How To Choose An SEO Agency: What To Ask Before You Sign
The questions to ask, the promises to walk away from, and what to check before you sign
Knowing how to choose an SEO agency matters because most of the damage is done before the first invoice. Choose well and you get a partner who explains itself. Choose badly and you lose months and patience.
Quick Version
Choose the agency that explains what it will do in plain English, shows you real work, and refuses to promise a ranking. Everything else is detail, and the detail is where the good agencies and the confident ones separate.
- Ask for examples of past work, and for a past client you can speak to.
- Walk away from anyone who guarantees a number one ranking. Google says no one can.
- Ask what you will get each month, in plain English, and who actually does the work.
- Read the contract for length, notice period and who owns your accounts and content.
- Give read-only access to Search Console first. An audit does not need more.
If an agency gets vague or defensive about any of these, you have learned what you needed to know before paying them anything.
Not Sure where to start?
If you would rather have someone look at your site and tell you straight whether SEO is the right spend right now, we are happy to do that. Otherwise, the guide below gives you the checklist.
The Full Guide To Choosing The Right SEO Agency
When someone asks how to choose an SEO agency, they usually want a shortlist. What they actually need is a way to tell the good agencies from the confident ones.
Here are five checks, in the order we would run them.
Step 1: Decide Whether You Need An Agency At All
Google says hiring an SEO is most useful during a redesign or a new site launch, so the site is built to be search-friendly from day one. A good SEO can also improve an existing site, but the timing matters.
Be clear about the job before you talk to anyone. A one-off audit, help with a site rebuild and a monthly retainer are three different things. If an agency says a retainer is the answer to all three, that tells you how they sell, not what you need.
Step 2: Ask The Questions A Good Agency Answers Easily
Google suggests asking for examples of past work and success stories, whether they follow Google Search Essentials, what results they expect and how soon, and how they measure success.
Also ask about their experience in your industry and area, how long they have been in business, and how they will explain the changes they make.
A good agency asks about you too: your customers, your competitors, how people find you now. If a proposal lands without a single question about your business, you are being sold a template.
Step 3: Know The Red Flags That Mean Walk Away
Google lists the warning signs. Guarantees of top rankings, a claimed special relationship with Google, offers of priority submission, and vague or secretive explanations of what they will do.
Add unsolicited emails claiming your site has problems, and any request that you link to them.
The big one is the guarantee. Google is blunt that no one can guarantee a number one ranking on Google, so anyone who does is either guessing or selling. Neither is a good start.
Step 4: Check What You Get Each Month And Who Does It
Ask for a list of what happens in a typical month, and who does each part. Audits, fixes, content, links, reporting. If you cannot tell what the money buys, you will not be able to tell whether it worked.
Our guide on what an SEO agency does breaks down what good monthly work looks like.
Reporting should connect to enquiries, not just rankings and graphs. Google also says that if an SEO has server access, they should be willing to explain every change they make. An agency that will not explain its work is not ready to be trusted with your site.
Price comes into it, but it is the last filter, not the first. Our guide on why SEO is so expensive explains what sits behind the numbers.
Step 5: Read The Contract And Keep Your Accounts Yours
Check the minimum term, the notice period and what happens to the work if you leave. Make sure your Search Console, Analytics and Business Profile stay in your name, with the agency added as a user rather than the owner.
That one habit saves a lot of grief if the relationship ends badly.
Google suggests read-only Search Console access for an audit and nothing more at that stage, and asking past clients whether the SEO was useful and easy to work with. You are also responsible for what a company you hire does on your behalf, so understand exactly what they plan to do.
Common Mistakes
If you are still asking how to choose an SEO agency after three proposals that all look the same, one of these is usually the reason.
A few common ones:
- Choosing on price alone, then finding the cheap option does none of the work you needed.
- Believing a guaranteed ranking, a special relationship with Google or a free audit that promises first place.
- Never asking who actually does the work, or what a typical month looks like.
- Letting the agency set up your Search Console, Analytics or Business Profile in their name.
- Picking from a sales pitch without ever speaking to a past client.
Most bad agency relationships were visible in the sales call. The warning signs were just politely ignored.
DIY lane vs done for you lane
DIY lane:
Interview two or three agencies using the questions above, speak to a past client, and read the contract before you sign. Keep every account in your name and start with read-only access.
Done for you lane:
If you want us in the running, ask us every question in this guide. We would rather you chose on evidence than on a good pitch.
Related Guides on the wall
If you are working out how to choose an SEO agency, these guides will help you fix the surrounding setup too.
- What Does An SEO Agency Do? for what a good monthly retainer should include.
- Why Is SEO So Expensive? for what you are actually paying for.
- How Long Does SEO Take To Work? for realistic timelines before you judge an agency.
How To Choose An SEO Agency FAQs
Ask for examples of past work and a client you can speak to, ask how they will measure success, and walk away from any guarantee of a number one ranking. Then check who does the work, what you get each month and who owns the accounts.
Ask what results they expect and how soon, how they measure success, whether they follow Google Search Essentials, what experience they have in your industry and area, and how they will explain the changes they make.
It depends on the scope, how competitive your market is and how much technical and content work is needed. Be wary of any price quoted before the agency has looked at your site.
No. Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking, so treat any guarantee as a red flag.
Within the first month or two you should see a proper audit, a clear plan and fixes going live. Rankings and enquiries take longer, and a good agency will tell you honestly how long.
Pick the one that explains itself, shows real work and never promises a ranking. That is the whole job.
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