Search work from one consultant, not an agency
I am Bill Hartzer. I have worked in search since 1996, and I take on SEO, paid search and technical work directly — no account manager, no team you never meet. 14 services, 14 answers to the questions you have before you buy any of them, and 11 guides you can follow without hiring anyone.
Most of what you are about to read is what I would not sell you
Every search provider describes the same activities, which is why buyers end up choosing on price — the one basis that predicts nothing. So these pages are organised by how the work is engaged rather than by what it is called, and every service page says plainly when you do not need it. A good share of first conversations end with me saying an audit is enough and you should stop there.
Services
14 kinds of work, each labelled with how it is bought — a one-off audit, a fixed-scope project, a retained engagement, or advisory. Every page says what you receive, how long it takes, and when to spend the money elsewhere.
Answers
14 pages on the questions providers have the least incentive to answer honestly: what it costs, how long it takes, what a guarantee really means, and when the right move is to hire nobody.
The work people ask for first
The three questions worth settling first
These are written to be useful to someone who never contacts me. That is deliberate: a buyer who understands the work is a better client and a much shorter conversation.
Follow these without hiring anyone
Procedural, in order, with the tool named and the check to run at each step. If you can fix it yourself from one of these, fix it yourself.
The eight groupings everything sits in
Organic Search
5 pagesThe work that changes what search engines find, understand and rank.
SEO Consulting Technical SEO SEO Audits Site Migrations Penalty Recovery
Paid Search
2 pagesGoogle Ads and paid placement, where the money moves every day.
By Platform and Market
4 pagesWhere the constraints come from the platform rather than the technique.
E-commerce SEO Local Search International SEO Enterprise SEO
Strategy and Advisory
3 pagesDirection, prioritisation, and standing counsel rather than delivery.
What This Work Is
4 pagesDefinitions, in the language a buyer actually uses.
What a Consultant Does What SEM Includes What an Audit Covers Enterprise Search
Choosing Someone
5 pagesHow to evaluate a consultant before you sign anything.
How to Hire Questions to Ask Consultant vs Agency Red Flags Ranking Guarantees
Cost and Commitment
3 pagesWhat it costs, how it is bought, and how long it takes.
Measurement and 2026
2 pagesHow results are read, and what changed in search.
Tell me what is happening
The site, what changed and when, what you have already tried, and what you want to be true in six months. First conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation.