38 Questions to Ask an SEO Agency, As Recommended By Our SEO Experts

Whether you’re hiring an SEO company for the first or third time, it’s a time- and resource-intensive step. Based on more than 30 years of working in SEO, we’ve learned which questions to ask an SEO agency to find the best SEO services for your business and are sharing them below:

Best questions to ask an SEO agency (as picked by our experts)

Vetting SEO agencies is a primary step in choosing the right company. That starts with asking the right questions. Our SEO experts composed a list of questions they think you should ask agencies when you’re trying to find the right ones.

General SEO agency questions to ask

Recommended by Lace, Digital Marketing Specialist

In my 15 years of experience with SEO strategy and execution, I’ve found that asking the basic questions to your SEO agency sets the foundation for what a partnership may look like.

Here are my recommended questions to ask when hiring an SEO agency:

1. What does your SEO process look like?

When you’re trying to vet agencies, I think it’s a really good idea to ask them a simple, but important question — What does your process look like?

Even though there are a lot of standard practices of SEO, every agency is different in their approach. For example, some agencies offer cookie-cutter plans that follow a specific process, while others deliver more custom strategies that may look different depending upon who they’re for.

Getting insight into an SEO company’s process can help you better understand how they may approach that strategy, and if their approach is a good fit for you.

2. What industries or markets do you have experience doing SEO for?

When you choose an SEO partner, you want to work with one that has a good sense of your industry or market.

SEO doesn’t always look the same for every vertical or industry — manufacturing SEO looks a lot different than healthcare SEO because the sectors operate differently. Healthcare, for example, is a Your Money or Your Life sector that receives higher scrutiny and stricter rules for SEO than manufacturing.

That’s why it’s good to ask what an agency’s experience is with your industry, so you can garner how knowledgeable they are.

You can ask them follow-up questions like:

• How many businesses have you worked with in my sector?
• Will my account be assigned an industry-specific expert?
• Do you have references or case studies to share?

An agency with a proven track record in your specific market can often deliver faster and more effective results. Don’t hesitate to ask for examples of their past successes.

3. What SEO tools do you use?

Tools are an important part of any SEO strategy and most agencies use them. Having an understanding of what tools your SEO agency uses can help you better understand where they get data from and what features they have available to boost your SEO campaigns.

Now keep in mind, you likely won’t be using these tools yourself. Your agency will likely only use them with their in-house team. Regardless, since SEO tools differ greatly with what they can do and data they offer, it’s good to ask what tools your SEO company will use.

Some of the most popular tools agencies use include Semrush, Ahrefs, and SE Ranking.

Some agencies, like our sister company WebFX, have in-house, client-exclusive tools that you’ll gain access to with services.

4. Do you work with any of my competitors?

One of the most important questions to ask your SEO agency is whether they work with any of your competitors.

Typically, SEO providers will not work with a direct competitor, as it’s a conflict of interest and can impact the quality of your campaigns. So, be sure to check that your agency doesn’t work with any direct competitors.

If they do, they may refer you to a different agency that can help.

5. Do you require site access?

SEO optimizations require site updates, from publishing new content to updating title tags to implementing page speed fixes. While some SEO agencies can work without site access, others require it.

If you can’t provide site access, which is common for enterprise-level organizations (and familiar territory for top enterprise SEO companies), ask this question! As a follow-up question, ask how often the agency has worked with no site access, and how that impacts their processes, performance, and more.

6. What do you need from my business to be effective?

Your SEO performance is influenced by your agency, but also your team. That’s why it’s valuable to ask SEO marketing companies what they need from your business or team to succeed.

For example, agencies often need:

• Brand or style guidelines
• Target audience
• Site access
• Top-selling products or services

Often, you’re providing SEO companies with context about your business and products or services. This context can help them research keywords, develop content topics, and other ideas for your marketing efforts. The more specific you are, the better they can tailor a business-specific SEO strategy.

7. How do you ensure your strategies comply with Google and other search engine guidelines?

SEO practices that violate search engine guidelines can lead to penalties or drops in visibility. A reputable agency should follow webmaster guidelines, avoid black-hat tactics, and demonstrate how they stay current with algorithm updates.

This question ensures the agency emphasizes long-term, sustainable growth rather than chasing short-term ranking tricks.

If an agency is being dodgy about answering the question, there’s a chance they might be using black-hat techniques and you’ll want to avoid them.

A reputable agency should be able to tell you how they comply with Google’s guidelines and what strategies they actively use.

8. What does onboarding typically look like with your agency?

This is one of the biggest questions to ask an SEO company because it often sets the tone for the partnership.

If you’re talking to an agency and they don’t really have a laid out onboarding plan, that’s concerning. It sets, what I like to call, a “tone of chaos.” If the onboarding process isn’t really set and is all over the place, it may be that way when it comes to running your campaigns, communication, or reporting on your progress.

Generally, you want to focus on partnering with agencies that have a set onboarding process that they can detail for you.

9. How do you tailor strategy to our industry, or is it just a templated playbook?

One important general question to ask an SEO marketing company is whether they do cookie-cutter strategies or not. You want to look for companies that offer custom strategies.

If 15 years of experience has taught me anything, it’s that custom is always better.

No two industries are the same. Even two businesses within the same industry can be vastly different. If you’re getting a game plan like everyone else, you’re not really getting an advantage.

I like to equate it to football teams— while they all typically have similar sets of plays, they also have unique schemes and routes they create, like trick plays, based on the players and talent they have.

SEO is similar — a base SEO plan will look the same across all businesses, but it’s those “tricky plays” that make your SEO tailored to you and give you a competitive advantage.

So, when asking SEO agencies questions, make sure you’re checking to see whether your plan will be custom-built to you.

Pricing and deliverables questions to ask an SEO company

Recommended by Abby, SEO Consultant

We can’t talk about SEO without talking about pricing and deliverables. Asking questions around these topics is crucial for finding the right agency that fits your budget and needs.

Plus, I’ll share some questions you should ask in regards to credibility to ensure you’re choosing the package from the right company.

Here are questions to ask your SEO company regarding pricing, packages, and credibility:

10. What is your SEO pricing model?

Understanding an SEO company’s pricing model can help you determine if they’re the right fit for you. Unfortunately, a lot of SEO companies do not post their pricing or models online, which is why you may need to ask them about it directly.

The cost of SEO services varies greatly depending upon the model type, who’s providing the services, what kind of support you need, and more. You’ll undoubtedly come across some cheap or overpriced SEO companies, but there are many affordable SEO options.

Most affordable SEO companies operate on a monthly retainer, but some may offer hourly rates or one-time project fees. The pricing model may change depending on whether you’re hiring a full-time agency, wanting a consultant, or looking for help here and there from a freelancer.

11. What are your SEO deliverables?

Like the age old adage says, “You get what you pay for” — but you need to know what you’re paying for first. That’s why asking what deliverables you’re getting is so important — you need to know what your SEO agency includes as part of your package.

It’s important to ask this question, too, because every SEO package is different. Some agencies will offer certain things, while others won’t. Two agencies may offer the same thing, but at different price points.

So, don’t be afraid to ask every company what their deliverables are and get a comprehensive breakdown of what you can expect to be included for the price point.

P.S. If an agency refuses to give you a comprehensive look at deliverables, nix them. No reputable agency should be sketchy or vague about what you’re getting with your investment.

12. What’s included each month and what’s considered an extra charge?

Clarity around what you’re getting is crucial for determining if an agency is worth it. It’s important to understand what’s included as part of your package, and what’s considered an extra charge.

So, for example, many agencies will offer content marketing as part of your SEO package, but it’s typically an extra charge. They may offer access to software, too, which also comes at an additional charge.

When you’re vetting agencies, make sure you’re clarifying what’s included versus what’s additional costs.

13. Can you provide some client references?

Client references are fantastic, especially if they’re from your industry. Add this as one of your questions to ask an SEO marketing company, and you can receive unmatched insight into what it’s like working with that agency.

Getting client references allows you to gain insight into what it’s actually like to work with an agency. Additionally, if a company is willing to provide them, they feel confident that their client will speak positively about them.

14. Do you have a case study from a business of our size or industry?

In an ideal world, you want to partner with an SEO agency that’s worked with a business like yours, whether it’s the size, industry, or both. Case studies can help you see what an agency was capable of doing for a business similar to yours.

Don’t be afraid to ask the agencies you’re prospecting to share case studies of work they’ve done for businesses like yours. Don’t expect them to have a close match, especially if you’re in a niche industry, but they should be able to produce a case study that gives good insight into how they could help your business.

Staffing and team questions to ask an SEO marketing company

Recommended by Sarah, Lead SEO Consultant

Not only is it important to ask questions about what you’re getting, but who’s doing the work. Hiring an SEO company is like going on a first date — you want to make sure your team and their team is a good match before committing and moving forward with the relationship.

As an SEO expert with over 10,000 hours of experience, here are the questions I think you need to ask any agency:

15. Who does the work on my campaign?

Get clarification around who’s doing the work on your campaign. You’ll want to figure out things like:

• Do you get a dedicated account manager or point of contact?
• How many different specialties are working on your campaigns?
• How big is the team working on your strategy?
• What is the experience and background of the team working on your campaigns?

The goal is to get a clear picture of who’s working on your SEO strategy day in and out.

16. Do you outsource any of your work?

This is a really, really, really (did I mention really?) crucial question to ask, especially if this is something important to your organization.

Let’s get down to the cold, hard facts, folks — numerous SEO agencies outsource work to freelancers outside of their company. For many businesses, it’s not an ideal set up because they feel:

• Unsure about the security of their sensitive information
• Worried about quality control
• Misled about who’s actually doing the work
• Duped into paying for premium services just to get cheap, third-party work

So, first, determine if this is a point that actually matters to you. If it does, make sure you ask your agency if they outsource work to third-parties.

Keep in mind that a company may still have freelancers, but they’re directly employed by that SEO company. That means protection of your information and data still falls within the scope of your agency.

17. Do I have a dedicated team working on my campaigns or is it random?

Another great question to ask an SEO company is whether you’ll have a dedicated team assigned to your account or if it operates more like “whoever has the time will work on it.”

Personally, in my eight years of experience, I think consistency is key and it’s better to have a dedicated team. When you have random people working on your campaign, it’s hard to know the quality of work that will be done or even if it’ll get done. Having a dedicated team sets proper expectations — you know what you’re getting.

Now keep in mind, if your agency has a dedicated team for your account it can still change. People get promoted, leave companies, or change departments. The important part is having the structure in place to have the same people working on your account, so you can build rapport and have a good baseline of what you can expect them to do.

18. How many other accounts will our point of contact also be managing?

I’m going to rip the bandage off right away with this one — whoever gets assigned to your account isn’t going to just be working on your account. It’s not really a question of “are you managing other accounts?” but rather, “how many other accounts are you managing?”

The average number of accounts a person handles ranges from 3–20 accounts. It can also be higher, depending upon the scope of work. If the point of contact has a lot of low need clients, they manage more accounts because many of the accounts they oversee don’t require as much work.

You’ll also want to determine what’s comfortable for you. If you’re looking for your agency to give you more time and attention, you may not want to partner with an agency where the POC is handling 50 accounts at a time.

If you’re not concerned about how many other clients your POC manages, asking this question can just be good to get an idea of how available and responsive they may be.

Operations and communication questions to ask an SEO agency

Recommended by  Dan, Senior Director of SEO.com

If you’re in a position like mine (Director, manager, owner, etc.), you’re likely the one who’s making a decision about which SEO agency to hire. That also means you have to consider things like logistics and communications when outsourcing SEO to an agency to ensure they’re the right fit.

Here are some good SEO questions to ask an agency (that I would ask):

19. How do you communicate with clients?

Communication is key to a successful agency and client relationship, so it’s important to understand:

• What communication methods the agency uses, like email, phone, or video conferencing
• How often the agency communicates with you, like weekly, monthly, or quarterly
• Who will communicate with you and your team
• Whether the agency can meet your custom communication needs

Before contacting an SEO company, I recommend looking for communication mentions in their reviews. Based on client reviews, you can gauge in advance whether the agency excels (or fails) in this critical area.

20. Who will I communicate with on my account?

While the previous question can cover this one, it’s important enough to include here. Whether you’re looking to share information or troubleshoot an issue, you need a dedicated point of contact (POC) at your SEO company. However, not all agencies provide dedicated POCs.

Inquire about who you’ll be reaching out to when you have questions, concerns, or changes. I recommend working with companies that provide a dedicated point of contact, as it makes operations much smoother overall.

21. Will you work with my other agencies?

If you aren’t working with a full-service agency from the jump, you may have different companies working on different aspects of your brand (web design, social media, etc.). If that’s the case for you, you need to ask prospective SEO agencies if (and how) they’ll work with your other agencies.

That goes for the agencies that you already have on retainer, too. If they’re not willing to work with whatever SEO agency you hire, you may need to rethink your partnerships.

When your agencies collaborate with one another, your benefits include:

• Streamlining project management
• Meeting project deadlines
• Syncing marketing initiatives
• And more

22. How much of my time will you need?

As a director, manager, or owner, you’re likely the point of contact for your company. That means that anytime your SEO agency wants to give an update, ask questions, or clarify things, they’re going to you.

You need to ask them how much time they’re expecting you to dedicate to collaboration with them.

Some agencies are adaptable and can adjust to whatever level of involvement you need. Other agencies require heavy involvement. A select few don’t let you have much say and do all the work without much involvement from you.

Asking this question is not only good for helping you adjust your schedule, but for understanding what kind of partner you want.

I typically recommend leaning towards the partners that offer flexibility of involvement. That way, you can set the pace that works for you, and even adjust as time goes on (to be more or less involved).

Keep in mind that, typically, SEO companies require more work from you in the beginning as things are getting set up and launched.

23. Which SEO tasks will your agency handle, and what will be expected from my team to ensure success?

If you’re a marketing manager or director, you likely have a small team underneath you that you manage. That means you need to coordinate your team’s efforts and tasks with the SEO agency you partner with.

When you hire an SEO agency, clarify who’s responsible for what. Your agency may handle things like strategy and reporting, while your team handles content publishing or website updates.

Defining roles upfront ensures smooth execution and maximizes the effectiveness of your SEO strategy.

24. Do you require an SEO contract?

If you’re wondering, “What questions do I ask my SEO agency,” this is a big one — do you require a contract?

In most cases, SEO companies will require an SEO contract. How long the contract lasts depends on the agency.

In my experience, most companies have a six-to-twelve-month contract, though some operate on a month-to-month basis.

If a long-term contract is a concern, SEO consulting is worth considering — it’s designed as one-time or ongoing support, so you can scope it to what you actually need.

25. What happens if I terminate my contract?

Get informed before you sign with a search optimization company, and ask what happens in the worst-case scenario (in this instance, terminating your contract). How agencies approach termination often depends on why you’re ending the relationship, like due to results, service, budget cuts, or something else.

I know it’s not ideal to be thinking worst case scenario before even forming a partnership, but it’s something that can actually be very informative about who you’re working with. If it seems like they make it difficult to terminate your contract, they may not be someone you want to work with in case that does need to happen.

26. What’s the typical timeline before we see a first deliverable?

When you enter a partnership with an SEO agency, you want to know how long it’ll take until they start taking action on your account. You can ask this question to get an idea of their process and how long it’ll take to see work done on your account.

Keep in mind that the length of the onboarding process will heavily influence this, especially if an agency needs more time to onboard you.

AI search questions to ask an SEO company

Recommended by Macy, Content Marketing Consultant

Let’s be real — you can’t vet SEO agencies in 2026 without looking at the AI angle. As someone who does a lot of research and content creation around AEO/AI search, I can tell you that you need to ask your SEO agency about it.

I can tell you this right out the gate: If you’re looking at an SEO agency that isn’t even talking about AI search, look elsewhere. AI search growth isn’t slowing down, so if an agency isn’t even mentioning it or accounting for it, you’re going to be even more behind.

When it comes to AI and search, here are the questions to ask your SEO company:

27. Do you use AI as part of your SEO process?

Since AI has become so mainstream, I think it’s a good idea to ask your prospective SEO agency how they use AI. I’d guess that a lot of agencies are using AI, but it’s a matter of how they’re using it.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend working with agencies where AI is piloting everything and there’s next-to-no human involvement. You want to have a balance of AI usage and human touch.

So, ask your prospective agency how they use AI. You may hear responses like:

• Data analysis
• Automating technical audits
• Finding keywords
• Spotting internal link opportunities
• Identifying content gaps

These are all fairly normal and expected responses from an SEO agency.

28. How are you optimizing for the AI search landscape?

Another good question to ask your SEO agency is how they’re optimizing for the AI search landscape. Like I said before, AI search isn’t going away — it’s mainstream now. So, it’s good to ask your agency how they’re optimizing for the AI search landscape.

The agencies you talk to should be able to tell you what kind of work they’re currently doing for their clients, so you get a sense of how in-tune they are to AI search optimization. They may mention things like answer-first content, optimizing for readability, targeting prompts, and more.

29. What AI platforms do you have experience with?

There are a lot of different AI search platforms out there, like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. You don’t necessarily need to optimize for all of them — just the ones your audience uses most frequently.

That’s why it’s good to ask your agency what platforms they have experience with, especially if you’re looking to gain visibility on certain ones.

30. How do you measure whether we’re performing in AI responses?

Anytime you invest in a new strategy, you want to know that it’s working. Part of that is tracking and measuring your performance. So, naturally, you’ll want to ask prospective SEO agencies how they measure AI search performance.

The best agencies will have a tool that can actively measure your performance, whether it’s their own in-house tool or a third-party tool. If they don’t have one that measures AI search performance, you’ll want to look elsewhere for search services.

31. How are you adapting to make content more “AI-citeable?”

This might be one of the most important questions to ask of an SEO agency. Something I’ve seen a lot of is companies saying they offer “AI search services” but it’s really just SEO with the AI search name slapped on it. While good SEO sets a strong foundation for AI search performance, it can’t carry it alone — you need to specifically optimize for AI search.

So, asking a question like this one can help you spot any red flags with an agency if they aren’t giving you a direct answer. Don’t expect an agency to release the secret sauce fully, but they should mention things specific to AI search content optimization.

That includes:

• Building stronger E-E-A-T signals
• First-party data, research, or studies
• Building brand mentions and authority
• Targeting/tracking prompts
• Creating answer-first structure in content
• Improving readability of content for each extraction

32. Can you guarantee AI search visibility?

I always love to throw in an immediate red flag question to help people vet agencies. In regards to AI, this is the one. If an agency says they can guarantee AI search visibility, run fast. And I mean, fast.

AI search is volatile — what shows up in search results one day can change the next day. You can be cited in AI Overviews Monday, disappear by Wednesday, only to show up again Friday.

Not to mention, results look different for everyone. Person A may see you cited in results, while person B (who conducted the same query) doesn’t see you.

Any agency that says they can gurantee AI search visibility is an immediate red flag to avoid.

Dive deeper: AI SEO agency red flags to avoid →

Tracking and performance questions to ask your SEO agency

Recommended by Jackie, Senior Conversion & UX Specialist

As a conversion rate expert, I know how critical performance tracking is. You need to see how you’re performing and whether you’re capturing leads (or they’re completing the actions you desire) to know if your investment is working.

Here are some questions to ask an SEO agency that I would ask if I were you:

33. How do you define success in SEO?

This is one of the most important questions to ask when hiring an SEO company.

Understanding the answer can clarify a lot about your potential partnership, including why you should hire an SEO company for your business.

People define success differently in search. Some focus on rankings and traffic, while others focus on leads and revenue. With this question, you can understand how the agency measures SEO success. A deep dive into these metrics reveals the core SEO philosophies that guide their strategies.

Ideally, you want a firm that:

• Asks how your organization defines SEO success
• Shares your organization’s definition for SEO success

I included the second point because the relationship is often more successful when you and the SEO company share the same opinion on what makes an SEO strategy a success. Firms can adapt to different client opinions here, but without that shared baseline upfront, it’s harder to know later whether the agency is actually delivering what you consider a win.

34. When should I expect to see SEO results?

In my experience, this question tends to reveal spammy SEO companies.

These businesses (spammy ones) will often promise an unrealistic timeline for SEO results, like within 30 days. Typically, SEO takes three to six months to show results, with some websites requiring up to 12 months of work. So if an agency promises quick turnaround time for results, they may not be using safe tactics.

If the agency has audited your site’s SEO, they can likely provide a more tailored estimate of results. In general, you can expect to see results in the 6-12 month range.

35. What type of SEO reporting will you provide?

Every SEO provider should provide reporting on the performance of your campaigns. However, asking this question can help you better understand how that agency reports. For example, you can learn what metrics they measure, which attribution model they use, and more.

It’s not unrealistic, either, to ask for a reporting example. It can help you have a clearer understanding of what they’ll give to you, so you can determine if they’re the right fit for you.

36. How often do you report on SEO results?

When you’re asking questions to SEO agencies, make sure you ask them how often they report on SEO results. Typically, most agencies will offer monthly reporting to give you insights into your performance.

If an agency doesn’t have a set standard for reporting, you may want to look elsewhere.

37. If something looks wrong, what’s your process for correcting it?

This question is important to ask because not everything is perfect with SEO. You’re going to have fluctuations and changes within your strategy, which is normal. But if something goes wrong, you need to trust that your agency will be on top of it.

So, ask them what their process looks like for handling when things are off or look wrong. Ask follow up questions like:

• Do you regularly monitor our campaigns?
• Who takes care of issues when they’re spotted?
• How fast do you typically resolve issues?
• How do you notify clients of issues (communicate beforehand or wait for them to notice?)

Ideally, you want to partner with a company that’s proactive in spotting issues and has a plan in place to handle it.

38. Do you have an in-house tracking tool or do you use a third-party tool?

When you’re meeting with an SEO company, it’s good to ask what kind of tool they use to track your performance. Some agencies will have in-house tools, while others rely on third-party platforms like Ahrefs or Semrush. Some may even use a mixture of in-house tools, Google Analytics, and others.

This question is great to ask for clarity around where the data comes from, so you know how you agency is getting information.

Get these questions answered with our SEO company

So, you’ve debated in-house vs. agency SEO and decided to take the leap with an experienced agency! Are you looking to test these questions? Give them a go with our SEO company, one of the best SEO companies in Canada, USA, and around the world, which has provided SEO services for more than 30 years to businesses across the globe. Contact us today to speak with our award-winning team!

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