11 Pro Tips What You Should Ask While Buying SEO

Reading Time: 11 minutes

Once you buy SEO services, you probably have many questions you’d like to ask the consultant.

But what questions should you ask? And even better—how do you know if the answers are up-to-date? This is a very pertinent question, especially if you aren’t very familiar with the industry, but you need advertising.

Don’t worry, you are not the only one in this situation.

When I talk to my clients, I come to one conclusion. I notice that many questions are repetitive, but there is always a bomb that catches me off guard. But that’s a good one; it gives me a feeling of permanent learning.

In this post, I’ll help you prepare your questions and gain the knowledge that is crucial at the stage of choosing SEO for your company.

Without further ado—let’s move on.

1/ What SEO Business Model Can We Work On?

Collaboration based on the organic growth of your site offers many options. However, I agree with most specialists— not every client can be offered every business model. Here’s an example.

One of the more popular models is performance-based billing. The agency does the work, and you pay them for specific positions achieved. The agency takes a significant risk—if Google changes its algorithm, or the client’s site doesn’t perform well, the agency doesn’t earn. However, it works both ways. Nevertheless, if your site is entirely new on the internet, this model won’t be feasible. Ranking it will take considerable time, and the agency might not earn anything for several months. It won’t be the best option for either of you.

Similarly, if an agency, without thorough analysis, proposes a fixed-monthly payment model, you won’t be satisfied either.

The fairest model, which I personally propose to my clients, is the hybrid model. If you ask me—I’m a huge fan of it, this model. What is it about?

The hybrid model consists of two parts: a fixed fee and a performance-based fee. As a client, you pay a certain amount monthly (e.g., 1/5 of the total), and the remaining 4/5 depends on the results.

Example: if the entire budget is about $10,000 per month, you pay $2,000 monthly as a fixed fee, and the remaining $8,000 is paid only when the results are achieved.

And what does ‘results’ mean?

Results depend on your needs, your business, and seasonality. They can include:

• Organic growth
• Increase in sessions
• Higher website traffic
• Number of purchased items

And a few more.

Of course, there are many business models. You can learn more by reading this article: 10 SEO Business Models Your Agency Must Know.

2/ Can You Guarantee #1 Ranking on Google?

One of the most frequently asked questions. And surprisingly, the answer often given is… yes, we can. Unfortunately, this is just a lie. Let me explain.

No agency can directly control the results in Google, so they cannot guarantee them. If an agency promises results, they are exploiting your lack of knowledge. It’s not good.

The only reasonable answer to this question is: no. Of course, no one wants to miss out on a sales opportunity, so this needs to be explained. I agree that there are clients for whom the best SEO business model is a fixed payment, regardless of the results. The client wants certain XYZ actions performed every month and pays for that. I have a few clients on this model, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It is good for both sides when you do excellent work and the client gets the right results. That is, ultimately, the key.

Although SEO results can’t be guaranteed, you can achieve them. Focus on a holistic approach to SEO, and you will quickly increase your clients’ website visibility.

3/ Can I Terminate the Contract at Any Time If There Are No Results?

Most agencies allow this. However, there are consequences that are not easy to deal with.

From your experience, you likely know that contracts often have penalties. You can terminate the contract, but you may have to pay, for example, six times the monthly fee. You might be able to negotiate with the company, but if they’re big, they won’t meet you halfway.

What I suggest to my clients is an open-ended contract with a three-month notice period. 

For instance, if we sign the contract in January, terminating the contract (even in the same month) means you are free by the end of April. Simple, clear, and reciprocal. And it’s not counterproductive. I have been in this industry for nearly two decades, and none of my clients has wanted to terminate the contract (luckily, phew).

So, what do I recommend? Enter into a partnership, not just a client-company deal. If an agency contract says, “we want to rip you off,” choose a better agency. There are plenty on the market.

4/ How Will SEO Integrate with Our Overall Marketing Strategy?

Let’s face it; solely relying on SEO, in many cases, won’t pass the exam. What about writing content, blogging, link-building, or even media buying?

Nowadays, 70% (and even more) of SEO results come from on-site activities, with less than 30% being off-site. Therefore, content is king, and this is why.

The most adequate solution is a holistic marketing plan of action. It is divided into categories, months, and suggested budget.

Of course, there will be clients who say, “I just need and want search engine optimization, and that’s it.” If this is a knowledgeable and experienced client, there’s no way to over-negotiate it. If you try, you’ll most likely lose that client.

Nevertheless, if you represent an experienced and knowledgeable agency, propose a comprehensive solution to the client.

Divide your plan of action into four modules:

1. Social Media
2. Media Buying
3. Content Marketing
4. Search Engine Optimization

Advantages? Higher sales and a faster way to gain the desired results. Disadvantages? Your client might reject the comprehensive plan. No worries, adjust it to your client’s needs.

However, suggest a solution that will translate into results and allow both parties to profit.

5/ How Much Does SEO Cost?

The cost of marketing services never has a straightforward answer. However, there is a solution.

A package can be identical for two clients: the same services, the same number of keywords in the plan, and a similar number of characters per article. For one client, the price might be $20,000 per month, and for another, $1,000.

Simon, what the heck?

—> Client no. 1: a real estate company targeting customers across all of New York City.

—> Client no. 2: a dentist working in one district of NYC.

Makes a difference, huh?

The price is heavily dependent on the industry, competition, domain history, website content, number of keywords, and many other factors. But let’s get down to business.

To ensure you feel confident in choosing the right price, a digital marketing agency should:

• Prepare an in-depth SEO strategy for you
• Ask you as many questions as necessary
• Adjust the marketing strategy based on your business
• Understand your business and find the right counterpart in their portfolio
• Compare your website and plans with your actual competition in the market

By covering the above matters, I guarantee that you’ll understand what you’re paying for.

The strategy doesn’t have to be ideal, and 100-page long, but adequate for your company and situation.

6/ How Do You Track and Report Progress?

Asking about tracking performance and delivering reports is one of the more important questions. It may not be crucial for decision-making, but it is essential to ask.

Depending on the range of services offered by your agency (e.g., media buying, organic growth, expansion on LinkedIn, etc.), you will receive several reports. Alternatively, you might get one consolidated report, but these are usually harder to read and are generally more run-of-the-mill.

Personally, if I’m providing a comprehensive solution for my client, I prepare several reports for them, but not too many. Typically, this amounts to 3–4 reports.

I generate them from or in:

• SEO tools: Senuto or Surfer (if in Europe, then Senuto; if beyond or just the US, then Surfer)
• Google Analytics & Google Search Console (GSC) (and modify them in Google Sheets & Canva)
• Looker Studio (depends on the client)
• Google Sheets (mostly for LinkedIn)

With such a set of tools, you can be sure that your client will be pleased. If you also take care of the visual aspect, the job will be superbly done.

Moreover, I recommend agreeing on the reporting frequency with the client. Some (the busier ones) prefer receiving emails once a month, which is fair enough and not a problem. Some of my clients want to receive emails every week, while others prefer to receive them twice a month.

If you want to be a client-oriented agency, clarify the communication channel. Usually, clients prefer email. However, this is also changing. With some clients, I have groups set up on Skype, with others, I only text through WhatsApp, and certain clients prefer communication exclusively through LinkedIn.

The more opportunities you create, the better your business will thrive.

P.S. If you want to find out why Senuto can be your next all-in-one SEO tool, dive into my newest review: Senuto Review: Why This Should Be Your Next SEO Tool?

7/ Case Studies and References

After brining up the basic questions (which classify the agency as an expert or not), it’s time for specific inquiries.

Who do you work with, and how?

If you’re working with an agency or freelancer who has been in the industry for several years, this question shouldn’t be a problem. You could ask: “Wow, and what about GDPR?” GDPR is just an excuse. If you hear from an agency that they can’t showcase any clients, they simply aren’t an adequate partner. I’m not saying that all their clients need to be displayed on their website. Absolutely not. However, having a portfolio of a few clients in various industries is essential.

Another issue that arises is: what if the SEO agency has too many clients in your industry?

There are a few solutions to this.

If the agency is performing standard SEO for, say, 10 clients in your industry, you’ll naturally be the 11th. There are only 10 spots on the first page of Google. By necessity, someone will be out of the rankings.

On the other hand, the agency might work with several companies in your industry, but they could be providing entirely different services for them. For instance, they might manage LinkedIn for one client, handle media buying on TikTok for another, and do SEO for the last one. The industry is the same (let’s say e-commerce with fashionable clothes), but their forms of advertising do not conflict with each other.

Asking for references might seem awkward, but don’t hesitate to ask. The better the portfolio, the greater the confidence that your cooperation will be profitable (for both of you).

8/ Content Creation and Optimization: How Do you Optimize Content for SEO?

Normally, this question wouldn’t be particularly important, but nowadays, in the era of AI, it serves as a reference point.

It’s unavoidable that SEO agencies (like the rest of the world, in any industry) create content using AI. However, there’s a difference between an agency creating full content; from A to Z with AI, and when it’s just used as an aid.

If you have any experience with copywriting, you could probably recognize AI-generated text after just two sentences. Google works similarly. Google’s algorithms don’t favor texts written through AI. They’re easy to recognize, often not substantive, and sound… like a robot. That’s why websites that mainly have content created through ChatGPT will never rank high in search results.

Moreover, creating content using artificial intelligence significantly harms your reputation. People want to read expert posts, texts that sell, where you think while reading, “damn, I need to know more!” Otherwise, why should people read your (potentially, your) blog when they could find, literally, the same text in ChatGPT? Doesn’t make sense, right?

I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite; I admit that sometimes I do use AI suggestions. However, these are very rare cases, especially when I’m creating content for a client in a very technical field (like creating a technology tree for single-operation systems…) and need answers to one or two questions. Or when I need suggestions on how to write H3, H4 headlines for a blog post in that same field. That’s it. So, writing content using AI serves as support, not the standard.

Getting back to the main point—ask the agency you’re talking to what their plan is for developing your website’s content. The answer will give you a better picture on how the cooperation will look.

9/ Keyword Research: How Do You Conduct Keyword Research?

This question has an interesting aspect in that the specific process of choosing keywords is not the most critical part. What is crucial, however, is relevance. The keywords should be:

• Frequently searched
• Relevant to the industry
• Reflective of your products
• Capable of generating organic traffic
• Focused on the most important products/services for you

Of course, if you already have experience in selecting keywords, you can suggest your own solutions. Providing direction is important.

I once had a situation where a client asked me to select 25 keywords. It was for the manufacturing industry, a very technical and challenging sector, but also very profitable. I prepared 25 keywords. The client found them unsuitable, so we moved forward. Using Senuto, I prepared another 25 phrases, but they also turned out to be inadequate. This was all done for free. Only after the second attempt did the client mention that they wanted to focus… on product keywords that they planned to introduce on the website within a few months. This is why good communication is key. That was the first and last time such a communication error occurred.

Therefore, establish the appropriate steps with the agency, provide them with all necessary information, and then focus on relevant keywords.

10/ Competitor Analysis: How Do You Analyze Competitors’ SEO Strategies?

I love the question about competition. If you’re talking to a client who knows their industry well, they’ll lay all the cards on the table for you.

By asking about the competition, you can learn what works and what doesn’t. This allows you to conduct a relevant audit and even suggest a better solution to your client than what was originally planned.

Once, while discussing with a client in the CNC machine industry, we prepared a plan for local SEO and a Google Ads campaign. The plan seemed great. However, the client provided me with examples of three companies in his industry. After conducting a meticulous audit, I found out that our initial strategy wouldn’t work.

There was too much competition and too little budget for paid campaigns. The client’s provision of relevant competitors was crucial.

After consulting with the client, we both concluded that the initial strategy wouldn’t be effective. We decided to focus solely on building organic traffic. The client planned to increase the budget within the next three months and revisit the topic one.

Nosy people might say: you lost a sale. My response is: I lost a short-term sale, but I gained a loyal client for years. How often have you told a client: dear client, with this budget, it won’t work because of XYZ. Due to this analysis, we must increase the budget to X dollars per month. If you don’t have that money; no problem. Let’s put it aside, and once you’re ready, we’ll get back to this topic. This is an answer that every experienced business partner will greatly appreciate.

11/ Team Structure and Expertise: Who Will Be Working on Our Account?

Everyone likes to work with good people. Do you know who you’ll be working with? If not (and rather that’s the point of asking it), it’s worth asking.

My clients almost always ask me about my experience, plans for the company, number of clients, most profitable clients (hehe), and more. I completely understand and always answer willingly.

Your clients want to feel like they’re working with people who’ll use their money wisely. That’s why it’s essential, as an employee (or agency owner), to be particularly well-prepared and knowledgeable. And if you don’t know something, you should know how to find the answer.

Additionally, you can impress your client. How and why? Every agency has its weaknesses. If a client asks you about an area where you’re not the strongest—be honest about it. Especially if you know you might not be able to deliver success for the client.

For instance:

We’re discussing collaboration on Google Ads and SEO. You know, I’ll admit, when it comes to building organic traffic, there’s probably no company that can do it better than us. We have our own resources, specialists with over 5 years of experience, and effective practices. However, for Google Ads, I know there are companies that can do it better. In your budget and your industry, we may not achieve the desired results. However, with organic traffic, we see potential right from the first month of working together. Would you like a contact for a media buying agency? We know the right people.

Wow, that’s the impressive answer, isn’t it?

That’s why asking about the right people on the team always makes good business sense.

And if you want to know how to find the right people (for any project), use the right outreach tool for that. Here’s more information: Apollo.io Review: The Best Outreach Tool on the Market.

Now you know the 11 pro tips what you should ask while buying SEO.

Would you ask something I didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments! I’d be glad to write another post!

P.S. If you enjoyed enough this post, I’d be thankful if you want to drink a coffee with, supporting this blog! 😉

Find the link below! 👇

Thank you for reading and contributing,

Simon

Author Profile

Simon Gorlak

Simon Gorlak is a Digital Marketing Expert with over 8 years of experience. He specializes in 3 areas: SEO, Lead Generation on LinkedIn, and Email Marketing. Simon's blog gathers knowledge that helps Marketers & C-level to increase profits from their online businesses. Also, his content helps to reach the most difficult customers, make others' content to be read & purchased. Besides digital marketing, Simon speaks 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish & works as a Head of Business at an Indian Start-up.

Latest entries

• October 15, 2024Social Media Tools9 Best Strategies to Generate B2B Leads on LinkedIn
• September 17, 2024Email MarketingEmail Marketing: The Most Comprehensive Guide (+ Tips)
• September 13, 2024SEO for Business6 Key Elements of an Effective SEO Product Description
• September 9, 2024SEO for Business5 Expert Tips on How to Double Traffic with Graphics