12 Questions to Ask an SEO Agency Before You Sign

The questions that separate operators from résumé-padders. Ask us these too — we'll answer all twelve.

Most people hiring an SEO agency don't know enough to evaluate one, which is precisely why the bad ones stay in business. You don't need to learn SEO to fix that. You need twelve questions and the willingness to walk when the answers are vague.

The twelve

• What will you actually do in month one? A real answer names deliverables. A bad one says “strategy and discovery.”
• Who does the work? The person selling should not vanish after signing. Ask who executes and whether it's subcontracted.
• What's your reporting? Ask to see a real client report with the name redacted. If it's all impressions, that's the tell.
• Do I own the accounts? The only correct answer is yes, in your name, from day one.
• What's the contract length? Twelve months with no exit is a bet on your inertia, not on their results.
• Can I talk to a client in my industry? Not a testimonial — a phone call.
• What have you failed at? Everyone has. Anyone who claims otherwise is managing you.
• How do you build links? If the answer is fast, cheap, and high-volume, walk.
• What happens if it doesn't work? Listen for a defined checkpoint, not reassurance.
• Do you work with my competitors? Same keywords, same market is a conflict. They should disclose it unprompted.
• What do you need from me? Any honest answer includes real access and some of your time. “Nothing” means nothing much will happen.
• What would you do first if I gave you a smaller budget? This one reveals whether they've actually prioritized or just packaged.

The meta-question

Underneath all twelve is one thing: can they explain their thinking in plain English? Jargon is where bad agencies hide. Anyone who genuinely understands what they're doing can explain it to you without a glossary, and the ones who can't usually can't because there isn't much underneath.

Ask us all twelve. We'll answer every one, in writing, before you sign anything.

One last flag

If an agency guarantees a #1 ranking, leave. Nobody controls Google's index. What a good agency can promise is a defined scope, honest reporting, and the freedom to fire them — which, taken together, is worth considerably more than a guarantee that isn't real.