Every week I talk to a business owner who has been burned by an SEO company. Same story each time: a big promise, a monthly direct debit, six months of vague reports, and nothing to show for it. Hiring SEO help should not feel like a gamble. Here is what to actually look for before you sign anything, from someone who does this work every day.
1. They audit before they quote
A serious SEO company looks at your website before talking about price. They check your rankings, your technical health, your competitors, and then tell you what the job actually is. If someone quotes you £1,000 a month without ever opening your site, they are selling a package, not a solution. Packages are built for the seller's convenience, not your results.
2. They can explain what they will do each month
Ask a simple question: what exactly will you do in month one, month two, and month three? You should hear concrete answers. Technical fixes. Content improvements. Pages built for the searches your customers make. Outreach for genuine links. If the answer is vague, something like 'we will optimise your presence and build authority', keep your wallet closed. Real work can be described in plain English.
3. They show proof, not promises
Do not ask for promises. Ask for proof. Real ranking improvements, real traffic growth, real Search Console screenshots. A good provider has these and shares them proudly. Be slightly suspicious of case studies with no data, and very suspicious of anyone who guarantees specific rankings. Google's algorithm is not theirs to guarantee.
4. They report on money metrics, not vanity metrics
Your monthly report should connect to your business: rankings for keywords that bring customers, organic traffic growth, and ideally enquiries or sales. If the report is full of jargon like 'visibility scores' and 'domain authority' with no mention of leads, the work probably is not producing any. Ask them directly: how will we know this is working? The answer should be specific and measurable.
5. They give you ownership of everything
Your Google Search Console, your Analytics, your website logins, your content. All of it stays yours. Some shady operators keep everything in their own accounts so you can never leave. That is a hostage situation, not a partnership. A trustworthy company sets everything up in your name from day one and hands you the keys.
6. Red flags: when to walk away
Walk away from guaranteed rankings, secret proprietary methods they cannot explain, pressure to sign a long contract on the first call, and anyone who badmouths every other provider in the industry. Also walk away from prices that seem too good to be true. They are. A £99-a-month SEO package is an automated report with your logo on it.
7. Questions to ask on the first call
Take these to your next sales call and watch how they react. What will you do in the first 90 days? How do you build links? What happens if we part ways, do I keep everything? How do you measure success? Can I speak to a current client? Good providers welcome these questions. Bad ones get uncomfortable. That reaction tells you everything.