Choose an SEO company by interviewing at least three, asking each for named past work, two references you can call, a written monthly scope and cancellation terms, and walking away from anyone who guarantees a ranking. Google’s own hiring guidance says no one can guarantee a number one result.
By Donnie Strompf. Updated October 2026.
I’m Donnie Strompf, and I run an agency that sells SEO, so weigh my advice with that in mind. I’ve done SEO since 2008. The checklist below is built on Google’s published guidance and a few dated third-party sources, and you can put every question to us or to any other provider.
Key takeaways
- Google says a small local business can probably do much of the work itself, and that a redesign or a new site launch is a good time to hire.
- Ask every provider for examples of past work, clients in your industry and two references you can call.
- Nobody can guarantee a number one ranking. Promises of a “special relationship” with Google or a “priority submit” are reasons to leave.
- Get the monthly scope, every fee, the contract length and the notice period in writing before you pay.
- Own your Search Console, Analytics and Business Profile accounts, and give the provider user access.
- A quote far from the market range deserves a question about what is included.
What does Google say about hiring an SEO?
Google publishes Do You Need an SEO? Tips for Hiring an SEO in Search Central, last updated June 5, 2026. Google says it never accepts money to include or rank sites in its results, and that appearing in organic results costs nothing.
The page makes points this guide builds on. A small local business can probably do much of the work itself, starting with Google’s SEO starter guide. A redesign or new launch is a good moment to hire. And you are responsible for what a hired company does to your site: Google warns that deceptive content or techniques that break its spam policies can lower your presence in Google or get the site removed from its index.
| Your situation | What Google’s guidance points to |
|---|---|
| Small local business with a simple site | Start with the SEO starter guide and do much of the work yourself. |
| Planning a redesign or a new site | Hire early, so the site is built to be search-friendly from the start. |
| Existing site that needs more help | A good SEO can improve an existing site. Interview the candidates with the questions below. |
| Visibility in AI answers | Google says optimizing for generative AI search is still SEO. Check any “AEO” or “GEO” pitch against its AI optimization guide (last updated July 10, 2026). |
What are the 20 questions to ask an SEO company?
Print this table and ask the same 20 questions of every provider. Questions marked (Google) adapt a question or warning from Google’s hiring page.
| # | Area | Question to ask | A good answer includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proof | Can you show examples of previous work and success stories? (Google) | Named sites, the metric, the dates and what changed. |
| 2 | Proof | What is your experience in my industry and my city? (Google) | Work in a similar market, with the differences from yours explained. |
| 3 | Proof | Which clients of a similar size can I call? (Google) | At least two names, offered without hesitation. |
| 4 | People | Who will work on my account, and can I meet them? | Names and roles of the people doing the work, not only the salesperson. |
| 5 | People | What do you need to know about my business? (Google) | Questions about what makes you different, who your competitors are and how customers find you. |
| 6 | Method | Do you follow Google Search Essentials? (Google) | Agreement, plus an example of a technique they avoid and why. |
| 7 | Method | Will you share every change you make to my site, with your reasoning? (Google) | A change log or written recommendations with a reason for each. |
| 8 | Method | Do you cite Google’s documentation for your recommendations? (Google) | Links to Search Central pages instead of “we know what Google wants”. |
| 9 | Method | Which third-party tools do you use, and what do they tell you? (Google) | The tool names, what each one measures and where its data falls short. Google says it does not endorse third-party tools and that they lack its internal ranking data. |
| 10 | Method | How do you earn links? | Content and outreach that give other sites a reason to cite you. Buying links is link spam under Google’s policies. |
| 11 | Method | What is your advice for AI answers, and does it match Google’s guidance? (Google) | Advice rooted in SEO fundamentals and useful content. |
| 12 | Results | What results do you expect, in what timeframe, and how do you measure success? (Google) | The timeframe they expect, the data behind it, and success measured in calls, leads or sales as well as rankings. |
| 13 | Results | What will the monthly report contain? | A sample report showing completed work and what it produced. |
| 14 | Results | Do you guarantee any ranking or lead count? (Google) | A list of monthly deliverables and a reporting schedule, with no promised position. |
| 15 | Results | How will we communicate? (Google) | A set meeting schedule and a named contact. |
| 16 | Money | What is the monthly fee, and what does it include? | A written scope that says what you receive each month. |
| 17 | Money | What else could I be charged for? | Setup, audit or strategy fees, content, tools, ad spend and website work, listed before you sign. |
| 18 | Money | How long is the contract, and what is the notice period? | Terms in writing, with a clear way out. |
| 19 | Control | Who owns my Search Console, Analytics, Business Profile and ad accounts? | You hold ownership and the provider works through user access. |
| 20 | Control | What do I keep if we part ways? | Account access, the content written for your site and your report history, all stated in the agreement. |
How do you verify case studies and references?
Ask for clients of similar size in a similar industry, and call at least two. Searchlab, an agency, recommends the same minimum in its April 23, 2026 guide to marketing agency red flags. Google suggests asking past clients whether the SEO was useful, easy to work with and produced positive results.
Before you dial, write down the agency’s claim, then ask the client for the same figure. A checkable claim has a name, a metric and a time window.
During a COVID pause in SEO work, XO’s “private jet” page slid to position 7. A second engagement, with weekly reports from July 2021 to March 2023, took it to position 1. The XO case study shows how that account is laid out.
How long should an SEO company say results will take?
Google’s list includes the question “what kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe?” A good answer depends on your market and says what the estimate assumes. MBMI was my first national number one, for “Steel Buildings” and “Metal Buildings,” and it took 12 to 16 months.
Searchlab lists a promised top-3 position within 30 days as a red flag. Our guide to what to expect from SEO covers timelines in more depth.
How much should an SEO company cost?
Ahrefs, an SEO software company, surveyed SEO service providers and reported in December 2023 that the average SEO retainer was $2,917 a month. The most common band, charged by 20.4% of respondents, was $501 to $1,000. The same survey put agency averages at $3,209, consultants at $3,250 and freelancers at about $1,349.
Our published SEO baseline is $1,000 to $1,600 a month, up to about $3,500 in highly competitive markets. AEO costs $950 to $2,000 a month alongside SEO. Ad spend is paid to Google or the platform on top of any management fee. Every service is on our pricing page, reviewed October 2026. For the full breakdown, see our guide to how much SEO costs for a small business.
Compare what each provider will do for the fee before you decide whether a price is reasonable. Our SEO services and AEO services pages describe ours.
Which red flags should end the conversation?
Most of these come from Google’s hiring page, and the rest from Searchlab’s April 2026 guide.
| Red flag | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Guarantees a number one ranking, claims a “special relationship” with Google or sells a “priority submit” | Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking. | Google, June 5, 2026 |
| Contacts you out of the blue by email about your site | Google advises wariness of unsolicited email from SEO firms. | Google, June 5, 2026 |
| Offers an audit but asks for write access | Google says to grant only read access to Search Console at that stage. | Google, June 5, 2026 |
| Will not explain what it plans to do | Google says you are responsible for the companies you hire. | Google, June 5, 2026 |
| Sells link packages or submission to thousands of search engines | Google calls these typically useless, and buying links for ranking is link spam in its spam policies. | Google, spam policies updated August 28, 2026 |
| Says Google approves or endorses its tool | Google says it does not evaluate or endorse third-party SEO tools. | Google, June 5, 2026 |
| Sells llms.txt files, content “chunking” or manufactured mentions as required for AI answers | Google’s AI guide says Google Search does not use llms.txt, does not require chunking and finds inauthentic mentions less helpful than they seem. | Google, July 10, 2026 |
| Names lead or traffic numbers before looking at your data | Ask what data supports the forecast. | Searchlab, April 23, 2026 |
| Refuses references or shows only anonymized results | You cannot verify the work. | Searchlab, April 23, 2026 |
| Keeps control of your accounts, or locks you in beyond 12 months | Without ownership you can lose your data, and a long lock-in limits your exit. | Searchlab, April 23, 2026 |
Searchlab is an agency selling its own services and its page carries a promotion, so treat its items as one practitioner’s view. Where Google and Searchlab agree, as they do on guarantees and references, the signal is stronger.
Related reading
- In-house marketer vs freelancer vs agency: who should run your small business marketing?
- How much does digital marketing cost for a small business?
- Do agencies that rank for Florida searches publish prices? A 10-city survey
Next step
Take this checklist to every call, including ours. The free AI-visibility audit comes first, then a 15-minute call where you can ask me all 20.
Get your free AI-visibility audit
FAQ
How many SEO companies should I interview?
Three is a practical minimum. Ask each the same 20 questions and request a written scope from every one, so you compare like with like. A proposal that could go to any business unchanged, or a salesperson who talks more than they ask about your business, belongs at the bottom of your list.
Can an SEO company guarantee first-page rankings?
Nobody can, and Google’s hiring page tells you to find someone else if a provider promises first place. A company can commit to work you can inspect, such as named deliverables and a reporting schedule. Treat a promised position or lead count as a sales claim.
Should I trust a free SEO audit that arrives by email or phone?
Be skeptical. Google tells site owners to be wary of SEO firms that email out of the blue, and the same caution fits cold calls. If you accept an audit, give read access to Search Console only. A useful audit names specific problems on your pages and estimates the work involved.
Who should own my Search Console and Analytics accounts?
You should. Create the properties under your own Google account and add the provider as a user, so the data stays with you if you part ways. Search Console lets an owner grant different permission levels. Ask for the same arrangement on your Business Profile and any ad accounts.
What can I do if I think an SEO company deceived me?
In the United States, Google’s guidance points to the Federal Trade Commission, which handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. You can file online at ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP. For companies outside the US, Google points to econsumer.gov. Keep your paperwork handy.
Does choosing a provider change if I want to appear in AI answers?
The 20 questions apply unchanged, and question 11 covers AI advice directly. Google’s July 2026 guide points owners to its guidance on evaluating third-party AEO or GEO services, so ask any provider to show where its advice matches Google’s. Our guide to getting recommended by ChatGPT and AI Overviews covers the steps.
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