Buyer’s directory · evidence graded

Best Startup SEO Consultants in 2026

Startups need a focused search wedge, fast learning and commercial measurement before scale. This ranking favours consultants who can prioritise sharply, work with lean teams and connect organic demand to activation, pipeline or revenue.

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12 consultants matched

Reviewed September 11, 2026

$Dan Akeju, fractional SEO lead$ Profile photo

Dan Akeju

Fractional SEO lead for B2B SaaS and fintech

Evidence ADirectory publisher

Best for: B2B SaaS, fintech, semantic SEO, AI-search visibility and revenue-led organic growth

B2B SaaS and fintechFractional ownershipStrategy plus executionSign-up and acquisition measurement

LocationRemote · International

2026 activity2026 work includes B2B SaaS, fintech and digital-signage growth programs, plus AI-search and commercial-query research.

Clients & collaboratorsUser-supplied work includes PosterBooking and nsave. Public client attribution and time periods should be confirmed before publication.

Credentials & productsDocumented operator case studies, fractional leadership positioning and practical work across SEO and AI search. Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsDocumented operator case studies, fractional leadership positioning and practical work across SEO and AI search. User-supplied work includes PosterBooking and nsave. Public client attribution and time periods should be confirmed before publication. User-supplied outcomes include 464% traffic growth and more than 10,000 sign-ups; public follower count not independently verified. Treat outcome claims as first-party unless the source is independent.

Social proofUser-supplied outcomes include 464% traffic growth and more than 10,000 sign-ups; public follower count not independently verified.

Main buying checkThis row includes user-supplied evidence. Publish only claims that can be linked to a public case study or approved client reference.

What people sayThe available outcomes and client names were supplied by Dan. They should be published as first-party case evidence only after the client attribution and public case-study links are approved.Separate from the 4.7/5 editorial fit score

Category score94/100

Pricing$3,000-$10,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★★4.7/5

Profile photo

Eli Schwartz

Product-led SEO consultant and advisor

Evidence A

Best for: Enterprise product-led SEO, marketplace growth and executive strategy

Product-led SEO strategyLarge marketplace experienceCommercial decision-makingSenior executive advisory

LocationUnited States · International

2026 activityIn 2026 he remains active as an SEO consultant and growth advisor, speaking about how AI changes product-led search.

Clients & collaboratorsPublic portfolio and speaking biographies reference technology companies including Tinder, Coinbase, LinkedIn, Quora and WordPress; verify which are current.

Credentials & productsAuthor of Product-Led SEO; former enterprise in-house SEO leader and international speaker. Book or long-form publication referenced in the authority field.

Experience & resultsAuthor of Product-Led SEO; former enterprise in-house SEO leader and international speaker. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofEstablished book, conference and podcast presence; exact current follower count was not reliably captured.

Main buying checkNamed-company associations span different years and engagement types; request a current comparable case study.

What people sayEstablished book, conference and podcast presence; exact current follower count was not reliably captured. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 4.6/5 editorial fit score

Category score92/100

Pricing$10,000-$30,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★★4.6/5

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Kevin Indig

Organic growth advisor · Growth Memo

Evidence A

Best for: Enterprise SaaS, marketplaces, product-led growth and executive search strategy

Scaled technology and marketplace experienceGrowth modelling and prioritisationSEO leadershipCurrent AI-search research

LocationUnited States · International

2026 activityHis 2025-2026 work focuses on AI search, influence metrics and growth strategy through Growth Memo and advisory engagements.

Clients & collaboratorsPublicly associated with work or advice involving Reddit, Dropbox, Nextdoor and Snapchat; prior operating roles include Shopify, G2 and Atlassian.

Credentials & productsSenior in-house leadership history, conference keynotes and a research-led newsletter. Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsSenior in-house leadership history, conference keynotes and a research-led newsletter. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofAbout 64,000 LinkedIn followers and a newsletter audience reported above 20,000.

Main buying checkPrimarily a senior advisor rather than an execution agency; clarify deliverables and implementation ownership.

What people sayAbout 64,000 LinkedIn followers and a newsletter audience reported above 20,000. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 4.5/5 editorial fit score

Category score90/100

Pricing$10,000-$30,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★★4.5/5

Official site

Brendan Hufford

B2B SaaS SEO and growth consultant

Evidence C

Best for: Enterprise search experience, SEO-to-AI transition and team leadership

B2B SaaSContent SEOFractional SEOFounder of Growth Sprints

LocationUnited States · Remote

2026 activityIn 2026 he is publishing a recurring State of AI Search series while leading search experience at Digitas UK.

Clients & collaboratorsCurrent work is tied to Digitas clients; direct client names and external availability were not verified.

Credentials & productsAbout 15 years in the industry, senior agency leadership and extensive educational publishing. Course, training or education offer.

Experience & resultsAbout 15 years in the industry, senior agency leadership and extensive educational publishing. No comparable current case study with baseline, intervention, timeframe and attribution was publicly established.

Social proofActive LinkedIn and newsletter audience; exact count not captured.

Main buying checkHis primary employment may limit outside consulting. Treat as an expert profile unless availability is confirmed.

What people sayActive LinkedIn and newsletter audience; exact count not captured. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 4.4/5 editorial fit score

Category score88/100

Pricing$3,000-$10,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆4.4/5

Official site

Tory Gray

B2B and technical SEO strategy consultant

Evidence C

Best for: Enterprise technical SEO, digital strategy, AI-search audits and cross-functional implementation

B2B SaaSTechnical SEOFractional SEOFounder of The Gray Dot

LocationUnited States · Remote

2026 activityIn 2026 she is speaking about technical AI-search optimization, community and unified SEO/GEO strategy.

Clients & collaboratorsWorks with Gray Dot clients and publicly collaborates with Aleyda Solis, Jamie Indigo and Patrick Stox.

Credentials & productsInternational speaker, mentor and agency founder. Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsInternational speaker, mentor and agency founder. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofAbout 8,500 LinkedIn followers at the research date.

Main buying checkConfirm whether the founder or a wider team will lead analysis and implementation.

What people sayAbout 8,500 LinkedIn followers at the research date. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 4.3/5 editorial fit score

Category score86/100

Pricing$6,000-$18,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆4.3/5

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Ross Simmonds

B2B content distribution and SEO strategist

Evidence C

Best for: B2B SaaS content distribution, audience growth and AI-assisted content operations

B2B SaaSContent SEOAI searchFounder of Foundation

LocationCanada · International

2026 activityIn 2026 he continues running a global agency, building software and teaching AI-assisted marketing workflows.

Clients & collaboratorsFoundation works with B2B technology brands; current named accounts should be verified on the agency's case-study pages.

Credentials & productsLinkedIn Learning instructor, keynote speaker, author and agency founder. Book or long-form publication referenced in the authority field; Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsLinkedIn Learning instructor, keynote speaker, author and agency founder. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofLarge LinkedIn and podcast audience; exact follower count not captured.

Main buying checkHe is broader than SEO. Choose him when distribution and content operations matter, not for a narrow technical audit.

What people sayLarge LinkedIn and podcast audience; exact follower count not captured. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 4.2/5 editorial fit score

Category score84/100

Pricing$10,000-$30,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆4.2/5

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Nathan Ojaokomo

B2B SaaS content writer and strategist

Evidence B

Best for: B2B SaaS teams needing bottom-of-funnel SEO, AEO content and sales-aligned organic acquisition

Bottom-funnel SaaS contentProduct comparisonsAI-search visibilityDirect senior delivery

LocationIbadan, Nigeria

2026 activityA September 2026 LinkedIn post describes his offer as BOFU SEO plus AEO content intended to place brands in active buying conversations.

Clients & collaboratorsNo current named-client roster was publicly verified. A 2026 industry post listed him among SaaS writers consulted for an article.

Credentials & productsCurrent specialist portfolio and public writing. No formal SEO certificate was independently verified. No separate book, course or product was documented in this pass.

Experience & resultsCurrent specialist portfolio and public writing. No formal SEO certificate was independently verified. No comparable current case study with baseline, intervention, timeframe and attribution was publicly established.

Social proofActive LinkedIn publishing. A reliable follower total was not captured.

Main buying checkThe service focus is clear, but the public evidence set is still narrow. Request portfolio URLs, conversion evidence and client permission before publishing outcomes.

What people sayNo defensible independent review pattern was established. Request two recent, comparable client references before making a service-quality claim.Separate from the 4.1/5 editorial fit score

Category score82/100

Pricing$1,500-$5,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆4.1/5

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Jeremiah Ajayi

B2B product, content and go-to-market consultant

Evidence B

Best for: B2B startups planning launches, repositioning or expansion, plus Nigerian brands beginning AI-visibility measurement

B2B positioningGo-to-market campaignsSales enablementAI visibility strategy

LocationNigeria · International

2026 activityIn August 2026 he published an AI Visibility Gap Report template and promoted an AI-era Discovery Sprint with Treford covering audits, competitor analysis, content gaps and 90-day roadmaps.

Clients & collaboratorsPublic 2026 collaboration includes Treford. The indexed source did not establish a current retained-client roster.

Credentials & productsPublic workshop material, templates and long-form professional publishing. No formal SEO certificate was independently verified. Course, training or education offer.

Experience & resultsPublic workshop material, templates and long-form professional publishing. No formal SEO certificate was independently verified. Public outcome evidence is incomplete. Request a recent reference and underlying measurement before using performance claims.

Social proofAbout 10,359 LinkedIn followers were displayed on a September 2026 indexed post.

Main buying checkBest categorized as a broader B2B messaging and AI-discovery strategist, not a pure technical SEO consultant. Confirm deliverables and recent client outcomes.

What people sayAbout 10,359 LinkedIn followers were displayed on a September 2026 indexed post. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 4/5 editorial fit score

Category score80/100

Pricing$2,000-$7,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆4/5

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Gaetano DiNardi

B2B SaaS growth and SEO advisor

Evidence C

Best for: B2B SaaS SEO, demand generation, brand-led search and commercial content

B2B SaaSFractional SEOContent SEOIndependent advisor with senior B2B growth leadership experience

LocationUnited States · Remote

2026 activityIn 2025-2026 he is challenging inflated GEO claims and publishing analysis from more than 25 B2B sites.

Clients & collaboratorsA 2025 profile reports work with more than 50 SaaS companies; current names were not independently verified.

Credentials & productsSenior B2B operating roles, consulting record and research-led public commentary. No separate book, course or product was documented in this pass.

Experience & resultsSenior B2B operating roles, consulting record and research-led public commentary. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofVisible B2B LinkedIn and podcast presence; exact follower count not captured.

Main buying checkHis findings are useful but often drawn from private client datasets. Ask for a relevant company-stage and category comparison.

Category score78/100

Pricing$6,000-$18,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆3.9/5

#10

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Chima Mmeje

B2B SaaS content strategist and consultant

Evidence C

Best for: B2B SaaS content strategy, topic clusters and expert-led content

B2B SaaSContent SEOFounder of Zenith Copy

LocationUnited Kingdom · Nigerian background

2026 activityHer recent work emphasizes expert-led content, commercial intent and sustainable content operations in the AI era.

Clients & collaboratorsPublic portfolio contains SaaS work; verify which named clients are current and approved for use.

Credentials & productsRecognized content strategist, speaker and community contributor. Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsRecognized content strategist, speaker and community contributor. Public outcome evidence is incomplete. Request a recent reference and underlying measurement before using performance claims.

Social proofStrong LinkedIn and SEO-community presence; exact count not captured.

Main buying checkBetter fit for content strategy and production than deep technical SEO or local search.

Category score76/100

Pricing$3,000-$10,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆3.8/5

#11

Official site

Jase Rodley

SaaS and programmatic SEO consultant

Evidence C

Best for: B2B SEO, link acquisition, durable organic systems and bootstrapped online businesses

B2B SaaSTechnical SEOContent SEOFounder of Dialed Labs

LocationAustralia · Remote

2026 activityIn 2025-2026 he continues advising on durable campaigns, content and link-worthy assets.

Clients & collaboratorsDialed Labs client identities are not broadly public; industry contributions provide supporting evidence.

Credentials & productsAgency founder, investor and long-running SEO practitioner. Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsAgency founder, investor and long-running SEO practitioner. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofEstablished entrepreneurial SEO audience; exact follower count not captured.

Main buying checkOwned-site success and client delivery are different evidence types. Request a comparable client case study.

What people sayEstablished entrepreneurial SEO audience; exact follower count not captured. This demonstrates visibility and peer recognition, not client satisfaction or delivery quality.Separate from the 3.7/5 editorial fit score

Category score74/100

Pricing$6,000-$18,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆3.7/5

#12

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Steve Toth

SEO strategy consultant and publisher

Evidence C

Best for: B2B SaaS, ecommerce, practical SEO systems and experienced teams seeking tested playbooks

Content SEOB2B SaaSAI searchFounder of SEO Notebook

LocationToronto, Canada

2026 activityIn 2026 he continues consulting, publishing and curating tactical SEO and AI-search experiments.

Clients & collaboratorsPublicly collaborates with software companies and practitioners; current client list is not generally disclosed.

Credentials & productsFormer in-house SEO leader, conference speaker and publisher of a large specialist newsletter. Tool, platform, newsletter or owned product.

Experience & resultsFormer in-house SEO leader, conference speaker and publisher of a large specialist newsletter. Authority and current role are supported, but a buyer should still request a comparable case study with dates and measurement scope.

Social proofLarge newsletter and LinkedIn following; exact count not captured.

Main buying checkTactical content is strong, but buyers should confirm strategic scope and implementation support.

Category score72/100

Pricing$6,000-$18,000/month · estimated

Editorial fit★★★★☆3.6/5

Independent matching

Not sure who fits? Send the brief.

I’ll review your company, problem and budget, then send a focused shortlist. No pay-to-rank placements and no generic agency spreadsheet.

What you get2–3 relevant optionsTrade-offs explainedA direct recommendation

Methodology

A ranking should explain its judgment.

Scores are a starting point, not a substitute for fit. Each category changes the weighting so a technical-recovery specialist is not judged like a SaaS growth lead.

35%

Commercial fit

Ability to connect search demand to activation, pipeline, revenue or product use.

25%

Speed and focus

Lean prioritisation that tests the strongest acquisition thesis before scaling.

25%

Team delivery

Direct senior work with founders, product, engineering and small marketing teams.

15%

Public evidence

Attributable startup expertise, examples and transparent gaps.

Strong public record

Official evidence plus multiple relevant third-party sources or attributable results.

Supported profile

Official evidence plus at least one meaningful corroborating source.

Provisional profile

Identity and specialism are visible, but independent results or reviews remain limited.

Score and publisher disclosure

Dan Akeju created this directory and is included in it. No consultant paid for placement. The 5-point directory assessment is the editorial score divided by 20. Credentials, results, reviews and testimonials receive evidence-coverage scores based on attributable public sourcing. These are not customer ratings or invented outcomes. Age receives 0/100 when no reliable public source exists and is never estimated.

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