What buyers of consulting look for
Clients hiring a consultant are buying judgement they cannot fully test in advance. They look for a specific offer — who you help, with which problem, and what result — plus evidence: case studies, named clients where permitted, published thinking and the people who would do the work. Generic headlines such as We help businesses grow give them nothing to hold on to.
This audit runs our full AI & Digital Growth Audit and interprets it for consultancies and advisory firms: headline clarity, case studies and testimonials, team pages, a low-friction way to book an introductory call, articles that search engines and AI assistants can cite, and tracking that shows which content brings enquiries.
Specific points for consultancies
- Value proposition: a headline naming your audience and outcome, visible on the first phone screen.
- Calendar booking for introductory calls, for example with Calendly or Microsoft Bookings.
- Case studies, client logos and testimonials, used with permission.
- Person and ProfessionalService structured data, and sameAs links to LinkedIn profiles.
- Citation-friendly articles: clear headings, dates, definitions and short quotable paragraphs that AI assistants can attribute.
AI visibility for expertise-led firms
Prospective clients increasingly ask AI assistants for recommendations or explanations in your field. Being cited depends on AI search crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot being able to reach your pages, and on content that is clear, specific and attributable to named experts. The AI visibility section checks crawler access, structured data and how readable your content is without JavaScript.
The automation section suggests workflows common for consultancies: lead qualification before calls, proposal templates, onboarding sequences, meeting notes and follow-ups, and newsletters that keep past contacts warm.
Case studies that persuade
A good case study states the client's situation, the problem, what you did and a measurable or clearly described result, with the client's permission. Even anonymised, a specific story is more convincing than a list of services. Link each case study from the relevant service page and give it a clear title, date and author, which also makes it easier for AI tools to cite accurately. Keep your offer pages focused: one problem, one audience and one clear next step per page, such as booking a short introductory call.