Digital marketing · Delivered online · anywhere in Ireland
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Search engine optimisation (SEO): what the job involves
Search engine optimisation: improving a website so it appears higher in Google’s unpaid results for the searches its customers make — through technical fixes, better content and a stronger local presence. Results build over months, and nobody can honestly guarantee a ranking.
Also asked for as: SEO consultant · local SEO · get my website on Google · Google ranking · SEO audit
How the job is usually done
- Agree the goals: which services, which places in Ireland, and which searches matter
- Get access to Google Search Console, analytics and the website, and audit the site’s technical health, speed and content
- Research the keywords people actually use, and compare the site with competitors who rank
- Fix technical issues: indexing, page titles, headings, broken links, mobile usability and speed
- Improve or write pages for each service and location, and set up structured data where useful
- Strengthen local signals: Google Business Profile, consistent name, address and phone number, and genuine local links
- Report monthly on rankings, traffic and enquiries, and agree the next priorities
Search engine optimisation (SEO): what is included
Usually included
- An initial audit with a prioritised list of fixes
- Keyword research for the agreed services and areas
- On-page changes to the agreed pages
- A monthly report on positions, traffic and leads, where ongoing work is agreed
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Paid Google Ads — a separate service with its own budget
- A new website or major development work, unless agreed
- Writing large amounts of new content, unless agreed
- Guaranteed first-page or number-one rankings
- Buying links or reviews — which breach Google’s guidelines, and in the case of fake reviews, Irish law
Materials and who supplies them
- Access to Google Search Console, Google Analytics and the website’s admin — granted by the customer
- SEO tools and keyword data — the provider’s
- Information about services, areas, prices and photos — supplied by the customer
How long it takes
An audit with fixes usually takes two to four weeks; meaningful ranking changes typically show over three to six months of ongoing work, longer in competitive markets such as Dublin trades or national e-commerce.
When to book
Start SEO months before your busy season — results take time — and keep it going, as rankings drift when work stops.
Search engine optimisation (SEO): the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
An ad, listing or post is a misleading commercial practice if it gives false information, or is likely to deceive the average consumer, about matters such as the product’s main characteristics, the results to be expected, the price or the trader, and it would change their decision.
Applies to: the business advertising, and anyone acting in its name
Consumer Protection Act 2007, section 43; Competition and Consumer Protection Commission · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
It is a prohibited practice in all circumstances to submit, or commission anyone to submit, false consumer reviews or endorsements, or to misrepresent reviews or social endorsements, to promote products — and to claim reviews come from real customers without taking reasonable steps to check that they do.
Applies to: the business, and any agency or freelancer it hires
Consumer Protection Act 2007, section 55(1)(za) and (zb), inserted by the Consumer Rights Act 2022, section 157 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Using editorial content — an article, blog post or video — to promote a product that the trader has paid for, without making clear it is a paid promotion, is a prohibited practice.
Applies to: the business paying for the promotion
Consumer Protection Act 2007, section 55(1)(q) · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Analytics, advertising pixels and remarketing tags that store or read information on a visitor’s device need the visitor’s consent, given after clear information, unless strictly necessary for the service requested. Ad conversion tracking should respect the cookie choice the visitor made.
Applies to: the business running the website, and whoever installs the tracking
ePrivacy Regulations (S.I. 336 of 2011), Regulation 5(3) · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
What search engine optimisation (seo) costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- One-off audit, or ongoing monthly work
- Size of the website and its technical condition
- How competitive the searches and the area are
- How much new content is to be written
- Whether local SEO across several locations is needed
- Access to a developer for technical fixes
What you should get at the end
- The audit report with the list of fixes and their priority
- The keyword research, as a spreadsheet
- A log of every change made to the website
- Monthly reports on positions, traffic and enquiries
- Confirmation that the provider’s access has been removed when the work ends
What the provider should hand over
- Hand over the audit, keyword research and the change log
- Explain what to keep doing, such as adding content and asking real customers for reviews
- Remove your own access, or confirm the customer has removed it
Safety
- Grant access to Search Console and analytics through your own Google account, with user permissions — never hand over your main password
- Be wary of anyone guaranteeing a first-page ranking, or offering hundreds of links: bought links can get a site penalised by Google
- Keep ownership of your domain, website and Google accounts in your own name
Search engine optimisation (SEO): before you hire
Questions to ask before you hire
- What exactly will you do each month?
- How will you report results, and in terms of enquiries, not just rankings?
- Do you buy links or use any methods against Google’s guidelines?
- Will all accounts and content stay in my name?
- Is there a minimum contract, and how do I end it?
What you can do yourself
Claiming your Google Business Profile, writing a clear page for each service and area, and asking real customers for reviews are the most useful SEO jobs any owner can do themselves.
What to put in your task
- What kind of SEO do you need?
- Roughly how many pages does your website have?
- Where are your customers?
- Do you want new pages or articles written?
- Can you give access to your website and Google Search Console?
Photos that help
- Your website address and the main services and areas you want to be found for
- Access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics, as a user on your account
- The searches you think customers use, and competitors who appear above you
- Any previous SEO reports or work done
Digital marketing
Need search engine optimisation (seo)? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals anywhere in Ireland reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about search engine optimisation (seo)
Does search engine optimisation (seo) need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.irishstatutebook.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
How long does SEO take to work?
Technical fixes can help within weeks, but steady improvements in rankings usually take three to six months, and longer for competitive searches. Anyone promising a top position in days is either guessing or using methods that can get the site penalised.
Can someone guarantee a first-page ranking?
No. Google decides its rankings and changes how it does so, and no outside provider controls them. Google itself warns against companies that guarantee rankings. Ask instead what work will be done and how results will be measured.
What is local SEO?
Making a business show up when people search for a service near them — "plumber Galway", "café near me". It relies on the Google Business Profile, consistent contact details across the web, reviews from real customers and pages that mention the areas served.
Is there a grant for digital marketing?
The Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Voucher has been replaced by the Grow Digital Voucher. It co-funds new off-the-shelf software subscriptions and the training or set-up that goes with them, for small businesses that have first completed a Digital for Business project with their LEO — it is not a general grant for agency or marketing fees. Talk to your Local Enterprise Office, and apply before you commit to any spending.