How to choose an SEO agency: the questions worth asking
What to expect from an SEO proposal, what good reporting looks like and which promises should make you cautious.
SEO is difficult to judge from the outside. You may be shown impressive charts, long lists of technical issues and confident forecasts, but still be unsure what the agency will actually do each month.
You should not need to learn every detail of search optimisation to buy the service. You should, however, understand the work, the risks and what success would look like.
Ask what will change on your website
A proposal should describe the areas to be reviewed and the likely work that follows. That might include indexing and crawling, site structure, existing service pages, content, internal linking, business listings or conversion tracking.
Ask which work is included and which requires extra development or copywriting time. If all you receive is a monthly 'SEO optimisation' line with no explanation, ask for more detail.
Understand the first month
A sensible starting point is to establish a baseline. Which pages already attract relevant traffic? What searches lead to enquiries? Are any important pages missing from Google's index? Are site changes planned, or has the business recently moved domain?
An audit should produce prioritised actions rather than hundreds of unranked warnings. Some problems are small. Others affect every important service page. The difference matters when deciding where to spend the budget.
Question guarantees and fixed ranking promises
Nobody outside Google can guarantee a particular organic ranking or a place in the map pack. Search results depend on the query, device, location and competition, and Google's systems change.
Be wary of anyone offering paid 'organic placement', secret relationships with search engines or instant national dominance. Ask how they reached their forecasts and what assumptions are involved.
Ask who owns the accounts and the work
Your company should have appropriate access to its own website, domain registrar, Search Console, analytics and advertising accounts. Agree who controls content, code, reports and any proprietary tools if the relationship ends.
Where an agency needs access to a Google Business Profile or other service, provide the least permissions necessary for the job. Avoid sharing personal passwords through email.
Insist on reporting you can understand
A useful monthly report should say what was completed, what changed, how relevant search visibility is developing and what the next priorities are.
An increase in impressions is not the same as an increase in enquiries. A rise in traffic may not help if it comes from irrelevant searches. Agree which commercial actions can be measured, including calls, forms, purchases or qualified leads.
Ask to see examples of the type of report you will receive.
Check how changes are approved
Will the agency rewrite critical pages without telling you? Who checks claims about regulated services or health, finance and legal topics? How are redirects, redesigns and technical releases tested?
Clear approvals protect both the business and its search visibility. A competent agency should also explain when an idea is unproven or requires a trial rather than presenting it as certain.
A useful shortlist of questions
- What exactly will you deliver during the first 30 and 90 days?
- Which work is included in the monthly fee, and which is additional?
- How do you decide which pages and keywords matter?
- Who owns the content, analytics and advertising accounts?
- What will you report, and how often?
- Can you explain a recent decision and the evidence behind it?
- What happens if we stop working together?
A good agency won't mind being asked. It will want you to understand what you're paying for.
Relevant services: Our SEO approach and packages, SEO audits and book a conversation.
Further reading: Google's guidance on hiring an SEO.