How to Choose an SEO Agency: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

The right SEO agency can explain exactly what they’ll do, how you’ll measure it, and what you’ll own if you leave, in plain English. The wrong one sells guarantees, hides behind jargon, and locks you into a contract before showing you anything. These 12 questions will tell you which one you’re talking to.

Strategy and approach

1. What would you do first on my site, and why?

A good agency will have looked at your site before the call and can name specific priorities: technical problems, missing pages, weak content, local listings. Vague answers like “we’ll optimize your keywords” are a warning sign.

2. How do you handle AI search?

More searches now end with an AI-written answer from Google’s AI Overviews or assistants like ChatGPT. Ask how they help clients get mentioned and cited there, and how they measure it. If they haven’t thought about it, they’re behind. (Here’s how AEO relates to SEO.)

3. What do you need to control: my website, my hosting, my content?

SEO is only as good as the foundation it’s built on. If the agency can’t change your site, their recommendations may sit in a document nobody implements. Ask who makes the changes, how fast, and who pays for development time.

4. How do you approach local search?

For local businesses, the map pack and Google Business Profile often matter more than anything else. Ask specifically how they handle profiles, reviews, listings, and location pages.

Results and reporting

5. What will you report on, and how often?

Look for monthly reporting that ties rankings and traffic to leads, and explains what changed and why. Ask to see a sample report. (Here’s what we think a good report measures.)

6. What results should I expect, and when?

Honest agencies give ranges and timelines, typically months, not weeks, and explain what affects them. Anyone who guarantees a #1 ranking is either misunderstanding SEO or misleading you. No one controls Google’s results.

7. Can I talk to current clients?

References and reviews from businesses like yours are worth more than case studies on the agency’s own website.

People and process

8. Who will actually do the work?

Ask whether the work is done in-house or outsourced, and who your day-to-day contact will be. You want to talk to the people doing the work, not a rotating account manager.

9. How do you build links?

Good answers involve earning links through useful content, local partnerships, and real relationships. Buying links, private blog networks, or “1,000 backlinks for $99” can get your site penalized.

Money, contracts, and ownership

10. What exactly is included in the price?

Get it in writing: research, content, technical work, development, reporting, and anything billed separately. Published, flat pricing makes this easier to compare.

11. What’s the contract term, and what happens if I leave?

Long, rigid contracts protect the agency, not you. Month-to-month terms, or a modest commitment with a clear exit, mean the agency has to keep earning your business.

12. What do I own?

You should own your website, its content, your Google Business Profile, and your analytics accounts. Make sure everything is in your name, with the agency added as a user, never the other way around.

Red flags

• Guaranteed rankings or “page one in 30 days”
• Secret methods they can’t explain
• No access to your analytics or Search Console
• Reports full of vanity metrics with no connection to leads
• Long contracts with steep cancellation fees
• Accounts created in the agency’s name instead of yours

How we’d answer

We’d rather show you than tell you, but in short: we host and maintain every site we optimize, so recommendations ship the same week. Every SEO plan includes SEO, AI SEO, unlimited edits, and a monthly report in plain English. Pricing is published, plans are month to month, and your code and content are always yours. See how we work, or get started and ask us all 12 questions.