Questions to Ask Before You Hire an SEO Company

**"Walk me through exactly what happens in the first 90 days."** The right answer follows a clear order. It starts with a technical audit. Then keyword and competitor research. Then on-page work. Then content planning. Then link-building strategy. Jumping straight to publishing content, with no foundation, is a red flag.

**"How do you approach keyword research, and how do you choose which keywords to target first?"** Check out what competitors are doing. Find a balance of search volume against difficulty. Have a good reason for the order. Saying "we target the best keywords for your industry" is not an answer.

**How do you build links?** They use good methods. These include making content. Digital PR helps too. Outreach is another way. They should not mention link packages. Guaranteed placements are bad. PBNs are a no-no. Leave the call early if they do. See our red flags guide for more on this.

**"What does a typical monthly deliverable look like for a client at my budget?"** They should name specific outputs. For example, X pages optimized, Y pieces of content, and Z link outreach contacts per month. If they cannot, the contract is not based on deliverables. It is a retainer for effort.

**Who will work on your account every day?** Some agencies sell with top strategists. But then they use new staff or workers from other countries. Find out about their team first. Don't sign until you know.

**"Do you outsource any work? This includes content writing, link building, or technical tasks."** Outsourcing is not always bad. But you have a right to know. Outsourced content at scale often misses key E-E-A-T signals. Google has favored these signals since the 2024 updates.

**"How many accounts does each team member manage?"** An SEO specialist with 30 or more accounts cannot give any one client real strategic focus. Fewer than 15 is a fair benchmark.

Can you show me a real monthly report? It should be from a current client. They can hide the client's name if needed. You want to see their actual reports. If it’s just a ranking table, that’s not enough. Look for deliverables in the report. Check for traffic trends too. Action items matter as well. This tells you a lot about what they do.

**How do you measure success beyond rankings?** Look at organic traffic. Check lead attribution. See conversion rates from organic. The top agencies track real results. They don't just watch ranking numbers.

**"What results have you gotten for businesses like mine?"** A 10-person firm does not need Fortune 500 case studies. Ask for similar ones instead. For more on what realistic SEO timelines look like, see our guide.

"What would you do in our first audit that we probably haven't done ourselves?" A clear, specific answer shows real skill. A simple "we'd look at technical and content" is not enough.

**"What is one thing about our website you noticed when you looked at it before this call?"** Good agencies study your site before the pitch. If they looked, they noticed something. If they did not look, they are not serious.

**"Do you work with any of our direct competitors?"** This question is important. It matters most for local SEO campaigns. Two clients can be in the same metro area. They may chase the same rankings.

**"What's the minimum commitment? What happens if we're not happy?"** Look for short terms. Start with 3 to 6 months. Find clear exit rules. Understanding SEO pricing helps. Check if the price seems fair.

**"Are there performance benchmarks in the contract?"** No guarantee of top ranks. Look for set goals instead. Like organic traffic up 20% by month 9. These keep both sides on track.