SEO Partner Evaluation Guide
The smart buyerâs guide to hiring an SEO provider
35 questions across 7 categories every business owner should ask before signing with an SEO agency, along with what the right answers should sound like.
How to use this guide: Take these questions into any meeting with an SEO provider, including us. A confident, capable agency will welcome every one of them. An agency that deflects, generalizes, or gets defensive is showing you exactly who they are.
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Before signing anything, make sure the provider has a clear, tailored strategy for your specific business rather than a one-size-fits-all package. These questions reveal whether they understand your market, your competition, and how search is actually changing.
What is your strategy specifically for a business in my industry and location?
Why it matters: A strong provider should immediately discuss your competitive landscape, which local keywords actually convert, and how search behavior differs in your vertical. A generic answer here is a red flag. Specificity is what separates great providers from the rest.
How long before I realistically see results, and what does progress look like in months 1, 2, and 3?
Why it matters: SEO is a 3 to 6 month discipline. Anyone promising page one in 30 days is either overpromising or planning tactics that can trigger a Google penalty. You want a provider who sets realistic milestones and can show you what progress looks like before rankings even move.
How do you balance on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO in your work?
Why it matters: All three matter and work together. On-page covers content and keywords. Off-page covers backlinks and authority. Technical covers site speed, crawlability, and schema. A provider who only focuses on one of the three is leaving significant ranking potential on the table.
What keyword research process do you use, and how do you decide which terms to target first?
Why it matters: Strategy should be based on search volume, competition, and commercial intent rather than guesswork. Ask to see the tools they use and how they prioritize terms that bring paying customers, not just traffic.
How does your SEO strategy account for Googleâs AI Overviews now appearing in search results?
Why it matters: Google AI Overviews now answer queries directly on the results page, reducing click-through rates even for well-ranked pages. A provider without a clear answer is working from an outdated playbook. The answer should involve structured content, schema markup, and AI Engine Optimization rather than just traditional keyword rankings.
Demand to see real evidence of real results before committing any budget. These questions separate agencies that can actually deliver from those that just sell well.
Can you show me examples of rankings or traffic improvements for businesses similar to mine?
Why it matters: Ask for Google Search Console screenshots or ranking reports, not just testimonials. Anonymized data is fine. No data at all is not. A legitimate provider has clients who have seen measurable results and are willing to let them share the numbers.
Do you have experience in my specific industry or vertical?
Why it matters: SEO for a law firm is different from SEO for a contractor. Industry-specific experience means they already know the competitive keywords, the content formats that rank, and the trust signals that matter in your space. Generalist agencies take longer to get up to speed, at your expense.
Can I speak with one of your current clients in a business similar to mine?
Why it matters: A reference call is the single most underused due diligence step when buying SEO services. Any provider confident in their work will connect you with a happy client. Hesitation or blanket refusal is a significant warning sign.
What does a realistic outcome look like for my business in 6 months, in specific terms?
Why it matters: Push past general phrases like improved visibility. Ask them to commit to specifics: which keywords they expect to move, where you are starting from, and what metrics define success. Vague promises are how companies end up paying for months of work they cannot evaluate.
Have you ever had a clientâs site penalized by Google, and how did you handle it?
Why it matters: This question reveals both honesty and competence. A trustworthy provider will tell you when they have encountered a penalty and walk you through what they did to recover it. Providers who claim it has never happened are not being straight with you.
Technical SEO is the foundation everything else is built on. Content and links underperform on a technically broken site. These questions verify the provider knows how to build and fix the infrastructure behind your rankings.
Do you conduct a full technical SEO audit before starting, and what does it include?
Why it matters: Before any strategy work begins, a provider should audit for crawl errors, broken links, page speed, mobile usability, duplicate content, indexing issues, and Core Web Vitals. Skipping this step means optimizing on top of a broken foundation.
How do you approach page speed and Core Web Vitals as part of SEO?
Why it matters: Google uses Core Web Vitals as confirmed ranking factors. A slow site is a ranking disadvantage regardless of content quality. Ask what tools they use and how they improve scores, not just measure them.
Do you implement structured data and schema markup, and which types do you use?
Why it matters: Schema is the technical language that tells search engines and AI tools exactly what your business does. LocalBusiness, FAQPage, Service, and Review schema are non-negotiable for local businesses in 2026 and are key to AI search visibility.
How do you ensure my Google Business Profile is fully optimized as part of your work?
Why it matters: For local businesses, Google Business Profile optimization drives more immediate results than almost anything else. If a provider treats it as a checkbox rather than a core deliverable, they are missing the most powerful local ranking tool available.
What is your approach to link building, and how do you ensure quality?
Why it matters: Low-quality or spammy links can cause a manual penalty that tanks rankings overnight. Ask specifically how they build links: through content outreach, local directories, or partnerships. Any provider who leads with a network of sites is a concern worth noting.
This is the newest and most underserved category in search marketing. AI Engine Optimization (AEO) ensures your business appears when people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI for a recommendation. Most agencies cannot answer these questions yet.
Do you offer AI Engine Optimization (AEO), and how does it differ from traditional SEO?
Why it matters: AEO optimizes your content so AI tools cite and recommend your business. Traditional SEO targets a ranked list of links. AEO targets the AI-generated answer that now appears before those links. Most agencies either do not offer this yet or cannot clearly explain how it works.
Can you show me where my business currently appears when I ask an AI tool for a recommendation in my area?
Why it matters: This is the strongest conversation-opener in any SEO meeting right now. Open ChatGPT or Perplexity together, search for your service in your city, and look at the results. A provider who cannot do this exercise with you has not thought through AI search at all.
How do you optimize content so it gets cited in AI-generated answers?
Why it matters: AI tools prefer content structured in a clear Q and A format with concise direct answers, schema markup, consistent entity information, and third-party validation through reviews and press mentions. Ask specifically how they restructure content to match these patterns.
How do you track AI visibility alongside traditional search rankings?
Why it matters: Traditional SEO metrics do not capture AI citation frequency. A forward-looking provider should be measuring where you appear in AI tools and how that changes month over month. If their reporting only shows Google rankings, they are not tracking the channel that is growing fastest.
How does your Google Business Profile work connect to AI search visibility?
Why it matters: Google AI Overviews pull heavily from Google Business Profile data including categories, services, reviews, posts, and attributes. A well-optimized profile is no longer just a local SEO play. It is one of the primary signals that feeds AI-generated recommendations.
Lack of transparency is the most common complaint businesses have about their SEO agencies. These questions establish what accountability looks like before you sign anything.
What metrics do you report on each month, and can I see a sample report?
Why it matters: Strong reporting covers keyword rankings, organic traffic, click-through rates, conversions, Google Business Profile performance, and domain authority trends. Ask for a real sample. If it is full of vanity metrics and hard to interpret, that is what you will receive every month.
How often will we meet to review progress, and who will I work with day to day?
Why it matters: Many agencies sell at the senior level and then hand you to a junior or offshore team. Ask specifically who manages your account, what their experience level is, and whether you have direct access to them. A monthly review call is the minimum reasonable baseline.
Do I own my Google Analytics, Search Console, and Google Business Profile accounts, or does the agency?
Why it matters: This is non-negotiable. If the agency controls your accounts and you leave, you lose all your historical data. You should always own your own accounts, with the agency added as a manager. Clarify this before signing anything.
How do you handle Google algorithm updates when rankings change?
Why it matters: Google releases major updates several times a year and they can cause significant ranking movement. Ask how they monitor for updates, how they communicate changes, and what their standard response time is. A strong provider treats algorithm updates as expected events with a plan in place.
What access will I have to the tools and data you use on my behalf?
Why it matters: At minimum you should have access to your own Google Search Console. Agencies that keep all data behind their own login and only share curated screenshots are limiting your ability to independently verify their work.
SEO contracts can hide a lot in vague language. These questions help you understand exactly what you are paying for, what happens if things do not work out, and who owns the work when the engagement ends.
What exactly is included in my monthly retainer, and what costs extra?
Why it matters: Get a specific written list: keyword research, on-page optimization, content writing, link building, technical fixes, Google Business Profile management, and reporting. Comprehensive SEO services with no further specification is how agencies pad hours and charge for upsells you did not expect.
What is the minimum contract length, and what are the exit terms if things are not working?
Why it matters: A 3 to 6 month minimum commitment is reasonable since SEO takes time to show results. Anything longer than 12 months with no performance clause is not. Ask what cancellation looks like and whether there are early-exit penalties. A confident provider should not need to lock you in to retain your business.
Is there a setup fee, and what specifically does it cover?
Why it matters: Setup fees are common and legitimate since they cover the initial audit, keyword research, and technical groundwork. Fees over $1,500 to $2,000 for a small business should come with a clear deliverable list. Ask what you receive during setup and when those deliverables will be complete before writing a check.
Do you offer any performance guarantees, and if so what are they specifically?
Why it matters: No legitimate SEO provider can guarantee specific rankings since Google controls the algorithm. But many reputable providers offer satisfaction clauses where no measurable progress within 90 days means you can pause or exit without penalty. A flat guarantee of page one is almost certainly a lie.
What happens to the work done on my site if I cancel? Do I keep it?
Why it matters: Content written for your site, technical improvements made, and schema markup added should belong to you when you leave. Get written clarity on ownership of all deliverables before the engagement starts.
Some things said by SEO providers are not just weak answers. They are active warning signs of an agency that will waste your budget, damage your siteâs standing with Google, or both. If you hear any of the following, end the meeting.
âWe guarantee page one rankings on Google.â
Why it matters: No one can guarantee specific positions in Google results. The algorithm is not for sale. This promise is either an outright lie, a reference to paid advertising rather than organic SEO, or a signal that they use black-hat tactics that will produce a short spike followed by a manual penalty that can take months to recover from.
âWe have a proprietary network of websites that will link to you.â
Why it matters: Private blog networks are an explicit violation of Googleâs webmaster guidelines. Artificial link schemes can result in a manual penalty that removes your site from search results overnight. Any provider presenting this as a feature is putting your domainâs long-term authority at serious risk.
âYou will see results in 2 to 4 weeks.â
Why it matters: Organic SEO results take 3 to 6 months to materialize in most markets. Anyone promising faster results is either targeting low-competition terms that bring little real business value or using short-term tactics that produce a temporary spike followed by a drop. Neither is worth paying for.
âWe canât share any case studies or references. All our clients require confidentiality.â
Why it matters: Legitimate agencies have at least a few clients who are proud of their results and willing to speak about them. Blanket confidentiality across every single client almost always means there are no results worth sharing. Ask for anonymized data at minimum. If they refuse that too, walk away.
âWe will set up and manage your Google accounts on our end.â
Why it matters: If the agency controls your Google Analytics, Search Console, or Business Profile and you part ways, you lose access to years of historical data and performance benchmarks. Always insist on owning your own accounts with the agency added as a secondary user. Any trustworthy provider will agree to this without hesitation.
Ready to talk to an SEO partner who can answer every question here?
Depeche Code, Orlandoâs digital rock stars. 70+ five-star Google reviews and over a decade of local experience.