At Garrett Digital, I’ve gone back and forth between calling myself a consultant and calling the business an agency.
I use “consultant” for my senior and technical SEO engagements. When I coordinate other consultants, designers, or copywriters on a project, I sometimes describe the business as an agency, and I explain who will do the work.
“Freelancer” was the word I avoided with clients. Nobody ever told me it sounded part-time. That was my own worry. I use it with peers and on platforms, and “consultant” with organizations.
I don’t think there’s one right label. I pick the one that best describes my role and who will do the work.
How I Separate the Labels
I find it more useful to separate three questions:
- How do you work? Alone, with employees, or with outside collaborators.
- What do clients hire you for? Doing defined work, advising on decisions, managing delivery, or a mix.
- How do you present the business? Under your own name, a business name, or both.
One word rarely answers all three.
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ contingent worker survey, independent consultants and freelance workers fall in the same category: independent contractors. Independent doesn’t mean part-time, either. When BLS surveyed workers in July 2023, 70.7% of people whose main job was independent contracting worked full time. The figure covers many occupations, not only marketing or SEO.
Explain What You Do
Someone may hear “freelancer” and picture an established independent professional. Someone else may picture occasional work done on the side. I don’t know of good research on how buyers react to the word, so I won’t claim either one is typical.
I’d explain the work before changing the label. Compare:
I freelance in SEO.
with:
I’m an independent SEO consultant. I work with organizations on ongoing search strategy, website improvements, and measuring what’s working.
The second version tells a client what I do and how I work with them.
“Consultant” Fits When Clients Hire Your Judgment
I use “consultant” when clients hire me to investigate a problem and recommend what to do next. A client might ask why traffic dropped after a site migration. I find the cause, set priorities, and then make the changes or guide the client’s team.
I also say whether I’ll make changes or only advise:
I help organizations figure out what’s limiting their search performance, decide which fixes matter most, and make the changes we agree on.
You can advise and do the work. You can also call yourself a freelancer while doing both. None of these labels ranks above the others.
“Agency” Fits When You Coordinate a Team on a Project
When a project needs design, copywriting, or development, I bring in independent specialists I’ve worked with. On those engagements, I’m leading a small team, and “agency” is a fair description of what the client is buying.
I don’t want a client to infer staffing or coverage I haven’t offered, so I explain who will work on the project and what coverage I can provide.
Before you call your business an agency, be ready to answer:
- Who will do the work?
- Who attends the meetings?
- Who is responsible for quality?
- What happens when the project needs a skill you don’t have?
- How much capacity are you offering?
Here’s how I’d describe a project with collaborators:
You’ll work directly with me. When a project needs another specialty, I’ll explain who’s involved and what it costs before we start.
“Our team handles every aspect of your marketing” promises something else. If that doesn’t describe your business, don’t use it.
I Don’t Use the Same Label for Every Engagement
When I bring in other professionals, the agency description fits. I’m putting together the skills an engagement needs instead of doing every part myself. That doesn’t mean I have a permanent staff, and I don’t want to give that impression. It means more people than me may work on the project.
When a client hires me directly for a senior or technical SEO role, I describe myself as a consultant. They hire me to investigate problems and recommend what to do next. I may also make the changes we agree on.
Neither description is more prestigious. They describe different ways of working with me.
So I don’t force every engagement into one identity. I do make sure each client knows what they’re hiring me to do. That might sound like:
For this engagement, I’ll serve as your senior SEO consultant, working directly with your team on technical issues and priorities.
Or:
For this project, I’ll bring in additional specialists as needed. We’ll agree on their involvement and responsibilities as part of the scope.
If I’m advising an in-house team, I explain that role. If other people will help deliver the work, I explain who they are, what they’ll handle, and what I’m still responsible for. Bringing in a specialist now and then is different from offering a standing team for every service.
A Business Name Doesn’t Have to Imply a Team
I chose a business name partly to leave room to grow. I’ve sometimes used “we” to include project collaborators, and that’s where I’ve had to be careful. A business name can still make clear that clients work with you:
[Business Name] is an independent SEO consultancy led by [Your Name]. Clients work directly with me on strategy and implementation.
The same goes for “I” and “we.” Use “I” for your own experience and responsibilities. If “we” means you and your collaborators, or you and the client, make that clear. Don’t use it to sound bigger.
Read your website as someone who’s never met you. If the wording suggests staff or coverage you don’t provide, change it.
Be Clear About Collaborators
“I have a network of specialists” leaves the important questions open. Before a client agrees to anything, they should know:
- Whether other people are involved in this engagement
- Who chooses them and manages their work
- Who contracts with and pays them
- Whether their involvement changes the price or timeline
You don’t need all of that on your homepage. It belongs in the proposal. A fill-in line for it:
For this project, [I / you] will contract with and pay [specialist or role]. I’m responsible for [deliverables, coordination, and review].
Also be clear about which model you’re offering. Introducing a client to another freelancer is a different service from managing that freelancer’s work. Only say you manage collaborators if you take responsibility for what they deliver.
Explain Capacity Through How You Work
Explain your availability and how you handle requests:
- How should the client send requests?
- How quickly will you review them?
- How are priorities agreed?
- What counts as urgent?
- What happens when a request goes beyond the scope?
- How will you handle time off?
Don’t promise constant availability to sound bigger. If I can’t provide the coverage a client needs, I say so before we agree to the work.
Write the Description Before You Pick the Label
If you’re stuck on the title, set it aside and fill this in:
I help [type of client] with [problem or goal]. Clients hire me to [responsibilities]. They work directly with [me / me and named collaborators], through [projects / ongoing engagements].
For example:
I help membership organizations improve how their websites answer prospective members’ questions. I advise on search priorities and make agreed website improvements through ongoing consulting.
Then choose the short version that fits: “independent SEO consultant,” “freelance developer,” “solo design studio,” or “agency.” The longer description should still make sense with the label removed. Name the work and who’s responsible for it, even if you leave out the title.
Use the Same Story Everywhere Clients Look
Once you’ve settled on your description, check the places clients see it:
- Your website, especially the homepage and About page
- Your LinkedIn headline and summary
- Proposals
- Directory listings
- Email introductions
The wording can vary. What you say about staffing, services, and availability shouldn’t. If your website suggests a staffed agency and your proposal describes a solo practice, fix the difference before a prospect notices it.
Choose a Description You Can Stand Behind
Pick a label you can explain plainly: what you do, who else is involved, and what you’re responsible for. If you can follow your introduction with that explanation, the label is doing its job.