Questions to Ask an SEO Agency (UK)
Before hiring an SEO agency, ask what they will do each month, how they will measure results, who owns the accounts and content, how they build links and what happens when you leave. Google's own advice is that no one can guarantee a number one ranking. A good agency answers in writing, with specifics, and gives you access to everything it changes.
An SEO proposal can be hard to judge. The work is partly technical, results take months, and two agencies can describe the same service in completely different words. The quickest way to compare them is to ask the same questions of each, in writing, and compare the answers.
This guide lists those questions, what a good answer looks like and the answers that should worry you. For prices, see our separate guide to SEO costs in the UK.
Start with Google’s own list
Google publishes advice for anyone hiring an SEO on its Do you need an SEO? page. It suggests asking, among other things, whether the SEO follows Google Search Essentials, what results they expect and in what timeframe, what experience they have in your industry and your country or city, and whether they will share all the changes they make to your site.
The same page says plainly: “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.” It also warns against SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, claim a special relationship with Google, or advertise priority submission to Google. Those three claims are the fastest way to filter a shortlist.
The questions below build on Google’s list with the commercial and ownership points that matter just as much once the contract is signed.
Questions about the work
1. What exactly will you do in the first three months, and after that? A good answer is a list of tasks: a technical audit, fixes to titles, headings and internal links, a content plan, local SEO setup if relevant. A vague answer such as “ongoing optimisation” is not enough.
2. Will you make changes to the site yourselves, or send recommendations? Many agencies only advise, which means your developer does the work and bills separately. Find out which, because it changes the real cost.
3. How do you choose which keywords to target? Look for a link between keywords and what you sell, and a mix of terms people use when they are ready to buy, not only high-volume terms.
4. Will you share every change you make, and why? This is on Google’s list. You want a change log you can read.
Questions about results and reporting
5. How will you measure success? Good measures are enquiries, sales or calls from organic search, plus clicks and impressions in Search Console. Rankings alone are a weak measure, because they vary by location and device.
6. What should I expect, and by when? An honest agency gives a range and explains what it depends on: competition, the state of your site, and how much content you can publish. It will not give you a date for a top position.
7. What does the monthly report show? Ask for a sample. It should tie work done to results, not only list charts.
Questions about links and content
8. How do you get links to my site? Google’s spam policies define link spam as creating links “primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings”. A good answer covers earning links through useful content, local and industry relationships, and digital PR. Buying links, private blog networks or bulk directory submissions are reasons to walk away.
9. Who writes the content, and who checks it? Ask whether writers know your sector, how AI tools are used, and whether you approve each piece before it goes live. Google’s guidance on helpful content asks whether content shows first-hand expertise and is created “primarily to help people”.
Questions about ownership and contract
10. Whose accounts will we use? Google Analytics, Search Console and your Business Profile should be in your business’s name, with the agency added as a user.
11. Who owns the content you write? You should, once paid. Put it in the contract.
12. What is the minimum term and the notice period? Look for a short initial term or a break clause, and a notice period you can live with.
13. What happens when we stop working together? You should keep all content, accounts and reports, and any changes the agency made should stay in place.
Questions to ask yourself first
An agency can only answer well if you know what you want. Before the first call, write down:
- Your goal in business terms. More enquiries for a service, more online sales, or more visits to a shop. Rankings are a means, not the goal.
- What you sell and where. Local, national or international, and which products or services matter most to your margin.
- Your budget and timescale. A monthly figure you can sustain, and how long you can wait before you need to see progress.
- What you can do in house. Whether someone can write content, approve changes quickly or edit the site.
- What has been tried before. Previous agencies, past penalties, old campaigns, and what happened.
Send this to every agency you speak to. Their proposals will then answer the same brief, which makes them far easier to compare, and you will see quickly which agencies read it.
Good and bad answers at a glance
| Topic | A good answer | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Rankings | A realistic range, with what it depends on | A guaranteed position or a guaranteed date |
| Work | A written monthly task list | “Ongoing optimisation” with no detail |
| Links | Earned through content, PR and relationships | A fixed number of links per month for a fee |
| Reporting | Enquiries and sales from organic search | Rankings and traffic only |
| Accounts | Yours, with the agency as a user | The agency’s own accounts |
| Contract | Short initial term or break clause | A long fixed term with no exit |
| Contact | You know who does the work | Only a salesperson |
What the answers should cost
Price follows scope. Published UK data puts SEO retainers at £500 to £5,000 a month, with small business SEO at about £1,000 to £2,500 from an agency and £500 to £1,200 from a freelancer (Whitehat SEO, Limelight Digital). If a quote is far below those bands, check what is left out. If it is far above, check what extra work justifies it.
How Hostlyx answers these questions
Hostlyx is a Zorixo Services company. Our delivery team is in Bengaluru, India, and UK customers are invoiced in GBP by Zorixo Ventures Ltd, a UK company, through Stripe. Our SEO service is run by a team that can also change your website, so technical SEO fixes are made directly, not handed to another supplier. You keep your analytics, Search Console and content. Our UK SEO agency page has more detail.
If you want to put these questions to us, send us your site and goals and we will answer them in writing alongside a fixed written quote in GBP, with the monthly tasks, reporting and notice period set out in full.