Question 1

Which service is right for me?

Accepted Answer

Most engagements begin with a comprehensive audit. If you already know what needs to be done, consulting or implementation may be a better fit. Not sure? Book a [Strategy Session](/strategy-session) and we'll figure it out together.

Question 2

Do you work with small businesses?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I work with organizations ranging from startups to enterprise brands.

Question 3

Do you work internationally?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All services can be delivered remotely.

Question 4

Do you sign NDAs?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely.

Question 5

Can we schedule a discovery call?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A short conversation helps determine the best engagement. You can book one directly as a [Strategy Session](/strategy-session).

Question 6

What information do you need before we start?

Accepted Answer

Just your website URL and a rough sense of your goals. For most engagements, a short kickoff questionnaire replaces the need for a discovery call - it covers your business, goals, access, and any known challenges, and takes about 10-15 minutes.

Question 7

Do I need to prepare anything before the audit?

Accepted Answer

Not really. I crawl the site the same way search engines do, so I don't need CMS or hosting access. If your site blocks crawlers with a firewall, I'll let you know what needs temporary whitelisting.

Question 8

How do I know if my site actually needs an SEO audit?

Accepted Answer

If organic traffic is flat or declining, you're planning a redesign or migration, or you're not sure how visible your site is to AI answer engines, an audit will give you a clear, evidence-based picture rather than a guess.

Question 9

What if I've never had an SEO audit before?

Accepted Answer

That's the most common starting point. First-time audits tend to surface the most impactful findings, since foundational technical and content issues often haven't been addressed yet.

Question 10

Can you work with my existing marketing agency?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I regularly work alongside existing agencies, in-house marketing teams, and developers - clarifying who owns what keeps everyone aligned.

Question 11

What happens after I submit an inquiry?

Accepted Answer

I'll follow up to understand your goals and recommend the right starting point. From there, most engagements move straight to a proposal or direct purchase, without a lengthy sales process.

Question 12

Do you require a minimum contract length?

Accepted Answer

No. Audits and implementation projects are scoped as standalone engagements. Ongoing consulting can be structured monthly with no long-term lock-in.

Question 13

What if I'm not sure which service fits my situation?

Accepted Answer

That's normal, and exactly what the initial conversation is for. Tell me what's prompting the inquiry - declining traffic, a redesign, AI visibility concerns - and I'll recommend the right starting point. A [Strategy Session](/strategy-session) is the fastest way to get that conversation started.

Question 14

Can I see samples of your work before hiring?

Accepted Answer

Yes - the example client workspace on this site shows exactly what a delivered audit looks like, and references/testimonials from past clients are available on the Client Feedback page.

Question 15

Do you offer a consultation before a paid engagement?

Accepted Answer

My time is limited and focused on my clients, which is why I charge for a consultation call - it's a 30-minute Strategy Session where we figure out whether an audit, consulting, or implementation support is the right fit. [Book here](/strategy-session).

Question 16

What size websites do you typically work with?

Accepted Answer

Everything from small brochure sites to large ecommerce and enterprise sites with tens of thousands of pages. The approach and timeline scale with the site's size and complexity.

Question 17

Do you work with nonprofits or government sites?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The same manual, evidence-based approach applies regardless of sector - nonprofit and government sites have the same crawlability, content, and AI-visibility fundamentals as any other site.

Question 18

What industries do you have experience in?

Accepted Answer

Work spans ecommerce, SaaS, marketplaces, publishers, local service businesses, and more. Technical SEO fundamentals are consistent across industries, though findings and priorities shift based on your specific business model.

Question 19

Is there a wrong time to hire an SEO consultant?

Accepted Answer

Not really, but earlier is almost always better - especially before a redesign or migration, when involving SEO from the start prevents costly rework after launch.

Question 20

How soon can we get started after signing on?

Accepted Answer

Once the kickoff questionnaire is complete and any necessary access is provided, work typically begins within a few business days.

Question 21

What does the audit include?

Accepted Answer

Technical SEO, AI readiness, content quality, trust signals, organic visibility, prioritized findings, implementation guidance, and a private client workspace.

Question 22

How is your audit different?

Accepted Answer

Every finding is manually reviewed and prioritized rather than exported from an SEO tool.

Question 23

Do you need Search Console?

Accepted Answer

Recommended but not required.

Question 24

Do you need Google Analytics?

Accepted Answer

Recommended but not required.

Question 25

Will you explain the findings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every engagement includes a walkthrough.

Question 26

How long does an audit take?

Accepted Answer

Typical turnaround is 7-10 business days for smaller sites and 2-3 weeks for mid-size sites. Large or complex sites get a custom timeline scoped up front.

Question 27

Do you crawl the entire site or a sample?

Accepted Answer

A full crawl whenever feasible, so findings reflect your actual site rather than a sample. For very large sites, crawl scope is discussed and scoped during kickoff.

Question 28

What tools do you use during an audit?

Accepted Answer

A combination of crawl-based tooling, live-site checks, and manual review. The value comes from manually interpreting and prioritizing what the data means for your specific site, not just running a scan.

Question 29

Will the audit tell me exactly what to fix first?

Accepted Answer

Yes - every finding is scored and organized by impact, so you get a prioritized roadmap instead of an undifferentiated list of issues.

Question 30

Do you check for Core Web Vitals issues?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Page speed and Core Web Vitals are reviewed as part of the technical foundation category, since they directly affect both user experience and rankings.

Question 31

Does the audit cover structured data and schema?

Accepted Answer

Yes - schema validity, entity coverage, and rich-result eligibility are all reviewed, since structured data helps both search engines and AI systems understand your content.

Question 32

What is AI readiness, exactly?

Accepted Answer

It's how well your site can be crawled, understood, and cited by AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews - covering crawler access, content extractability, and entity clarity.

Question 33

Do you check whether AI crawlers can access my site?

Accepted Answer

Yes - robots.txt and firewall rules are checked against known AI crawlers (GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, and others) to confirm you're not accidentally blocking them.

Question 34

Will the audit include competitor comparisons?

Accepted Answer

Where relevant, findings note how your site compares to competitors on things like AI Overview visibility and backlink profile - the core audit is focused on your site's own opportunities.

Question 35

Do you audit content quality, not just technical issues?

Accepted Answer

Yes - content depth, duplication, readability, and messaging clarity are all reviewed alongside technical SEO, since both affect how search engines and AI systems evaluate your site.

Question 36

What does the private client workspace include?

Accepted Answer

All findings, prioritization, a roadmap, developer and content handoffs, and downloadable reports - organized into one password-protected hub built for your site.

Question 37

Can I share the audit with my team?

Accepted Answer

Yes - the workspace is built for teams, with separate developer and content handoffs so each person can see exactly what applies to them.

Question 38

Do you provide a prioritized list of recommendations?

Accepted Answer

Yes - every finding is scored by impact and effort so you know what to tackle first, rather than facing an undifferentiated wall of issues.

Question 39

What happens if my site has thousands of pages?

Accepted Answer

Larger sites are scoped individually - crawl approach, sampling strategy, and timeline are adjusted so the audit stays thorough without becoming unmanageable.

Question 40

Do you audit for accessibility issues?

Accepted Answer

Yes - accessibility is reviewed as part of the technical foundation, since many accessibility issues (missing alt text, poor semantic structure) also affect SEO and AI content understanding.

Question 41

Will you flag security issues like missing SSL or headers?

Accepted Answer

Yes - SSL validity, HTTPS configuration, and security headers are all checked, since they affect both user trust and how browsers and crawlers treat your site.

Question 42

Do you check international/hreflang setups?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when applicable - hreflang implementation, return links, and locale-specific sitemaps are reviewed for sites serving multiple languages or regions.

Question 43

What if my site blocks crawlers or bots?

Accepted Answer

If your site uses a firewall, bot protection, or IP filtering, I'll provide the information your team needs for temporary whitelisting so the crawl can complete.

Question 44

Do you review my XML sitemap and robots.txt?

Accepted Answer

Yes - both are checked for accuracy and accessibility, since they directly control what search engines and AI crawlers can find and index.

Question 45

Can the audit help with an upcoming redesign or migration?

Accepted Answer

Yes - an audit before a redesign or migration establishes a clean baseline and flags issues worth fixing during the rebuild rather than carrying them forward.

Question 46

Do you provide a developer-ready fix list?

Accepted Answer

Yes - findings include specific, actionable recommendations that developers can act on directly, not just a description of the problem.

Question 47

How is AI search visibility measured in the audit?

Accepted Answer

Through a combination of technical accessibility checks (can AI crawlers reach your content), entity and schema review, and direct checks of how AI answer engines currently represent your business.

Question 48

Will you check how my brand is represented by AI chatbots?

Accepted Answer

Yes - checking what AI answer engines currently say about your business is part of the AI Readiness review, so you know if anything is inaccurate or outdated.

Question 49

Do you review Core Web Vitals across mobile and desktop?

Accepted Answer

Yes - both are considered, since performance issues often affect one more than the other and both impact ranking and user experience.

Question 50

What happens after the audit is delivered?

Accepted Answer

You get a full walkthrough of the findings, and can move into implementation support, ongoing consulting, or handle the fixes with your own team using the workspace as a guide.

Question 51

What is AI Search Consulting?

Accepted Answer

Helping organizations improve how AI systems discover, understand, and cite their content.

Question 52

Can you guarantee citations?

Accepted Answer

No. No one can. The goal is to maximize the signals that influence AI visibility.

Question 53

What's the difference between AI search and traditional SEO?

Accepted Answer

Traditional SEO optimizes for ranking in a list of links; AI search optimizes for being understood, trusted, and quoted directly inside an AI-generated answer. The two overlap heavily - strong technical SEO is the foundation both rely on.

Question 54

How do AI answer engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity decide what to cite?

Accepted Answer

They favor content that is clear, well-structured, factually accurate, and easy to extract - along with entities (brands, people, organizations) that are consistently and credibly represented across the web.

Question 55

What is llms.txt and do I need one?

Accepted Answer

It's an emerging convention that gives AI systems a clear, machine-readable summary of your site's key pages and purpose, similar to how a sitemap helps search engines. It's not yet universal, but it's a low-effort signal worth adding.

Question 56

How does structured data affect AI visibility?

Accepted Answer

Schema markup helps AI systems understand who you are and what your content covers with far less ambiguity, making your entities and facts easier to extract and cite accurately.

Question 57

Can you help me get mentioned in Google AI Overviews?

Accepted Answer

I can improve the signals that influence AI Overview inclusion - content clarity, structured data, topical authority, and technical accessibility - though no one can guarantee a specific placement.

Question 58

Does content need to be different for AI search versus Google?

Accepted Answer

The fundamentals overlap, but AI search rewards content that states facts plainly and directly - clear answers, defined terms, and extractable claims tend to perform better than content written primarily for narrative flow.

Question 59

How do I know if AI crawlers can access my site?

Accepted Answer

Robots.txt and firewall rules need to be checked against known AI crawler user-agents (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and others) - this is a standard part of both the audit and AI Search Consulting.

Question 60

What role does E-E-A-T play in AI search visibility?

Accepted Answer

Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust signals help AI systems decide which sources are credible enough to cite - author bios, credentials, and consistent external citations all contribute.

Question 61

Do you monitor ongoing AI citation performance?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as part of ongoing engagements - tracking whether and how AI answer engines reference your business over time, rather than a one-time snapshot.

Question 62

How often should AI search visibility be reviewed?

Accepted Answer

AI answer engines change quickly, so quarterly reviews are a reasonable baseline for most businesses, with more frequent checks for competitive industries.

Question 63

Can small businesses realistically show up in AI answers?

Accepted Answer

Yes - AI visibility often rewards clarity and specificity over sheer size, so a small business with well-structured, authoritative content can outperform larger competitors with weaker signals.

Question 64

Does AI Search Consulting replace traditional SEO?

Accepted Answer

No - it builds on it. Strong technical SEO and quality content remain the foundation; AI Search Consulting adds the layer specific to how AI systems parse and cite that same content.

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