Are you a startup or small business aiming to get in front of your growing business without having to break the bank? Fractional SEO might be the missing link! With most startups and small companies struggling to generate revenue without investing much, hiring a part-time SEO expert is your only chance. They provide the necessary guidance to grow your online presence, boost conversions, and appear in search results.
This question might take over as a small business owner: What does a fractional SEO expert do, and is hiring one worth your investment? Let’s figure it out.
Who Is A Fractional SEO Expert?
In contrast to a traditional SEO expert, who dedicates complete time and works in-house with a company to execute their expertise, a fractional SEO is a part-time expert who uses their search engine optimization practice, knowledge, and skills to help businesses appear in search rankings, boost conversion, and increase website traffic. Let’s see if hiring a part-time SEO expert is better than a regular SEO expert for your business.
How Does Regular SEO Expert Differ From Fractional SEO?
A regular SEO expert usually works full-time and is integrated into the company’s team to execute their SEO efforts, a fractional SEO expert works per project or on a part-time basis and offers a specialised focus on the project they’re hired for. Their key differences include:
What Does A Fractional SEO Expert Do?
When a startup or small business plans to hire a project-based expert on their team, they should expect these services:
1. Keyword Research
Fractional SEO professionals conduct extensive keyword research just like regular SEO experts. They find the best search terms and keywords that rank and even analyze competitors’ keywords to appear in search results.
2. Technical Search Engine Optimization
They perform a complete website audit to analyze SEO performance and issues involving slow loading, broken links, mobile responsiveness, and crawl errors. After a comprehensive analysis, they design customized strategies to improve the website performance and increase traffic.
3. Search Engine Strategy Development
A fractional SEO expert carefully assesses business, ideal customer profile (ICP) and industry to curate a customized SEO strategy that fits your needs. Their services include identifying target keywords, determining strategies, and setting objectives for bringing organic traffic to your website.
Before hiring an SEO expert, every startup and small business owner needs to know these 12 strategies to rank higher on Google in 2025.
4. Local SEO
Getting your local business noticed in search engine rankings can be tricky! However, a fractional SEO expert can help you achieve high rankings on Google as they have the knowledge and experience.
They use specific keywords to ensure your business appears as the top result when someone in your area searches. Local SEO can help small enterprises to rank high and target potential customers.
5. Content Optimization And Strategy
You might have heard the idiom “Content is King” right? SEO is the ruler if content is king, ensuring the king is seen! A fractional SEO expert develops creative content marketing strategies and optimizes your content for higher search engine rankings.
Why You Need A Fractional SEO Expert?
Most startups and small businesses find hiring full-time in-house SEO expertise challenging. When you are tight on budget and still require a professional SEO expert, hiring for fractional SEO can be a game-changer! Here are a few reasons you should consider before hiring a fractional SEO.
1. Cost-Cutting
If you plan to hire someone with SEO expertise and knowledge without breaking the bank, then a fractional SEO expert is wise. They provide SEO services at a lower budget as businesses pay them hourly quotations.
2. Time-Based Service
With a fractional SEO, as the name suggests, you get time-based services. What does that mean? They bring years of specialized experience without the full-time commitment. This means you get the expertise you require when you need it.
3. Scalable Support And Flexibility
If you need ongoing support for SEO or assistance with a specific project, choosing fractional SEO services would be the right choice. They offer flexible solutions that can be scaled according to your needs.
4. Updated SEO Strategies
Industry trends and search engine algorithms keep evolving, making it difficult for businesses to keep up. With their years of industry experience, small businesses can cut through the clutter in such a crowded market.
5. Improved Online Presence
As addressed in the introduction of this blog, one common challenge most startups and small businesses face is boosting their online visibility in search engine results. Fractional SEO helps with that.
With specialized expertise, a fractional SEO consultant can improve your business’s online presence. They boost your website traffic by bringing in more visitors through their SEO strategies.
Who Should Hire A Fractional SEO Consultant?
Most small businesses are low on budget but need an SEO expert to drive effective strategies. That’s when hiring a fractional SEO consultant becomes necessary. But who should hire one? Let’s break down phases when business needs to hire for fractional SEO services:
1. Businesses or Startups in the Pre-Launch Phase
If you plan to launch a business successfully or already have a startup business running, you must be low on budget. Hence, hiring a full-time SEO expert can be costly for you. That’s precisely when hiring for fractional SEO proves effective as they are more feasible than full-time SEO experts.
2. Small Businesses With Limited SEO Knowledge
Most businesses lack sufficient SEO knowledge to achieve high SERP rankings. Without proper direction, most of their content is lost in the noise. This calls for a cost-effective expert with search engine optimization expertise to help small businesses rank their website in search engines like Google.
3. Businesses With Seasonal Needs
Many businesses only require seasonal SEO expertise when their traffic is on a spike (e.g., hiring a regular SEO expert might cost more money. But, if you hire a fractional SEO consultant to fill this seasonal need, they can ensure more sales in a budget. They’ll help you optimize your SEO strategies for sales events, product launches, or your busiest business times!
4. Businesses With Short-Term SEO Needs
There may come a day when you only need SEO assistance on a specific project, a fractional SEO consultant can help you. A fractional SEO specialist provides ongoing support for a particular project, they’re committed to providing short-term assistance wherever needed without breaking your bank. Making them ideal for businesses requiring specialized focus and being time-sensitive.
Alev Can Be Your Fractional SEO Expert Too
Now that we know, businesses can only thrive in this crowded market if they acquire effective SEO strategies. So, which expert should we hire? A regular SEO or a Fractional one? Hiring a fractional SEO expert might be a safe option for startups and small businesses trying to cut costs!
At Alev Digital, we focus on providing SEO services to help boost your business’s online presence. We believe SEO is the cornerstone of businesses’ thriving ability and that it leaves everlasting impressions in search rankings!
Frequently Asked Questions
While a regular SEO expert typically works full-time, a fractional SEO specialist is likelier to work per project.
Fractional SEO is perfect for small businesses, startups, medium enterprises, and companies aiming to outpace their competitors.
A fractional SEO specialist offers expertise in optimizing SEO strategies, increasing your online visibility, boosting site traffic, etc.
Yes, hiring a fractional SEO is more inexpensive and cost-effective than a full-time SEO expert as you pay them hourly.
Yes, Alev Digital has a team of SEO experts who can help your business rank higher in Google.
