Things to consider when hiring an SEO
Questions to ask, warning signs to notice, and a practical checklist for comparing SEO proposals.
Two SEO proposals can use the same words and offer very different amounts of help. One includes advice; the other includes making the changes. One reports traffic; the other checks whether the right people are enquiring.
Before comparing the monthly fee, work out what you are buying and what your team will still need to do. Here is a practical way to make that conversation clearer.
Start with the work you want more of
Give each potential SEO the same short brief: your priority service, the customers you want to reach, the area you serve and the action you want visitors to take. Include any limits, such as a full diary or a website you cannot easily edit.
Illustrative example: a Vancouver cleaner wants more recurring office contracts. A proposal focused on residential cleaning blog posts may bring attention to a service the owner is not trying to grow. Ask how each recommended activity supports the work you actually want.
Find the gap between advice and implementation
Ask: “After the audit, who makes the changes?” This one question can reveal a large difference between proposals that look similar.
If an SEO recommends rewriting three service pages, clarify who interviews your team, writes the copy, checks its accuracy, uploads it and approves publication. If a developer is needed, establish whether their time is included. A useful recommendation can sit unfinished when nobody owns the next step.
Request one sample deliverable. A redacted example is enough to show whether you will receive a usable plan or a list of unexplained scores.
Compare proposals using the same checklist
| Compare | Get a clear answer |
|---|---|
| First priority | Which business problem will you address first, and why? |
| Deliverables | Which pages, fixes or research outputs are included? |
| Implementation | Who writes, builds, reviews and publishes? |
| Your time | What access, interviews or approvals will you need from me? |
| Total cost | What is extra: development, tools, content or advertising? |
| Handover | What files, access and documentation stay with my business? |
Mark each answer “clear,” “needs detail” or “not included.” Resolve the unknowns before choosing. A shorter proposal with clear responsibilities can be easier to evaluate than a long package of activities.
Ask what a result actually measures
When someone shows a percentage increase, ask for the starting point, period, work completed and metric. More impressions, more visits and more qualified enquiries describe different outcomes. Ask what else changed during the period, such as a new offer or seasonal demand.
For your own reporting, agree on a simple sequence: what changed, what happened afterward and what to do next. Record a starting point before work begins. If enquiry tracking is incomplete, make that visible rather than treating traffic as a substitute for sales.
Notice promises that cannot be supported
Google warns that nobody can guarantee a number-one ranking. It also advises caution when providers will not explain their methods. For an initial Search Console audit, Google recommends read-only access. Its guide to hiring an SEO is a useful independent reference.
Apply the same scrutiny to an “AI visibility” package: ask what will be changed, what evidence supports the recommendation and how progress will be recorded. A tool score needs an explanation before it becomes a reason to spend money.
Check whether the working relationship fits
Ask who you will speak with, how often you will hear from them and how unexpected work is approved. Agree on notice periods and handover expectations. Keep your business in control of its domain and core accounts, with appropriate access granted to people doing the work.
For local SEO, clarify whether the proposal covers your website, Google Business Profile, business listings or all three. “Local SEO included” is too broad to tell you what will actually happen.