SEO CONSULTANCY & LEADERSHIP
Experienced SEO direction for your business
Know what to prioritise, give your team a clear plan and keep the work moving.
I help businesses make informed decisions about SEO and website growth. Support can range from reviewing your current approach to developing a strategy, coordinating delivery and providing ongoing senior guidance.
My experience combines hands-on SEO with responsibility for websites, agencies and digital projects across multiple brands.
Strategy informed by delivery
I’m Shahzad Akram, an SEO and digital growth specialist with more than 15 years’ experience.
My responsibilities across World Options, Mail Boxes Etc. UK and PACK & SEND UK include setting organic-search priorities across six websites, coordinating external partners and reporting performance to senior stakeholders.
I have worked with marketing directors, franchisee committees, developers, agencies and international teams. That experience helps me turn business objectives into work that people can understand, deliver and measure.
When an SEO consultant can help
You need a clearer direction
There is plenty of activity, but the priorities are unclear. You need to understand which opportunities deserve attention and how they support the business.
Your team needs senior support
You have people handling content, development or marketing, but need experienced guidance to connect their work and resolve SEO questions.
You want an independent review
You need a second opinion on an agency proposal, an audit, a website plan or current performance.
Recommendations are not reaching the website
Work stalls between teams because requirements, responsibilities or priorities have not been agreed.
You are making a significant website decision
A rebuild, migration, international launch or change of supplier would benefit from someone who understands both SEO and project delivery.
What I can help with
Review your current SEO approach
Assess your objectives, website performance, existing activity and available resources.
I look at what is being done, the evidence behind the priorities and whether important gaps are being overlooked.
What you receive: A clear assessment of the current position and recommended next steps.
Develop a practical SEO strategy
Connect your commercial objectives with a plan for search and website improvement.
Depending on the business, this may cover technical SEO, content, local visibility, franchise recruitment, international markets and conversion opportunities.
What you receive: A prioritised roadmap explaining what to work on, why it matters and what delivery requires.
Provide ongoing senior guidance
Support the people responsible for day-to-day delivery.
This can include reviewing proposals, answering questions, assessing new issues and helping the team adjust priorities as circumstances change.
What you receive: An agreed schedule of support, with clear responsibilities and a record of decisions and actions.
Coordinate agencies and developers
Help translate SEO priorities into work that external partners can deliver.
I can prepare briefs, discuss implementation options, review completed work and identify decisions that need input from your team.
What you receive: Clearer requirements, ownership and follow-through across the agreed work.
Improve reporting and measurement
Establish a useful view of progress.
I help determine which measures reflect your objectives, where tracking is incomplete and how to explain performance in context. Depending on the data available, this can include search visibility, engaged organic visits and enquiries.
What you receive: A reporting approach that connects activity, outcomes and the next decisions.
Support website and supplier decisions
Bring an SEO perspective to platform choices, agency proposals, website structures and launch plans.
I help clarify requirements and trade-offs so decisions account for the people who will use, maintain and grow the website.
What you receive: Practical recommendations grounded in your business needs and delivery constraints.
Clear priorities for the people doing the work
A strategy becomes useful when each priority has an owner and a next step.
I help establish:
- What needs to change.
- Why the change matters.
- Who will deliver it.
- What information or access is needed.
- How implementation will be checked.
- What evidence will help assess the outcome.
This makes it easier to coordinate work across marketing, content, development and external agencies.
Ways we can work together
A focused review
For a specific question, proposal or performance concern.
We agree the issue, review the relevant evidence and identify the next steps. This can be a useful starting point before committing to a larger programme.
A defined project
For a strategy, audit, migration or other agreed piece of work.
The scope sets out the deliverables, responsibilities, dependencies and review points.
Ongoing consultancy
For businesses that need regular senior SEO input.
Support may include planning, delivery reviews, stakeholder discussions and performance reporting. The arrangement should fit the amount of work your team can implement.
Experience with complex websites and competing priorities
My current SEO leadership experience includes:
- Responsibility for organic-search priorities across six websites.
- Franchise search covering approximately 191 physical store pages and 335 virtual service office pages.
- Nine major website launches and migrations across the UK, US and Australia.
- Coordination of project groups involving developers, agencies, designers and content specialists.
- Performance reporting using GA4, Google Search Console and business reporting.
- Presenting recommendations to marketing leadership and franchise stakeholders.
Alongside employed roles, I have built and operated my own businesses. That experience keeps my advice grounded in the practical relationship between marketing activity, customer enquiries and commercial outcomes.
How we would get started
1. Discuss the situation
We establish what you want to achieve, what is already happening and where you need support.
2. Review the relevant information
I assess the website, performance data or project materials needed to understand the brief.
3. Agree the scope
We define the work, deliverables, responsibilities and communication arrangements.
4. Work through the priorities
I provide the agreed advice and delivery support, with clear actions and review points.
5. Assess progress
We review what has been implemented, what the evidence shows and whether priorities need to change.
Frequently asked questions
Can you work alongside our existing SEO agency?
Yes. We would establish where my involvement adds value and agree responsibilities from the outset. This might include strategic direction, an independent review or help coordinating implementation.
Can you support an in-house marketing team?
Yes. I can help a team set priorities, assess recommendations and make SEO decisions while they retain responsibility for day-to-day activity.
Do you only advise franchise businesses?
Franchise and multi-location SEO are particular areas of experience, but my background also includes e-commerce, logistics, legal and professional-services websites. We can discuss whether your requirements fit my experience.
Will you carry out the work or only provide advice?
That depends on the scope. I can provide advice, make some changes directly or coordinate work with your team and delivery partners. We would make those responsibilities explicit before starting.
Can you help us assess an agency proposal?
Yes. I can review the proposed scope, priorities, deliverables and measurement approach against your objectives and current position.
What access would you need?
That depends on the work. A performance review may require relevant analytics and search data, while implementation may also require website access. We would identify the access needed for the agreed scope.
Do you offer one-off consultations?
A focused consultation or review can be appropriate where there is a clearly defined question. We would agree what can reasonably be covered and whether preparation is needed.
How do you measure the value of consultancy?
We agree the objectives at the start. These may include resolving a specific issue, producing an actionable plan, improving delivery or supporting measurable website growth. The measures should reflect the work I am responsible for and the information available.
Let’s discuss where you need support
Tell me about your website, your team and the decisions or challenges you are facing.
We can establish whether a focused review, defined project or ongoing consultancy would be the most useful starting point.
Or email contact@shahzadakram.com.