Choosing an SEO Agency, the Questions to Ask and Red Flags
How to compare SEO providers and spot the ones that cannot deliver before you sign.
Key Takeaways
- The best predictor of a good SEO agency is how specifically it diagnoses your site before you sign.
- Ask how they will measure success. The answer should include leads, calls or sales from non-branded search alongside rankings.
- Your business should own its website, content, Google Business Profile, Search Console and Analytics accounts from day one.
- Guarantees of rankings, large monthly link counts and vague reports are the clearest warning signs.
On This Page
Choose an SEO agency that can explain, in writing and before you sign, what is holding your site back, what it will do about it in the first 90 days and how it will measure the result in leads and sales. Agencies that answer those three points specifically, and leave you owning every account and every page they create, are the ones worth comparing on price.
This guide lists the questions to ask, the warning signs to watch for and what a strong start looks like.
Questions to Ask Before Signing
- What did you find on our site? A capable agency will point to specific issues, such as pages Google is not indexing, missing service pages or a weak primary category on the Business Profile.
- What will you do in the first 90 days, and why in that order? Look for a plan tied to those findings.
- How will you measure success? The answer should include calls, form leads or sales from organic search, with non-branded traffic separated from branded.
- Who will do the work? Ask whether writing, technical fixes and outreach are done in-house or passed to contractors, and who your contact is.
- Can we see examples of similar work? Ask for results from businesses with a similar model and market, even anonymized.
- How do you build links? Credible answers describe outreach to real organizations, local press and partners. Vague answers or set monthly counts suggest purchased links.
- What happens if we leave? You should keep all content, pages and accounts.
Red Flags in Proposals
- Guaranteed positions, or results promised within weeks
- A fixed number of links or articles every month regardless of need
- Proposals that look identical to those sent to other industries
- No mention of your Google Business Profile for a local business
- Pressure to sign quickly with long lock-in terms
Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO warns against providers who guarantee rankings or are vague about their methods, and its spam policies explain the link schemes and scaled content that can get a site demoted.
Red Flags in Reports
Monthly reports that list only rankings for a handful of chosen keywords, without traffic, leads or calls, make it hard to see whether the work is paying off. Reports should show work completed, non-branded clicks from Search Console, leads from organic search and the plan for next month.
Contracts and Account Ownership
Before signing, confirm in writing that your business owns:
- The website and its hosting account
- All content and images created for you
- Your Google Business Profile, with you as the primary owner
- Google Search Console and Google Analytics, with the agency added as a user
Check the notice period, what is delivered if you leave mid-term and whether any tools or tracking numbers will be switched off on exit.
What a Good First 90 Days Looks Like
Month one covers the audit, tracking setup, access to accounts and the first technical fixes. Month two usually brings Business Profile improvements and the first new or rewritten pages. Month three continues content and starts outreach, with a report showing early movement in impressions and the first leads attributed to search. Expect steady progress over these months, with larger ranking changes later.
Scoring Providers Side by Side
| Question | Provider A | Provider B | Provider C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named specific issues on our site | |||
| Clear 90-day plan tied to those issues | |||
| Measures leads and non-branded traffic | |||
| Credible link approach | |||
| We own all accounts and content | |||
| Fee covers the promised work |
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose a local SEO agency?
Location matters less than experience with businesses like yours. Knowledge of your local market helps for local SEO.
Is a specialist agency better than a generalist?
A specialist knows your customers' searches and common problems, which shortens the learning curve. Ask any agency for examples from your industry.
How long should an SEO contract be?
Six months is a reasonable first term, with month-to-month terms after that.
What if my current agency's reports only show rankings?
Ask for leads and calls from organic search and for non-branded clicks from Search Console. A capable agency can provide both.
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