How to choose an SEO agency
Six questions, asked on the first call, separate agencies that earn results from agencies that rent them. Every one has a red-flag answer – and yes, you should ask us all six.
The six questions
- "Where will the links come from?" The only good answer describes content and stories that earn them. The red flag is a number: links per month at a price per link means bought links, whatever they're called on the invoice.
- "Can I see a case study with its measurement methodology?" Not a screenshot of a graph – the method. Ask whether ROI figures exclude paid channels, and what the starting point was. (Ours is published, with the methodology stated.)
- "Who actually does the work?" Some agencies sell senior faces and deliver outsourced juniors. Ask who writes, who builds, who pitches – and whether they're employed by the agency you're paying.
- "What happens in month one?" The good answer starts with an audit of your site, competitors and search landscape. The red flag is activity from day one – deliverables before diagnosis means a template.
- "How do you measure AI visibility?" A current test. An agency without an answer on citation rate and AI-referred traffic is optimising for the search landscape of five years ago.
- "Can you guarantee rankings?" You want to hear no. Nobody controls Google's results or an AI's answers; an agency that guarantees them is either naive or planning to hit a number that doesn't matter.
Then compare like for like
Get each candidate's answer in writing and compare methods, not adjectives – every agency says "quality content" and "white-hat links"; the six answers above are where the differences actually show. If you're also weighing an internal hire, the honest cost picture is in SEO agency vs in-house.
Common questions
What are the biggest red flags when hiring an SEO agency?
Guaranteed rankings, a quoted price per link, activity starting before any audit, and case studies with graphs but no measurement methodology.
How long should an SEO contract run?
Long enough to judge fairly – meaningful movement typically takes three to six months – but be wary of long lock-ins without a break clause. Confidence and contract length tend to move in opposite directions.
How much should I expect to pay?
In the UK, typically £2,000–£10,000+ a month for a serious engagement, scaling with market competitiveness and scope.