- Ask who will actually do the work, and how often you will speak to them.
- Good agencies explain their link building in detail and never promise #1 rankings.
- Reporting should connect rankings and traffic to leads and revenue, not just show charts.
- In 2026, an SEO plan should also cover AI search: Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
Why choosing the right agency matters
SEO compounds. Good work done this year keeps paying back for years, and bad work, such as spammy links or thin pages, can hold a website back long after the contract ends. That is why the choice of partner matters more than the monthly price.
The questions below are the ones we would ask if we were hiring an agency ourselves. A strong agency will be happy to answer all of them in plain English.
Questions about strategy
1. What would you do first on my website, and why?
A serious agency should be able to name concrete first steps after a short review: fixing indexing problems, improving key service pages, building local visibility, or creating missing content. Vague answers like “we will optimize your site” are a warning sign.
2. How will you decide which keywords and topics to target?
Look for an answer that starts with your customers and your margins, not with search volume alone. The best keywords are the ones that bring buyers, which is why keyword research should be tied to services and locations you actually want to sell.
3. How do you handle AI search?
Buyers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews for recommendations. Ask how the agency makes your brand easier for these systems to understand and cite. A good answer mentions clear entity information, structured data, answer-ready content and tracking of AI mentions. This is what we call AI search optimization (AEO & GEO).
Questions about the work itself
4. Who will actually do the work?
Many agencies sell with a senior strategist and deliver with a junior team or subcontractors. Ask who plans your strategy, who writes and edits content, and who you can call when something goes wrong.
5. How do you build links?
This is the single most important safety question. Acceptable answers involve useful content, digital PR, partnerships and outreach to relevant websites. Bulk links, private blog networks and “guaranteed DA 50 links” packages risk a manual penalty. Ask to see example links from past work.
6. Will you change my website directly?
Some agencies only send recommendations; others implement changes. Both can work, but you need to know which one you are buying, and who is responsible for development time.
Questions about results and reporting
7. What will you report on, and how often?
Monthly reporting should show what was done, what changed and what comes next. The most useful reports connect Google Search Console and Analytics data to calls, form leads and sales.
8. What results can I realistically expect, and when?
Nobody can honestly guarantee a ranking position, because Google and AI platforms control their own systems. A trustworthy agency will instead give you a realistic range based on your competition, your website’s history and the budget.
9. Can I see work you have done for a business like mine?
Ask for case studies with real data, ideally screenshots from Search Console, Analytics or Ahrefs. You can see how we present ours in our case studies.
Questions about the contract
10. How long is the contract, and how do I cancel?
Long lock-in contracts protect the agency, not you. Month-to-month plans with a reasonable notice period are common and fair.
11. Who owns the content, accounts and data?
You should own your website, content, Google Business Profile, Search Console and Analytics accounts. If an agency insists on owning them, walk away.
12. What do you need from me?
SEO works best as a partnership. Expect to provide access, answer questions about your services and approve key pages. An agency that asks for nothing will usually deliver generic work.
How to compare proposals side by side
Once you have two or three proposals, put them in a simple table with the same rows for each agency: monthly scope, who does the work, link building method, content volume, reporting, contract length and price. Differences that were hidden in sales calls become obvious when the details sit next to each other.
Pay special attention to what is not included. Some proposals look cheaper because they leave out content writing, technical fixes or development time, which you then have to pay for separately.
What the first 90 days should look like
Ask each agency to describe the first three months in writing. A good answer looks something like this:
- Weeks 1 to 4: full audit, keyword and competitor research, tracking checks, and a written plan with priorities.
- Weeks 5 to 8: technical fixes, improvements to the most important service pages, Google Business Profile updates.
- Weeks 9 to 12: new content, first authority-building work, and a review of early results against the plan.
If an agency cannot explain its first 90 days clearly, it probably does not have a process for your account yet.
Check references and real profiles
Look beyond the agency website. Read reviews on independent platforms, check the founders’ LinkedIn profiles, and if possible speak to a current client. Ask that client how communication works day to day and what happened when something went wrong. How an agency handles problems tells you more than its sales deck.
Red flags to watch for
- Guaranteed #1 rankings or guaranteed traffic numbers.
- Secret methods they will not explain.
- Very cheap packages that promise hundreds of links per month.
- No access to your own data, or reports with no connection to leads.
- Pressure to sign quickly.
If you want a second opinion on your current SEO or a proposal you have received, our website audit is a good place to start.
MD. TAMZID ULLAH is the Founder & CEO of ITCore and a Top Rated SEO expert and AI search visibility (AEO & GEO) strategist with 6+ years of experience. Meet the team.