Hiring · SEO · Questions to ask
How to Choose the Right SEO Consultant or Agency
Seven questions worth asking, the red flags that should end a conversation, and how to tell a specialist from a salesperson.
The short version
- Ask for the strategy, and expect it in plain English.
- Nobody can guarantee rankings. Anyone who does is either guessing or gaming it.
- Ask who actually does the work, and who you'll speak to each month.
- You should own everything: your website, your accounts, your data.
Hiring someone to handle your SEO is an act of trust. Most business owners can't easily judge the work, which is exactly why the industry has a reputation problem.
You don't need to become an expert to hire well. You need to ask better questions and know what a good answer sounds like.
Seven questions worth asking
What's your strategy for my business?
You want a clear explanation in language you understand, based on your situation rather than a template. Vagueness, or "it's proprietary", tells you what you need to know.
Who will actually do the work?
In agencies, the person selling to you often isn't the person doing the work. Ask who that is, how experienced they are, and whether any of it is outsourced overseas.
How will we measure success?
Good answers talk about enquiries, calls and revenue. Weaker ones talk only about rankings and traffic. Agree the measures before you start, not afterwards.
Can I speak to two of your clients?
Reviews are useful, but a conversation is better. Ask those clients about communication, what changed, and whether they'd hire them again.
What have you done in a business like mine?
Industry experience helps, but it's not everything. Someone who understands your buyers and your competition will outperform someone who has simply worked in your sector before.
What do you need from me?
SEO works best when it's collaborative. A good answer sets expectations early: content approvals, access to your website, time for a monthly conversation.
How are you approaching AI search?
A newer question, and a revealing one. Your customers are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI summaries questions they used to type into search. Anyone who hasn't thought about it isn't keeping up.
You don't need to become an expert to hire well. You need to ask better questions and know what a good answer sounds like.
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings or "number one on Google". Nobody controls the results, so nobody can promise a position.
- Vague or secret methods. If they can't explain it, you can't check it, and you may not want it done.
- Accounts in their name. Your website, domain, Analytics, Search Console and Google Business Profile should all be owned by you.
- Reports full of numbers and short on meaning. A report should tell you what happened, why, and what's next.
- Pressure to sign long contracts quickly. SEO takes time, but so does deciding who to trust with it.
- Prices with no explanation of what's included. Cheap monthly retainers usually mean automated work and little thought.
Consultant or agency?
Option one
An agency
More hands, more services under one roof. Good for larger programs of work, provided you know who's doing yours and can speak to them.
Option two
A freelancer
Usually the cheapest option and often skilled, though capacity and continuity can be a risk if they take on too much.
Option three
A consultant
You work directly with the person doing the thinking. Fewer clients, deeper involvement, and the strategy and the delivery stay in the same hands.
There's more on the wider decision, including keeping it in-house, in outsourcing versus insourcing, and on working with an existing team in how an SEO consultant supports your internal marketing team.
What good looks like after you've hired
In the first month, expect an audit, a clear plan and agreed measures. After that, expect regular contact, work you can see, and reporting that connects what was done to what changed. You should always know what's happening and why, even when results take time.
On that point: be patient with results and impatient with communication. A good partner will tell you when something isn't working before you have to ask.
Frequently asked questions
How much should SEO cost?
It varies with your market and the state of your website. Be suspicious of very low monthly fees: proper work takes hours, and the maths has to add up somewhere. Ask what's included and how those hours are spent.
Should I sign a 12-month contract?
SEO needs time, so some commitment is reasonable. What matters is whether you can leave if it isn't working, and what happens to your accounts and content if you do.
How long before I see results?
Usually a few months for movement, longer for meaningful change in enquiries. Anyone promising results in weeks is either overselling or taking risks with your site. More on this in measuring and reporting SEO success.
What if I've been burnt before?
You're not alone, and it's worth saying so in the first conversation. Ask specifically what they'd do differently from whoever came before, and why.
Written by
Doreen Brown
SEO and visibility consultant and founder of Let's Get Visible®, working directly with every client, with no account managers in between.
Bring your questions
Book a complimentary discovery call and ask me every one of them. No pitch, no pressure.
Book a discovery call