Before you choose an SEO agency, ask who will make the changes
Choose an SEO agency by testing its understanding of your business and its ability to explain the work. Ask what it would prioritise, who will implement changes, what evidence supports its approach and how you will review progress. Relevant experience matters most when the agency can connect it to your actual brief.
Put the advice into practice
Ongoing SEO, with a clear job to do
Find the search gaps, improve the right pages and review what produces useful enquiries.
Plan your search prioritiesGive every shortlisted agency the same problem
Start with the services you want to grow and the clients they suit. Explain the buying process, the markets you serve and the website changes already planned. Tell the agency which people can provide expertise, approve content and discuss enquiry quality.
A shared brief makes the proposals more comparable. Otherwise, one agency may price a technical cleanup while another assumes a continuing content programme. You can end up comparing fees for different jobs without realising it.
Ask questions that reveal how the work will happen
- What would you investigate first? Look for a reason connected to your website and commercial priorities.
- Who implements the recommendations? Clarify what the agency does, what your developer does and what needs a separate quote.
- How will you use our expertise? Establish how interviews, source material and approvals become accurate service content.
- Can you explain a relevant project? Discuss the starting problem, work delivered and limits of the evidence.
- What would change your plan? Ask how new search information or poor enquiry fit affects priorities.
- What will we retain if the engagement ends? Confirm access, approved content, documentation and any licensed material.
These questions extend the practical assessment into implementation. Google’s hiring guidance recommends examining references, communication and the reasoning behind proposed changes.
Use a shortlist scorecard with written reasons
| Criterion | What a useful answer contains | Your note |
|---|---|---|
| Business fit | A clear understanding of your services, audience and constraints. | Record the specific detail understood or missed. |
| Delivery | Named responsibilities and a workable approval process. | Identify any unpriced dependency. |
| Evidence | Relevant examples with clear scope and substantiated claims. | Note what the example actually demonstrates. |
| Review | A method for deciding what happens after the first changes. | Record how your team will contribute. |
| Commercial terms | Clear fees, inclusions, access and handover arrangements. | List unresolved terms before signing. |
What should a case study help you judge?
A relevant case study should explain a problem and the work involved well enough for you to assess fit. Ask whether the agency handled research, writing, development or coordination, and what another party supplied. A polished final website alone does not explain those responsibilities.
For example, a hypothetical specialist firm may need its subject experts interviewed before any useful pages can be written. The project process matters because your team will need to participate. Ask how much time the agency expects from those people and how competing opinions are resolved.
How do you assess an offer that includes AI search?
Ask which pages and buyer questions the work addresses, how access will be checked and what reporting can show. The explanation should distinguish an observed citation from a referral visit or a qualified enquiry. Ask to see the underlying source when a recommendation depends on a platform claim.
Keep the buying decision focused on the work and evidence you can inspect. Our AI search schema guide helps assess one common part of these proposals, while the SEO package comparison guide covers recurring scope.
Turn the shortlist into a useful first discussion
Send your brief and the unresolved scorecard questions before the meeting. Ask the agency to explain its proposed priority and the inputs needed to act on it. You should leave with a clearer view of the engagement, including what still needs investigation.
For an integrated discussion of service content, technical work and ongoing improvement, explore Grendesign’s SEO services and our professional-services SEO project approach.
