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SEO CompanyHiring one, read with a red pencil

Section 02 of 06

Section 02 · Questions

Questions to ask an SEO company

Google suggests interviewing any SEO before you hire, and gives its own list of questions: examples of past work, whether they follow the Google Search Essentials, what results they expect and in what timeframe, their experience in your industry and location, how long they’ve been in business, and whether they’ll share every change they make to your site. Below, each question is written out with why it matters and what Google says to listen for.

General information, not business advice. The questions are Google’s, from its Search Central page “Do you need an SEO?”, which is worth reading in full before any meeting.

Google’s interview, question by question

  1. Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?

    Examples are a start. Google also suggests checking business references: ask past clients whether the SEO provided a useful service, was easy to work with and produced positive results.

    Ask for a client you can ring, not only a case study.

  2. Do you follow the Google Search Essentials?

    The Search Essentials (once called the Webmaster Guidelines) are the core of what makes content eligible to appear and perform well on Google Search, in three parts: technical requirements, spam policies and key best practices.

    A good answer names the document without being prompted.

  3. What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?

    Google says an audit should give you realistic estimates of improvement and of the work involved, and that if an SEO guarantees first place in search results, you should find someone else. On measuring, Google strongly encourages Search Console, which reports data directly from Google Search.

    Estimates, yes. Guarantees, no. See how long SEO takes.

  4. What’s your experience in my industry?

    Google’s test runs both ways: your SEO should be interested in you and your business, and if they’re not, Google says to find someone who is.

  5. What’s your experience in my country or city?

    Local knowledge is one of the services on Google’s list: expertise in specific markets and geographies.

  6. What’s your experience developing international sites?

    Only matters if you sell beyond Australia. One thing to know first: Google says a domain ending such as .com.au only matters if you’re targeting users in a specific country, and even then it’s usually a low-impact signal.

  7. How long have you been in business?

    Longevity on its own proves little. Put it beside the references from the first question.

  8. How can I expect to communicate with you? Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site, and provide detailed information about your recommendations and the reasoning behind them?

    Google is firm on this one. If an SEO has FTP access to your server (direct access to the files on it), they should be willing to explain every change. And ultimately, Google says, you are responsible for the actions of any company you hire.

    Ask for a written change log, every month.

Questions about their tools and their advice

Google’s page adds a second set of checks, about where an agency’s recommendations come from:

  • Do they cite official Google documentation as supporting evidence for their recommendations?
  • If they offer advice on AI experiences (sold as “AEO” or “GEO”), is it in line with Google’s official guidance on optimising for generative AI features?
  • Do the tools they use line up with Google’s guidance?

Google doesn’t evaluate or endorse third-party SEO tools, and it says to be wary of tools that claim to be “acceptable” or “approved” by Google Search. Any predictions a tool makes are its own and, like predictions generally, may not happen.

“Google approved” is a claim Google itself tells you to doubt.

Before you hand over access

If an SEO offers to audit your site first, Google’s advice is to consider carefully what’s involved and to grant only read access to Search Console at that stage, not write access. Search Console has several levels for this: owners have full control, full users can view all data and take some actions, and restricted users have simple view rights on most data.

Who should hold which account, and how to take access back at the end, is set out in SEO contracts and ownership.

The questions they should ask you

An interview is a two-way test. Google says your SEO should ask about:

  • What makes your business unique
  • Who your competitors are
  • How search results can help your business
  • How your customers find you

A pitch that arrives before any of these questions has been asked can’t have been written around your business.

Bring your own answers to these four. They make every later conversation shorter.