Cathleen Voss Consulting

You’ve decided you need SEO help. Smart move. But now you’re faced with another decision: should you hire an independent SEO consultant or work with an agency?

It’s a question I hear all the time, and honestly, there’s no universal right answer. It depends on your business, your budget, your timeline, and what you actually need to accomplish.

I’ve worked on both sides—spent years at agencies like iProspect, and I’ve been running my own consulting practice for years now. So I have a pretty clear view of the pros and cons of each approach.

Let me break down what you need to know to make the best decision for your business.

What’s the Difference?

Let’s start with the basics.

An SEO agency is a company that employs multiple people across different specialties—strategists, content writers, link builders, technical SEO specialists, account managers, and more. They typically work with multiple clients simultaneously and offer a full suite of services.

An SEO consultant is usually a solo practitioner or very small team with deep expertise in SEO. Consultants tend to be generalists who can handle strategy, implementation, and analysis, though they may partner with specialists for certain tasks.

Think of it this way: an agency is like hiring a full marketing department. A consultant is like hiring a senior-level expert who works directly with you and your team.

When an Agency Makes Sense

Agencies aren’t inherently good or bad—they’re just better suited for certain situations.

You should consider an agency if:

You Need a Full-Service Team

If you’re a larger company that needs content writers, link builders, technical developers, designers, and strategists all working together, agencies have the infrastructure to support that. You get multiple specialists working on different aspects of your SEO.

You Have a Large Budget

Agencies typically require minimum monthly retainers of $5,000-$10,000+ (and enterprise agencies can run $20,000-$50,000+). If you have that kind of budget and need significant resources, agencies can deploy teams to execute quickly.

You Need Bandwidth for Execution

Agencies can handle high-volume content production, large-scale link building campaigns, and big technical projects. If you need to publish 20 blog posts per month or build hundreds of backlinks, agencies have the staff to execute.

You Want Account Management

Some businesses prefer having an account manager who coordinates everything and serves as a single point of contact, even if that person isn’t doing the actual work. Agencies provide this structure.

You’re in a Highly Competitive Industry

If you’re competing in spaces like finance, insurance, legal, or e-commerce verticals dominated by major players, you might need the firepower of a full agency team to compete.

When a Consultant Makes More Sense

Now let’s talk about when working with an independent consultant is the better choice.

You should consider a consultant if:

You Want Direct Access to Senior Expertise

With a consultant, you’re working directly with the expert—not an account manager who’s relaying information to a junior strategist. Every conversation, every strategy session, every recommendation comes from someone with years of hands-on experience.

I’ve seen this play out at agencies: the senior person sells the work, then hands execution to less experienced team members. With a consultant, you get the senior person throughout.

You Have a Limited Budget

Consultants typically have lower overhead than agencies, which means more competitive pricing. You might pay $2,000-$5,000 per month for a consultant versus $10,000+ for an agency. You’re paying for expertise, not layers of management and office space.

You Need Strategic Guidance, Not Just Execution

Many businesses don’t need an army of people executing tasks—they need smart strategy and direction. A consultant can audit your site, identify opportunities, create a roadmap, and guide your internal team on implementation.

This is especially true if you already have a marketing team or developers who can execute. You just need someone who knows SEO to tell them what to do and why.

You Value Flexibility and Customization

Consultants can adapt quickly to your needs without bureaucratic approval processes. Need to pivot strategy mid-project? Want to focus on a different priority this month? Consultants can adjust on the fly.

Agencies often work with standardized processes and packages. That’s efficient for them, but it’s not always what your business needs.

You’re a Small to Mid-Sized Business

If you’re running an e-commerce store, SaaS startup, or B2B company with under $10M in revenue, you probably don’t need agency-level resources. A skilled consultant can deliver significant results at a fraction of the cost.

You’ve Had Bad Agency Experiences

Let’s be real: not all agencies are created equal. If you’ve worked with agencies that overpromised, under-delivered, locked you into long contracts, or had high turnover (meaning you constantly dealt with new people), a consultant offers stability and accountability.

The Real Cost Comparison

Budget is usually a major factor, so let’s talk numbers.

Typical Agency Pricing:

• Small agencies: $3,000-$7,500/month
• Mid-size agencies: $7,500-$15,000/month
• Large/enterprise agencies: $15,000-$50,000+/month
• Setup fees: Often $2,000-$10,000 to start
• Contracts: Usually 6-12 month minimums

Typical Consultant Pricing:

• Hourly rates: $150-$300/hour
• Monthly retainers: $2,000-$7,500/month
• Project-based: $3,000-$15,000 depending on scope
• Setup fees: Rare, or much lower
• Contracts: Often month-to-month or 3-6 month agreements

The math is pretty straightforward: for the cost of a mid-tier agency, you could work with a highly experienced consultant and still have budget left over for tools, content writers, or other resources.

Communication and Access

This is huge and often overlooked.

With an agency:

• You typically communicate through an account manager
• Strategy comes from a strategist you might meet once a quarter
• Execution is done by specialists you may never speak to
• Response times can be slower due to layers of communication
• Meetings often involve multiple people (which sounds good but can be inefficient)

With a consultant:

• Direct access to the person doing the work
• Faster communication and decision-making
• More personal relationship and investment in your success
• Easier to ask questions and get immediate answers
• No “telephone game” between you and the person implementing strategy

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from clients who switched from agencies: “It’s so much easier to just talk directly to you instead of going through three people to get an answer.”

Expertise: Breadth vs Depth

Here’s another important consideration.

Agencies offer breadth:

• Multiple specialists across different areas of digital marketing
• Experience across many industries and client types
• Resources for large-scale projects
• Established processes and workflows

Consultants offer depth:

• Deep expertise in specific areas (like e-commerce SEO, technical SEO, or industry-specific challenges)
• Years of hands-on experience
• Strategic thinking from someone who’s seen it all
• Personalized attention and customized strategies

If you need someone who’s an expert in everything digital marketing offers, an agency might be better. If you need someone who deeply understands SEO and can apply that expertise strategically to your business, a consultant is often the better choice.

Red Flags to Watch For (Both Agencies and Consultants)

Whether you’re hiring an agency or a consultant, watch out for these warning signs:

Red flags for agencies:

• Guaranteed rankings or unrealistic promises
• Cookie-cutter strategies that aren’t customized to your business
• High turnover (you’re constantly dealing with new account managers)
• Long-term contracts with steep cancellation penalties
• Lack of transparency about what they’re actually doing
• Junior staff doing the work while senior people only show up for sales calls

Red flags for consultants:

• No proven track record or case studies
• Unwilling to provide references
• Vague about methodology or tactics
• Promises quick fixes or “hacks”
• Doesn’t ask questions about your business goals
• Can’t explain their recommendations in plain language

What About Hybrid Approaches?

You’re not locked into one option forever. Many businesses use hybrid approaches:

Start with a consultant for strategy, then build internal capacity:
Hire a consultant to audit your site, develop strategy, and train your team. Then have your team execute with the consultant available for ongoing guidance.

Use a consultant for specialized expertise:
Work with an agency for general digital marketing, but bring in a consultant for specialized areas like technical SEO audits, algorithm recovery, or industry-specific challenges.

Try a consultant first, scale to an agency later:
Start with a consultant to prove ROI and establish a foundation, then graduate to an agency when you need more resources to scale.

I’ve worked with clients in all these scenarios, and they can be effective depending on where you are in your growth journey.

So Which Should You Choose?

Here’s my honest take:

Choose an agency if you’re a larger business with significant budget, need multiple disciplines beyond just SEO, require high-volume execution, and value having a full team at your disposal.

Choose a consultant if you’re a small to mid-sized business looking for expert guidance, strategic direction, and hands-on work from a senior-level expert—without the overhead and complexity of an agency.

And here’s something most consultants won’t tell you: if you outgrow a consultant’s capacity, that’s actually a good problem to have. It means your SEO is working and your business is growing. At that point, you can reassess and scale up if needed.

Questions to Ask Before You Decide

Before you commit to either option, ask these questions:

For agencies:

• Who will actually be doing the work on my account?
• What’s your team’s experience in my industry?
• How often will I meet with the strategist (not just the account manager)?
• What’s your typical client retention rate?
• Can I speak with 2-3 current clients as references?
• What happens if I’m not seeing results after 3 months?

For consultants:

• What’s your specific experience in my industry or with businesses like mine?
• Can you show me case studies or results you’ve achieved?
• What tools do you use, and are those costs included?
• Will you be doing the work yourself, or do you subcontract?
• How do you handle communication and reporting?
• What does success look like, and how will we measure it?

The Bottom Line

Neither option is inherently better—they serve different needs. The key is being honest about what your business actually needs and what you can realistically budget for.

In my experience, most small to mid-sized businesses get better results working with an experienced consultant than overpaying for an agency that’s not a good fit. You get senior-level expertise, direct communication, customized strategy, and better value for your investment.

But if you’re a larger company with complex needs and significant budget, agencies can provide the resources and bandwidth to execute at scale.

The most important thing? Choose someone—agency or consultant—who asks good questions, understands your business, communicates clearly, and has a proven track record in your industry.

Still not sure which direction to go? Let’s talk. I’m happy to have an honest conversation about whether working with me makes sense for your business—or if an agency might actually be a better fit for what you need. No sales pressure, just straight advice.