How to Evaluate an SEO Agency

Red flags, green flags, questions to ask, deliverables to expect, and separating good from bad agencies.

Red Flags to Avoid

Guarantees rankings. No legitimate SEO professional can guarantee rankings. This is a red flag for inexperienced or deceptive agencies.

Promises quick results. "3 months to first page" is unrealistic for competitive niches. Realistic: 6-12 months depending on competition.

Focuses on keyword rankings, not traffic/revenue. Ranking for wrong keywords is useless. A good agency cares about traffic that converts.

Unclear about their work. If they cannot explain what they actually do, they probably are not doing much.

Long lock-in contracts with no performance clauses. You should be able to exit with notice if they underperform. Refusing short terms is suspicious.

Won't explain link-building approach. Vague "outreach" without specifics suggests low-quality link strategies. Ask exactly where they get links. Legitimate agencies can explain this.

Green Flags

Shows you their process, not just case studies. Can they walk you through their actual methodology? Process > case studies.

Explains what they will actually do. "Content creation, technical SEO, link building" is useless. "We will create guides on these 10 keywords, fix these technical issues, and pursue links from these publications" is concrete.

Asks about your business before quoting. Good agencies learn your space before proposing. Bad agencies give standard pricing.

Transparent about timelines. They tell you when to expect movement and what "movement" means (traffic increase, not rank increase).

Can point to specific work they've done. They can show you actual content they created, technical improvements they implemented, links they earned. Not just "results" but the work behind it.

Questions to Ask in the Pitch

Who will be the day-to-day contact and will they do the actual work?
What is your reporting structure? How will I know what is happening?
What does the first 90 days look like specifically?
Can I speak with a current client in my industry?
How do you handle underperformance? What is your contract exit clause?

The Pitch Reality

Everyone sounds good in a pitch. The truth comes out in week three when you see what they actually do. Choose based on process and honesty, not promises.

How This Connects

Whether you hire help or go in-house, mistakes are inevitable. Understanding common SEO mistakes helps you avoid expensive ones.