SEO consulting for companies that need to decide with clarity, on Google and in AI
A senior consultant diagnoses the site and the market, prioritizes what drives impact and guides whoever executes: your team, your agency or Flowup. Less packaged execution, more of the right decisions, in the right order.
By Guto Bertoncini, founder and lead strategist of FlowupUpdated on 15 min read
5.0 on GoogleSince 2011Proprietary B.I.N.A. Method
Summary
SEO consulting in seven points
The essentials for anyone who needs to decide quickly. The details, the sources and the frequently asked questions are right below.
- SEO consulting is direction: diagnosis, priorities and an action plan for whoever executes. Continuous execution is the role of an SEO agency.
- The SEO audit covers the technical foundation, content and semantics, authority and competition, and governance: who decides, who implements and how to measure.
- Every finding comes with the reason, the expected impact and the instruction for the team to apply it. Never a tool report without interpretation.
- Consulting covers both Google and AI answers, on the same foundation: Google states that there are no additional requirements for AI Overviews beyond good SEO.
- It is independent: the recommendation does not depend on hiring the execution, and it can be applied by the team you already have.
- A one-off diagnosis takes a few weeks; a complete audit with an action plan, one to two months.
- No promise of rankings: Google warns that no one can guarantee a first-place ranking.
Definition
What is SEO consulting?
SEO consulting is the diagnosis, prioritization and direction of organic presence, for those who need to decide before executing.
In specialized consulting, a consultant analyzes the site's technical health, content, architecture and authority, identifies problems and opportunities, and turns that analysis into a prioritized action plan. The plan guides whoever will implement it: an in-house team, an agency or vendors.
The difference from a monthly package is focus. Consulting answers the questions an automated report cannot: why organic traffic is not producing commercial results, what to prioritize with the team you have, what changes with AI search and where to stop investing.
- Diagnosis
- A technical, editorial, semantic and competitive reading of the site, including how search engines and AIs describe the company.
- Priority
- Problems and opportunities ranked by impact, effort, urgency and dependency.
- Direction
- An action plan, a recommended architecture and instructions the team can apply.
- Validation
- A review of what was implemented and an adjustment of the strategy based on the indicators.
Rankings and citations are the consequence of a well-built base. That base is what consulting organizes.
What it is not
SEO consulting is not monthly execution
Much of the market calls an operational package "consulting". It is a legitimate model, but it is a different service.
| Aspect | Operational SEO package | Flowup SEO consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | A fixed number of posts and backlinks per month. | Workstreams defined by the diagnosis, in order of impact. |
| Analysis | An automated tool report. | Interpretation: every finding with the reason, the impact and the instruction. |
| Expectation | A promise of the top position. | Expectations in writing and business indicators tracked. |
| Delivery | A long document nobody applies. | A prioritized plan the team can implement. |
| Incentive | A scope that grows to generate hours. | Independence, even when the answer is to do nothing. |
If what you need is continuous execution, Flowup also works in that model, as an SEO agency. Consulting is usually the best starting point for defining what to execute.
When to hire
Situations in which SEO consulting makes a difference
Projects rarely start with the sentence "we want SEO consulting". They start with a concrete situation, such as these, in which specialized direction and clear priorities can help.
Traffic drop or stagnation
The site lost positions or stopped growing, and nobody can explain exactly why.
Migration, redesign or domain change
Decisions made in the coming months can preserve or lose years of authority.
Content with no return
The company publishes often, but the traffic does not turn into commercial opportunity.
Dependence on paid media
The cost of acquisition through paid ads keeps rising, and organic was never treated as a channel.
A team without direction
There are hands to execute; what is missing is priority and specialized judgment.
AI search
The company does not know how it is read, or ignored, by ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews.
Second opinion: when there is already an agency or a team in place, but leadership wants an independent view of strategy, quality and priorities, this is one of the most requested consulting formats.
SEO audit
SEO audit: what the consulting engagement analyzes
The audit is the first deliverable of the engagement. The scope is defined by the goals of the project: not every workstream is part of every contract.
Technical foundation
Crawling and indexing, rendering, information architecture, speed and Core Web Vitals, structured data, redirects and migration plans.
Content and semantics
Search intent, keywords and entities, gaps, cannibalization, pillar pages and clusters, and guidelines for production and updates.
Authority and competition
Topical authority, reputation and brand presence beyond the site, link profile and domain authority, competitors and the information base read by the AIs.
Strategy and governance
Indicators, prioritization, roles across marketing, technology and sales, and criteria for evaluating vendors.
Terms in the glossaryCanonicalIndexingStructured dataE-E-A-TTopical authority
Method
How the consulting works: method, not guesswork
The work follows the B.I.N.A. Method, which structures a brand's information base for search and for AI, in four stages.
Context and diagnosis
Immersion in the business, the market and the goals, plus a technical, editorial, semantic and competitive audit.
Priority and strategy
The SEO strategy becomes a defensible work queue, ordered by impact and effort, with the architecture, workstreams and indicators defined.
Guidance for implementation
Recommendations translated into instructions for technology, content, design and management.
Validation and evolution
A review of what was implemented, a reading of the indicators and an adjustment of the strategy, aiming for consistent results rather than isolated peaks.
What you receive
SEO consulting deliverables
Deliverables vary by format. These are the most common, always written for the people who will apply them.
Executive diagnosis
An assessment of the situation for leadership, with the three to five points that carry the most weight.
Technical and content audit
Findings with evidence, estimated impact and instructions for the fix.
Priority map
A work queue ordered by impact, effort and dependency, with a suggested owner.
Recommended architecture
Pages, clusters, internal links and the search intent of each page.
Guidelines and briefs
Editorial standards and page briefs for writers and designers.
Technical documentation
Specifications for developers, structured data and a redirect plan.
Indicators
What to measure, where to measure it and how often, including AI presence.
Guidance meetings
Support for the team and validation of what was implemented.
Formats
SEO consulting formats
Consulting follows the problem, not a package. The formats can be hired separately or combined.
One-off diagnosis
An executive assessment of the situation to guide a specific decision, in a few weeks.
Complete audit
Technical, content and authority analysis, with a prioritized action plan.
Specific project
Migration, redesign, launch or architecture restructuring.
Strategic planning
Annual organic strategy and content architecture.
Advisory support
Recurring guidance for the in-house digital marketing team or for vendors.
Second opinion
An independent assessment of the work of current agencies or teams.
When the challenge is presence in AI answers, the recommended format is GEO and AEO consulting, which builds on this same foundation. For international projects, the price is defined in a proposal.
The consultant
SEO consultant: who leads the engagement
Consulting depends on who puts their name on it. At Flowup, the consultant in charge is named from the proposal onward.
Flowup's SEO consulting is led by Guto Bertoncini, who since 2011 has led projects in technical SEO, strategic SEO, AI SEO, GEO, AEO, structured data and WordPress for companies in Brazil and abroad.
Because Flowup also executes, the consultant knows the real cost of each recommendation: what is simple, what depends on development and what only pays off at scale. That changes the quality of the prioritization.
Google and AI
SEO consulting for Google and for AI
Beyond the list of links, search engines now deliver answers. Consulting treats the two as a single system.
- 8%of visits with an AI summary end in a click on a traditional result. Without the summary, it is 15%.Pew Research Center, 2025
- 38%of the URLs cited in AI Overviews were also in the organic top 10 in March 2026. In July 2025 it was about 76%.Ahrefs, 2025 and 2026
- 1%of visits with an AI summary end in a click on a link cited inside the summary itself.Pew Research Center, 2025
- 34%of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023. Among adults under 30, it is 58%.Pew Research Center, 2025
The company needs to be findable, understandable, verifiable and citable. Google states that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode: what counts is search fundamentals, well executed. That is why consulting starts with the foundation and, when the diagnosis calls for it, connects the layers of AI SEO and GEO and AEO.
Real questions
What companies ask before hiring SEO consulting
These questions come in through Search Console, including long searches made in AI Mode. The short answers are here; the full ones are in the FAQ.
| The question | Flowup's answer |
|---|---|
| Does the consulting include Data PR for authority? | Yes. When the diagnosis calls for reputation beyond the site, the answer is Data-Driven PR. |
| Do you use AI to produce content at scale? | We do not recommend volume without strategy. AI speeds up research and analysis; published content needs information gain. |
| Do you work with e-commerce? | Yes, with a focus on category architecture, cannibalization, product structured data and speed. |
| Do you do off-page SEO and link building? | Authority, yes; buying links, no. Editorial mentions come from data and from stories worth covering. |
| Which option is the most cost-effective? | The one that fixes what matters most first. That is why consulting starts with the priority map. |
It makes sense for
- Companies and local businesses that rely on organic acquisition as a strategic channel.
- B2B, technology, SaaS and services with a consultative buying journey.
- Large or complex sites, or sites facing a migration or a redesign.
- In-house teams, agencies or vendors that need direction.
- Leaders who want a place in AI answers without abandoning the fundamentals.
It is probably not for
- Anyone looking for a promise of top positions on Google.
- Anyone who wants to buy backlinks or content volume without strategy.
- Anyone who needs only the lowest price, not the best decision.
- Anyone with no means to implement what is recommended.
Cost and timeline
How much SEO consulting costs, and how long it takes
The price depends on the format and on the complexity of the site. Scope, deliverables, timeline and investment come in writing, after the initial conversation.
- A few weeksis the typical timeline for a one-off diagnosis.
- 1 to 2 monthsfor a complete audit with an action plan.
- A quarter or a half-yearis the usual cycle for advisory support.
- In writingscope and investment defined before the start, with no generic package.
For the GEO and AEO layers, the work comes in four formats (Initial Diagnosis, strategic Sprint, complete Project and monthly Retainer), described on the GEO and AEO consulting page. For international projects, the price is defined in a proposal.
Initial conversation
You present the challenge, and together we assess whether consulting is the right tool.
Scope proposal
Format, workstreams, deliverables, timeline and investment, in writing.
Immersion and diagnosis
Kickoff with the teams involved, access setup and the start of the analysis.
Direction and follow-up
Executive presentation, prioritized plan and the agreed guidance format.
Next step
Does your SEO need strategic clarity?
Tell us your situation: challenge, context and goals. The reply shows what consulting solves, in which format and with what expectations.
Independent recommendationPrioritized planNo promise of rankings
Talk about SEO consultingBeyond the results, I would highlight the clarity of the strategy, the organization of the work and the long-term vision Guto brought to the project.
Read the case study
We have been Flowup's partners for more than 10 years and, over that time, our trust has only grown stronger. The service is excellent and the commitment to our requests is total. The team understands our needs, meets deadlines and delivers consistent quality.
Read the case study
Punctuality, quality and attention to each client's needs. That is our experience of working with Flowup, always very quick to find the most suitable and up-to-date solutions. They are preferred partners of MediaLink.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about SEO consulting
The questions that come up most often in searches and in first conversations.
Did not find your situation here? Tell us about it and get an honest assessment of what consulting solves.
Talk about SEO consultingWhat is SEO consulting?
It is the service of diagnosing, prioritizing and directing a company's organic presence. A consultant analyzes the site's technical health, content, architecture and authority, identifies problems and opportunities, and delivers a prioritized action plan for whoever will implement it.
What does an SEO consultant do?
An SEO consultant audits the site and the market, decides what to prioritize, translates the recommendations into instructions for developers, writers and designers, and validates what was implemented. At Flowup, consulting is led by Guto Bertoncini, who has led SEO projects since 2011.
What is the difference between SEO consulting and an SEO agency?
An SEO agency takes on continuous execution: it produces, implements and reports month by month. Consulting works on the decision: it diagnoses, prioritizes and guides whoever executes, whether your team, your agency or Flowup itself. The two models complement each other, and consulting usually comes first.
How much does SEO consulting cost?
It depends on the format (one-off diagnosis, complete audit, specific project or advisory support) and on the complexity of the site. Flowup defines scope and investment in writing after the initial conversation. For international projects, the price is defined in a proposal.
How long does SEO consulting take?
A one-off diagnosis takes a few weeks; a complete audit with an action plan, one to two months; advisory support is usually contracted by the quarter or the half-year. The timeline is defined in the proposal.
What is analyzed in an SEO audit?
Depending on the scope: crawling and indexing, information architecture, speed and Core Web Vitals, structured data, content and search intent, cannibalization, topical authority, competition and the way search engines and AI systems describe the brand. Each finding comes with an estimated impact and a recommendation.
Does SEO consulting work for small companies?
Yes, when organic matters to the business. For smaller companies, the most suitable format is the one-off diagnosis, which concentrates the investment on the highest-impact decisions and can be implemented by the team or the vendors the company already has.
Is consulting useful for sites that have lost traffic?
Yes, it is one of the most common cases. The work investigates the likely causes (an algorithm change, a technical problem, loss of authority, cannibalization, outdated content or a poorly executed migration) and organizes the recovery into a prioritized plan.
Can consulting help with a site migration?
Yes. The consultant plans the preservation of the relevant URLs, the redirect map, the technical and content requirements of the new site and the validation after the switch, to reduce the risk of losing what already ranks.
Can I hire consulting while working with another agency?
Yes. The second opinion format exists for exactly that: an independent assessment of the strategy and of the quality of the current work, with recommendations the current agency can implement.
Does the consulting use AI to produce content at scale?
We do not recommend mass content without strategy. AI speeds up research, analysis and organization; what gets published needs to bring original information and serve a clear intent. The cost of volume without purpose is covered in the guide on volume SEO.
Does the consulting include link building and Data-Driven PR?
It includes the authority strategy: link profile, mentions and reputation. Flowup does not buy links. When the diagnosis calls for authority beyond the site, the path is Data-Driven PR, which turns data into stories and editorial mentions.
Does SEO consulting work for e-commerce?
Yes. In e-commerce, the work usually concentrates on category architecture, cannibalization between products and filters, product structured data, speed and content that helps the purchase decision.
Does SEO consulting also cover GEO and AEO?
It covers the foundation that supports both layers and points out what is missing for the company to be cited in AI answers. When the main focus is AI presence, the recommended format is GEO and AEO consulting; for international projects, the price is defined in a proposal.
Does the consulting guarantee positions on Google?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. Google itself states that no one can guarantee a first-place ranking. What the consulting guarantees is method: an honest diagnosis, defensible priorities, sound recommendations and tracking of the indicators.
Does Flowup also execute the recommendations?
It can, as an SEO agency, but consulting does not require you to hire the execution. The recommendations are independent and can be applied by any competent team.
Is the consulting available to companies outside Brazil?
Yes. Flowup is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and delivers the consulting remotely to companies in Brazil, the United States, Canada and worldwide, in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Transparency
Sources and references
This page prioritizes Google's official documentation and studies with a stated methodology, checked on October 2, 2026.
- Do you need an SEO?, Google Search Central: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google."
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, Google Search Central: fundamentals of crawling, indexing, site structure and content.
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central: no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode; SEO best practices remain relevant.
- Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central (updated July 10, 2026): no AI files, special markup or special schema needed; llms.txt neither helps nor harms in Search; structured data remains useful for rich results.
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, Google Search Central: the content criteria Google uses as a reference, including E-E-A-T.
- How to move a site, Google Search Central: URL mapping, redirects and precautions in site moves with URL changes.
- Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, Pew Research Center (July 22, 2025): clicks in 8% of visits with an AI summary against 15% without one; 1% on links inside the summary; 900 U.S. adults, March 2025.
- Update: 38% of AI Overview Citations Pull From The Top 10, Ahrefs (March 2, 2026): 37.9% of the URLs cited in AI Overviews were in the top 10, against about 76% in July 2025, with a change of method between the studies.
- 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023, Pew Research Center (June 25, 2025): 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023; 58% of adults under 30; 5,123 U.S. adults, February 24 to March 2, 2025.
How to cite this page
Flowup Agency. SEO consulting for companies that need to decide with clarity, on Google and in AI. Guto Bertoncini, updated on . flowup.agency/en/seo-consulting/
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5.0 on Google · Since 2011 · Case studies with stated sources
