Content opportunities

Google already sees you as the person who explains consulting.

We looked at what people are searching for in your world, what you already show up for, and the exact way they ask the question. Here are the pieces you are uniquely built to write, and why each one is worth your time.

Prepared for Mike Smith mikesmith.me August 2026
How we put this together

We started with real data, not opinions.

You should be able to trust every suggestion here, so here is the short version of how we got to it.

1

We read your writing first

Everything already on your site is fair game, because you have approved it by publishing it. We read it closely to learn the words you use and the ideas you return to.

2

We checked how Google already sees you

Google keeps a record of every search that shows your site. We read the whole of it to learn what the search world already files you under. The answer was clear and encouraging.

3

We listened to what people actually ask

For each topic that suits you, we looked at what people are typing into Google and talking about in the places practitioners gather. That gave us their real words, not our guess at them.

4

We cross-checked before trusting anything

Search tools disagree with each other more than you would think. So we compared what each one told us and kept only what more than one source agreed on. What follows is the part we are confident about.

What Google files you under

You are known for the subject, not just the name.

Most people's sites are found mainly when someone searches their name. Yours is the opposite. For every person who finds you by searching "Mike Smith," roughly ten find you through the consulting topics you write about.

10topic searches for every 1 name search
Found through your topics · about 14,700 times a month Found by your name · about 1,500

That is a strong position to build on. It means new writing on the right subjects compounds what is already working, instead of starting from zero.

Where you stand right now

Two of your biggest topics tell the whole story.

The bars show how often each topic puts you in front of someone. The badge shows where you land. Page 1 is the goal, because almost no one scrolls to page 3.

You already own these
RAIDD Log your own termPage 1 · around #3
1,865 appearances a month
The FrieNDA your own termPage 1 · around #8
952 appearances a month
Showing up, ready to climb
"consultant" and "what do consultants do"Page 3 · around #31
2,627 appearances a month, and climbing would multiply your visits
Stakeholder alignmentOne version already at #6
622 appearances a month, gaining ground on its own

The pattern is worth pausing on. The terms you coined are already on page 1. The broad consulting questions put you in front of thousands of people, but sit too low to earn the click yet. That gap is the opportunity, and it is a much shorter climb than starting fresh.

Their words, not ours

This is how people actually ask.

The questions below are pulled straight from real searches and real conversations. Notice the honest, slightly skeptical tone. Answering it directly is what earns trust, and it is exactly the register your writing already has.

The honest skeptic
  • Why do companies hire consultants instead of their own people?
  • Why do consultants have a bad reputation?
  • Maybe I am being daft, but why hire external consultants at all?
The toolkit
  • What is the purpose of a RAID log, and what does RAID stand for?
  • How do you actually run a SteerCo meeting?
  • What is a good utilization rate, and what is "the bench"?
Strategy vs doing
  • What is the real difference between strategy and implementation?
  • How do you go from a strategy to actually executing it?
The investor's seat
  • Explain, like I am five, what LPs and GPs really are.
  • What do limited partners actually want from a fund?
The audience for these topics

How many people are searching for these.

These are topics behind the pieces we suggest below. The number is roughly how many people search each one every month in the United States. Bigger is not always better: the sharper, more specific pieces often win, even at lower numbers, because fewer people have answered them well.

TopicSearches each month (US)
What an audit really is
14,800
What a RAID or RAIDD log is
1,300
Is AI overhyped
1,000
Post-merger integration
260

We also looked at a few topics and set them aside on purpose. "Consent decree," for example, is searched mostly by people researching police and legal cases, not the compliance work you know. Right subject, wrong audience, so we left it out rather than send you after the wrong readers.

The pieces built for you

Six things only you can write well.

Each of these lines up with a real search, extends the writing that is already working for you, and stays entirely on the craft of the work. Nothing here touches your firm or any engagement. Under each one is a short list of questions to answer. They are the real things people are asking, so if your piece answers them plainly, it does the heavy lifting of ranking for you. Think of them as your section headings; you just fill them in.

Piece 01 · builds on what is already climbing

The honest case for hiring a consultant

Answer the skeptic head on. Why a company brings in an outsider, what that outsider actually adds, and the honest version of why the profession gets a bad name. Warm, plain, and fair to the doubters.

Questions to answer
  • Why would a company pay an outsider instead of hiring someone in-house?
  • What can an outside consultant do that an internal team usually cannot?
  • Why do consultants have a reputation problem, and how much of it is fair?
  • When is bringing in a consultant the wrong move?
Why youYour "what consultants do" writing already ranks for this. Depth is what lifts it to page 1.
Piece 02 · your flagship, extended

The RAIDD Log, explained by the person who uses one

A clear walk through your log: why Decisions earns its own column, how risks differ from issues, and what quietly breaks when a team skips it.

Questions to answer
  • What does RAIDD stand for, and why a second D?
  • What is the difference between a risk, an issue, and a dependency?
  • How is a RAIDD log different from a simple risk register?
  • What tends to go wrong on a project that does not keep one?
Why youYou already rank around #3 for your own term. This is yours to own outright.
Piece 03 · a whole audience is asking

What "the bench" really means in consulting

How staffing actually works, what utilization is, and what it feels like to be between projects. There is a large, curious audience here using this exact language every day.

Questions to answer
  • What does being "on the bench" actually mean?
  • How does a firm decide who gets put on which project?
  • What is utilization, and what counts as a healthy rate?
  • What does time on the bench mean for a consultant's career?
Why youYour staffing piece already shows up mid-page. This gives it room to grow.
Piece 04 · strong existing footing

Strategy versus doing the work

How you tell a client which one they are really buying, and what it takes to carry an idea from a slide into something a company actually runs.

Questions to answer
  • What is the real difference between strategy and implementation?
  • How can a client tell which one they are actually buying?
  • Why do so many strategies never get carried out?
  • What does it take to move an idea from a slide to something a company runs?
Why youYou already appear for this. It is a common, honest point of confusion you can settle.
Piece 05 · a credible voice is missing

Why an auditor has to be independent

Plain-language explanation of why the neutral-third-party rule exists and who enforces it. The current results are mostly dense regulator PDFs, so a clear human voice stands out.

Questions to answer
  • Why does an auditor have to be independent in the first place?
  • Who actually pays the auditor, and why does that create tension?
  • What happens when independence breaks down?
  • Who sets and enforces the independence rules?
Why youYou can explain a rule most sources only cite. That is rare and valuable.
Piece 06 · your voice, high shareability

Signal and noise in the AI conversation

Your take on separating what matters from the hype. An opinion piece, in your voice, on a subject a lot of people are arguing about right now. The questions below are the ones people keep circling, and they are a good spine for a thought piece.

Questions to answer
  • How do you tell genuine AI progress from marketing hype?
  • Which parts of professional work is AI most likely to change first?
  • Where is the hype clearly running ahead of reality right now?
  • How should a team decide what to adopt and what to ignore?
Why youYou have a real point of view here, and this topic travels.
Hot tip

If you use Wispr Flow, the fastest path is to open a blank Google Doc and just talk. Brain-dump your answers to the questions above out loud, and we will clean it up, give it a proper facelift, and hand you back finished pieces in your voice. It is far less tedious than writing from a blank page.

This is only if you would rather not write them yourself. Either way, the easiest way to start is a short call with Hanz, who will walk you through the questions live.