What the hell is an SEO specialist? How ignoring Google is sabotaging your website
Sep 22, 2024
A beautiful new website is useless if Google can’t find it
SEO specialists optimise your content, site structure and speed to boost rankings
Find a specialist who fits your business needs – on-page, technical or full service
You’re about to drop serious cash on a shiny new website. Maybe you’re excited about the slick new design, automated online booking, or that refreshed logo that screams, "I’ve made it!"
What you’re not thinking about is whether Google can even find your site.
No big deal, right? Word of mouth drives your (successful) business. Who needs Google?
Well, everyone.
The people who hear about you from a colleague? They’re Googling you.
And when you’re ready to scale and compete nationally or internationally, you’re going to need more than referrals. You’ll need strangers, aka inbound leads.
If Google doesn’t know you exist, neither does anyone else. Potential clients will find your competitors instead.
Enter the SEO specialist – the person who ensures your site doesn’t just look good but actually gets found by the people who matter.
In this post, I’m breaking down what an SEO specialist actually does, what they don’t do and how you can tell if you’re ready to hire one.
What the hell even is an SEO specialist?
An SEO specialist is like your website’s personal trainer…except instead of getting you fit for the beach, they get your site fit for Google.
Their job? To make sure your website shows up when people search for services like yours, or even just your name.
To get you showing up on Page 1 of Google, in a featured snippet or an AI overview (the first page is all that matters – 75% of readers never scroll past it) a specialist will optimise every page of your website to meet Google’s (and your audience’s) high standards. This means:
Structuring your copy with the right keywords
Making sure your site is easy to navigate
Fixing technical issues like slow loading times
Ensuring Google knows exactly what your site (and business) is all about.
Google cares about three things: relevance, user experience and speed. An SEO specialist makes sure your site nails all of them, pushing you higher up the ranks. They know exactly how search engines work, what they value, and how to play by Google’s constantly changing rules.
Some specialists handle it all – from your copy to the geeky tech stuff – while others focus on one area. Either way, they bridge the gap between a beautiful site and one that actually brings in business.
What an SEO specialist does (and doesn’t do)
SEO specialists aren’t one-size-fits-all and they’re not here to fix every digital problem under the sun.
Some (like me) focus on on-page SEO: making sure your content and site structure are perfectly optimised for search engines. Plenty of copywriters and content strategists offer this service, but not all know how to nail SEO and make your copy convert.
Others are technical SEO experts, handling the behind-the-scenes stuff like speeding up your site, fixing errors and making it mobile-friendly. Your website developer probably covers this, but don’t assume they know SEO inside out.
Then you’ve got the off-page SEO gurus who build backlinks and pump up your site’s authority in Google’s eyes.
And finally, there are full-service SEO pros who do all of the above.
If most of your leads come from referrals, you probably don’t need to throw cash at every aspect of SEO. But you definitely want a site with a solid SEO foundation, so it actually pulls its weight.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what SEO specialists do and don’t do:
An SEO specialist does
On-page optimisation: structuring content with the right keywords, metadata and user-friendly formatting
Technical SEO: improving load times, fixing errors and ensuring mobile-friendliness
Content strategy: planning and creating ongoing, SEO-friendly content that ranks
Keyword research: identifying key terms your audience is searching for
Ongoing optimisation: tracking your site’s performance and tweaking strategies to keep improving
An SEO specialist doesn’t do
Website design: SEO specialists won’t redesign your site, that’s a designer/developer’s job
Search Engine Marketing: SEO is organic traffic, not paid. Ads are a separate strategy
Social media management: though SEO can align with social media, it’s a different focus
Instant results: SEO takes time and ongoing effort—it’s not a quick fix
One-time fixes: if you’re not ranking, its usually down to multiple factors not one mistake
SEO doesn’t stop once your site is live. It’s an ongoing process of tracking data, adjusting strategies and continuously optimising to stay in line with Google’s ever-changing rules.
A good specialist will keep a close eye on performance metrics like organic traffic, keyword ranking, CTR and user engagement, and make tweaks to improve your site’s visibility over time. I collect data from my clients after their new site or content has been live for 30, 60 and 90 days so I can see what's working and what needs tweaking.
When you need an SEO specialist (how to tell if you’re ignoring Google)
You’re in the process of getting a brand-new website designed. Your designer’s making it look amazing, but is anyone making sure Google can find it?
If you’re ticking “yes” to any of the below, brace yourself…your website’s headed straight for digital obscurity. Missing SEO essentials will cost you leads, clients, and a ton of revenue.
1. Your designer didn’t talk about SEO
If your designer hasn’t mentioned SEO during the build, that’s a huge red flag.
SEO isn’t just about content: how your site is structured and navigated matters just as much. Things like URLs, internal linking and mobile optimisation need to be baked in from day one. If this wasn’t a key part of the discussion, you’re setting your site up to struggle before it’s even live.
2. You haven’t optimised the copy
A new design needs fresh words, but it needs to be optimised for search engines.
If your copywriter didn’t handle keyword research or structure your content with Google in mind, you’re missing a major opportunity. An SEO specialist ensures that your content is not only readable but searchable…because that’s how you get found.
3. Your site speed is slower than a snail
Google loves fast websites. If your site takes longer than 3 seconds to load, you’re already losing visitors and ranking points. Head over to Pingdom to test your site’s speed. Aim for a load time under 3 seconds, with a performance grade of 90 or higher. If your score falls short, work with your developer to compress images, clean up unnecessary code and optimise for faster loading times.
4. Your images are huge
Those stunning, high-res images? They might be killing your site’s performance. Oversized images slow your load time and Google punishes slow sites. Get your designer to compress those files without losing quality, especially background images and banners. Faster load times = better rankings.
5. You don’t come up on local searches
96% of people learn about local businesses online and a whopping 46% of all Google searches are for local businesses.
If local clients are your bread and butter, you need to rank in local search. Optimise your site for location-based keywords, get on Google My Business and list your address and service areas on key pages. If you’re not doing this, you’re handing your local leads to your competitors.
Don’t let your website be the best-kept secret in your industry
Remember: every referral Googles you. Your new website shouldn’t just be a credibility booster; it’s an opportunity to reach beyond your existing network and scale.
Before your site goes live, make sure you’ve hired the right SEO specialist who understands what your business needs. Whether you’re focusing on content optimisation, speeding up your site, or strengthening your local SEO, the right specialist ensures your website actually works for you.
Every business is different, so finding an SEO expert who fits your specific goals, whether it’s driving local traffic or being found in branded searches, is key to bringing in real business.
Ready to make sure your site is built to bring in clients, not just compliments? Book an obligation-free intro call today to see if we’re a good fit. No hard sell—just a quick chat to figure out what you need and how we can get you real results. Schedule your call now.
