Start with the problem you are hiring for.
An independent diagnosis, a metadata project and ongoing support are different purchases. Write down the decision your team needs to make and what it can implement internally. That gives you a basis for comparing proposals that might otherwise contain unrelated bundles.
Use the strategy guide if the problem is still broad. Do not assume the most comprehensive proposal is the most appropriate one.
Ask to inspect the reasoning.
Request an example of how the consultant moves from evidence to a recommendation. Look for the audience, observed problem, proposed change and limitations. Public educational work can help you assess their thinking, but a public app review should not be confused with a client engagement.
Client names indicate experience, not a specific result. For performance claims, ask about the baseline, dates, work performed, measurement definition and other changes that could explain the outcome.
Make the deliverable explicit.
Does the fee buy an audit, rewritten fields, a screenshot brief, finished creative, publishing or review after release? Clarify stores, markets, revisions and exclusions. A recommendation to change screenshots is not the same deliverable as production-ready screenshot files.
The scope guide provides a comparison structure. Written boundaries prevent the same phrase—“full ASO”—from meaning different things to each person.
Find out who does the work.
Ask who researches, writes, reviews and presents. If you are selecting a specific expert, confirm their involvement in the engagement. Additional specialists can be valuable, particularly for design or language work, but their roles should be clear.
The important question is whether the people doing the work have the relevant context and responsibility. A named owner for each deliverable makes collaboration easier.
Examine the measurement plan.
A credible proposal identifies the evidence it will use and the limitations it expects. Be cautious of guaranteed ranking positions, universal uplift claims or reports that equate activity with success. Ask how the consultant would interpret an inconclusive result.
The timeline guide separates delivery commitments from outcome predictions. A thoughtful answer should do the same.
Compare fit, not just price.
Consider whether the consultant understands your product, communicates clearly and can work with your implementation capacity. A low fee with ambiguous deliverables can be difficult to compare with a narrow, explicit project. A high fee is not evidence of better judgment either.
If you want to evaluate my approach, inspect how I work, the background page and direct consulting with Gabriel. Bring the same questions you would ask any other provider.
