEO opportunities
✔️ Keyword Research & Topic Mapping: Find the keywords aligned to your buyer journey and build an executable editorial calendar
✔️ Competitor & Gap Analysis: Identify the weak areas in your content strategy and what will give you the competitive edge
✔️ Content Strategy: Plan content and develop SEO briefs for your ideal commercial and informational keywords
✔️ SEO Training & Team Enablement: Upskill your in-house team with best-practice frameworks and processes
✔️ Fractional SEO Leadership: Act as your embedded SEO lead, setting the strategy, managing execution, and reporting to stakeholders
Who hires a freelance SEO consultant?
Most of my clients find me when they’re experiencing one of three challenges:
1. You have an in-house team but no SEO leadership.
Your content team is producing work, but there’s no clear strategy guiding it. You need a senior SEO consultant to audit what exists, set the direction, and give your team the frameworks to execute with confidence.
2. You've outgrown your agency.
You're paying for an agency retainer but getting templated reports, AI-written spam, and junior account management. What you really want is a strategy built around your specific business (not a one-size-fits-all playbook), and direct access to senior SEO thinking without risks and costs of hiring a full-time employee.
3. You're scaling fast, and your SEO strategy can’t keep up.
You're in a high-growth phase and want to nail your organic marketing strategy before you’re too large to move quickly. A freelance SEO strategist can help you get this right from the start.
“We appreciated how clearly Oliver explained the SEO strategy and reasoning behind each recommendation. It made execution feel much more focused and confident.”
– Joshua Zwetsloot, Co-Founder & CEO at Icarus Composites
Why hire a freelance SEO consultant over an agency?
Most businesses at the scale-up stage don't need a 10-person agency. They can’t wait six months to find the right in-house hire, and another six to get them up to speed. They need one senior person who understands their market, has built SEO systems from scratch, and can translate strategy into execution.
Here's what working with a freelance SEO consultant gives you:
✔️ Senior expertise: You work with me—not an account manager who outsources your brief to cheap contractor
✔️ Bespoke strategy: Everything is built around your specific goals and competitive landscape, not a recycled template
✔️ Affordable and fast: Freelance SEO consultancy typically costs far less than an agency retainer, with none of the approval layers
✔️ Agile flexibility: Engage on a project basis for a one-off strategy or on a retainer for ongoing consultancy—no 12-month lock-ins
✔️ Accountability: When I own the strategy, I own the outcomes—there's no team to hide behind if results don't materialise
What does a freelance SEO strategist do?
A freelance SEO strategist develops the plan, frameworks, and priorities that underline how your business competes in organic search—then helps your internal team or external partners execute it.
As your freelance SEO consultant, I work across:
✔️ Search Landscape Analysis: Understand your market, map your competitors, and identify the best ranking opportunities
✔️ Roadmap Development: Prioritise SEO initiatives by impact, effort, and strategic fit—so your team works on the right things first
✔️ Stakeholder Reporting: Translate SEO performance into business language for leadership teams and boards
✔️ Ongoing Strategic Direction: Monthly or quarterly check-ins to review performance, adapt the strategy, and stay ahead of algorithm changes
The best SEO consultants don't just understand search engines—they understand how to build an SEO strategy that fits your team's capacity, your budget, and your commercial goals.
“Oliver worked for me for several years marketing a large B2B SaaS product. He’s fast, accurate, and can deliver in-depth material on highly specialist topics. He has a very strong understanding of inbound marketing and SEO, and is deeply invested in the commercial performance of the work he creates.”
– Greg Roughan, SEO Manager at Unleashed Software
SEO strategy and consulting for your industry
Get the expert freelance SEO strategy support you need
Schedule a free consultation to discuss your SEO goals, determine your biggest search opportunities, and see if my freelance SEO strategy services are a good fit.
How does my freelance SEO consulting service work?
Unlike a content retainer, SEO consultancy looks different for every client. The scope of work depends on where you’re at, what's already in place, and what you're trying to achieve. That said, most engagements follow a similar arc:
Option A: SEO Strategy & Execution (Project-based)
Discovery: We map your SEO goals, current performance, and competitive landscape to determine the right moves
Strategy: You receive a prioritised SEO roadmap with clear rationale, implementation guidance, and quick wins
Delivery: I help you execute on the strategy, walk your team through the content plan, and provide ongoing support
Option B: SEO Consultancy (Retainer)
Discovery: Same starting point—we diagnose your website and determine the best next steps
Roadmap & Prioritisation: We agree on the first 90 days of activity, plan initiatives, and prioritise based on commercial impact
Monthly Execution & Direction: I lead or advise on implementation, review performance, and adapt the strategy
Reporting: I manage SEO reporting tied to traffic, rankings, and business metrics, which we review together monthly
What makes a good freelance SEO strategist? (And why you need one)
A lot of people call themselves SEO consultants. I’ve worked as a freelance SEO strategist and consultant for 6 years, partnering with B2B and SaaS brands to build organic growth strategies from the ground up. Here's what I think actually matters:
Strategic clarity over tactical noise: SEO has a lot of moving parts. A good strategist cuts through the noise and focuses your team on the activity that drives real results—rather than chasing every algorithm update.
Ability to work with your team, not around them: The best SEO strategy is one your team can actually execute. I build strategies around your real capacity, skills, and budget—not an ideal-world scenario.
Commercial thinking: Rankings are meaningless unless they’re tied to a business outcome. Every recommendation I make is designed to help you get more qualified traffic, lower CAC, and higher conversion rates.
Current knowledge: SEO today means optimising for Google AI Overviews, generative answer engines, and a search landscape that looks very different from what it once was. I focus on where search is going, not where it's been.
“I’ve worked with Oliver extensively on several projects for big names in the tech world. I couldn't recommend him highly enough. He's reliable, flexible, and always produces great results. He's also a lovely person to work with. You won't regret hiring Oliver for your next project!”
– Sydney Triggs, Editorial Lead at Omniscient Digital
Hire an SEO freelancer for the services you need
Book a free 30-minute SEO strategy call
Complete this form to learn more about my freelance SEO services and see if we’re a good fit.
Freelance SEO strategist FAQs
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An SEO consultant is a single senior practitioner who works directly with you on your search engine optimisation strategy and implementation. An SEO agency is a team of specialists at various levels, who work with you through account managers. Consultants typically cost less, communicate faster, and provide more personalised strategy support. Agencies offer more bandwidth for large-scale execution, but often come with more overhead, less direct access to senior thinking, and higher fees.
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Freelance SEO consultancy typically ranges from £750–£2,000 for project-based engagements (audits, strategy documents), £60–£150/hour for consulting work, and £1,000–£3,000/month for ongoing retainers, depending on scope and experience. This compares favourably to agency SEO retainers, which typically start at £2,000–£5,000/month for equivalent strategic input—often delivered through a less experienced team.
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Yes—this is how most of my retainer engagements work. I set the strategy and priorities, provide the frameworks and ongoing support, and either review or directly advise your team's execution. This model works well for companies that have existing marketing resources but lack senior SEO leadership.
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Yes. If you're not ready for an ongoing retainer, a project-based partnership and strategy engagement is a good starting point. You'll come away with a full diagnosis of your current SEO performance and a prioritised roadmap your team can begin executing immediately.
