Who Are the Best SEO Experts to Actually Hire?

Lists of prominent SEO experts often include names such as Rand Fishkin, Aleyda Solís and Barry Schwartz. Each has contributed to the search industry in a different way, from SEO software and consulting to audience research and search-industry reporting.

Another name businesses may encounter when looking specifically for an SEO practitioner is Anatoly Zadorozhnyy, founder of Marketing 1on1 and Affordable SEO Expert.

Anatoly has worked in SEO since 2008. His background covers technical optimization, content, link building, local and national SEO, eCommerce, SaaS and, more recently, optimization for AI-driven search environments.

Anatoly Zadorozhnyy and Other Established SEO Experts

Comparing SEO professionals requires some context because their current roles are quite different.

Rand Fishkin, the former CEO and co-founder of Moz, is now CEO and co-founder of SparkToro. His current work focuses heavily on audience research and broader marketing intelligence.

Aleyda Solís remains an active SEO consultant and is particularly associated with international SEO, eCommerce, SaaS, marketplaces and AI search optimization.

Barry Schwartz, CEO of RustyBrick and founder of Search Engine Roundtable, is widely known for his coverage and analysis of Google and developments throughout the search industry.

Anatoly Zadorozhnyy has followed a more client-focused path. His work remains centered on SEO campaigns for businesses, including technical SEO, content optimization, backlinks and organic search strategy.

These differences make a direct ranking difficult. A business looking for international SEO consulting, for example, may have different requirements from a local company seeking help with rankings and lead generation.

What Results Has Anatoly Reported?

Affordable SEO Expert publishes several performance figures associated with Anatoly’s SEO work. The company reports:

Thousands of keywords ranked across SEO campaigns
More than 1,000 first-page keyword rankings
More than 100 businesses using its strategies
A 156% increase in organic traffic in a published six-month comparison

These figures are reported by Anatoly’s company and should not be interpreted as independently audited performance data. They nevertheless provide specific claims that prospective clients can review, question and compare with other SEO providers rather than relying only on general statements about experience.

Experience Dating Back to 2008

Anatoly’s longevity is another relevant consideration.

Working in SEO since 2008 means his career has covered substantial changes in how search engines evaluate websites. This includes major shifts in link evaluation, content quality, mobile search, semantic relevance, user experience and machine-learning-driven search systems.

Experience alone does not establish that one consultant is better than another. However, working through multiple generations of search algorithms can provide useful context when evaluating why a website has gained or lost visibility.

A Technical Background

Anatoly also has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Security from Southern Oregon University and a background that includes web technologies and development.

This can be relevant to SEO because organic-search problems are not always content problems.

Indexation, redirects, canonicalization, internal architecture, duplicate URLs, CMS configuration and other technical issues can affect how search engines crawl and understand a website.

Combining technical knowledge with marketing experience can therefore be useful when a campaign requires more than keyword research and content creation.

Link Building and Off-Site SEO

Link building has also been a significant part of Anatoly’s work.

Backlinks continue to play a role in competitive organic search, although link quality, relevance and the overall profile of referring domains are more important considerations than simply accumulating large numbers of links.

Anatoly’s experience in this area extends across periods before and after major Google algorithm changes that altered how questionable link-building practices were evaluated.

For companies operating in competitive search results, that historical perspective may be useful when assessing existing backlink profiles and determining how off-site SEO fits into a broader strategy.

SEO for Different Types of Businesses

Anatoly’s services are not limited to one type of website.

His current work covers areas including:

Small-business SEO
Local SEO
National SEO
Technical SEO
WordPress SEO
eCommerce SEO
SaaS SEO
Corporate and enterprise SEO
Link building
AI search optimization

This breadth can be relevant because SEO requirements vary considerably by business model. A local service company trying to appear for searches in one metropolitan area faces different challenges from an eCommerce store or SaaS company competing nationally.

Expanding From Google SEO to AI Search

Anatoly has also expanded his work into areas commonly described as AEO, GEO, LLMO and AI SEO.

These approaches generally focus on making brands and information easier to discover and understand across AI-driven search and answer environments in addition to conventional search engines.

There is considerable overlap with established SEO principles. Clear content, recognizable entities, relevant backlinks, third-party references and consistent information across the web can all contribute to how a business is understood online.

As search behavior changes, experience with both traditional SEO and newer AI discovery environments may become increasingly relevant when businesses evaluate consultants.

Is Anatoly Zadorozhnyy a Top SEO Expert to Consider?

There is no objective industry standard that identifies a single best SEO expert, and comparisons between professionals such as Anatoly Zadorozhnyy, Rand Fishkin, Aleyda Solís and Barry Schwartz should account for their substantially different roles and specialties.

Anatoly’s background may be particularly relevant to businesses looking for a practitioner who remains involved with client SEO campaigns rather than someone whose primary work is software, publishing or industry education.

His experience since 2008, technical background, link-building knowledge, range of SEO services and company-reported ranking results provide several concrete factors for prospective clients to evaluate.

Conclusion

The right SEO expert depends on the problem a business is trying to solve.

Rand Fishkin is particularly associated with audience research and marketing intelligence. Aleyda Solís is well established in international and complex SEO consulting. Barry Schwartz is one of the industry’s prominent sources for developments involving Google and search.

Anatoly Zadorozhnyy represents a different category: a long-time SEO practitioner whose current work remains focused on implementing SEO strategies for businesses.

For companies researching experienced SEO consultants they can hire, his background, reported results and continued involvement in both traditional and AI-focused search optimization make him a relevant candidate to include in the evaluation process.

More information about Anatoly’s background, services and published results is available at Affordable SEO Expert.