12 Questions to Ask an SEO Agency, With Proof to Check
Twelve questions to ask an SEO agency before you sign, the proof to ask for in Search Console or the contract, and our own answers to all twelve.
Elmrank editorial6 min readLast reviewed
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On September 30, someone asked r/SEO "What to look for when hiring a new SEO(?) agency in today's time?" and added: "So much has happened in last one year that I feel I don't know what's required and what's good to have anymore." The top reply, at 6 points when we read it, answered with a list of questions about the asker, starting "First of all, can you describe yourself?" Another said to ask for "examples of deliverables and outputs from tech audits, competitor analysis, reporting." This page builds on that second idea: every question below comes with something you can check yourself, in Search Console, the contract or your own accounts.
The 12 questions, and the proof to ask for
Google's page "Do you need an SEO?" has its own interview list, including "What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?" We kept Google's questions where they fit and added the proof for each.
1. Can you show me results in Search Console?
Search Console is Google's own count of clicks and impressions. Traffic graphs from third-party SEO tools are estimates.
Proof to see: the Performance report for a site they worked on, with the date range visible and the period before they started included.
2. What access do you need, and who stays the owner?
Google's advice for the audit stage is to "only grant read access to Search Console (at this stage, don't grant them write access)." Later the agency may need more, but you should stay the owner. Search Console's help page says "You can grant permissions to other users only if you are a property owner."
Proof to see: Settings, then Users and permissions, in your Search Console, with you listed as Owner.
3. What exactly do I get each month?
"Content and optimization" isn't an answer. You want a count: articles, pages, technical fixes, hours.
Proof to see: the number written in the proposal or contract, and the first month's report showing it was delivered.
4. Will you tell me about every change you make to my site?
This one is Google's, nearly word for word: "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?"
Proof to see: a change log, or the history of commits if your site lives in a code repository.
5. Who writes the content, and who checks it?
If an agency uses AI for drafts, that isn't a problem by itself. Google's guidance on generative AI says "It is critical to manually factcheck and review all AI-generated content for accuracy and trustworthiness before publishing."
Proof to see: the process in writing, including who approves an article before it goes live.
6. What goes in the monthly report?
A useful report says what was done and what Search Console shows. Rankings for a list of keywords the agency picked can look good while clicks fall.
Proof to see: a sample report, with clicks and impressions taken from Search Console.
7. What results do you expect, by when, and measured how?
This is the Google question quoted above. A good answer has a metric, a date and a source for the number.
Proof to see: those three things in writing. "You'll see movement in 3 to 6 months" without a metric doesn't count.
8. What happens if the results don't come?
Some agencies offer a guarantee, some don't. Either is fine if it's clear.
Proof to see: the guarantee clause, with the metric, the period and every condition attached to it.
9. How long is the contract, and how do I leave?
Proof to see: the minimum term, the notice period and any early termination fee, in the contract.
10. Who owns the content, the code and the domain?
If the agency registers your domain in its own name, leaving gets harder.
Proof to see: your registrar account showing you as the registrant, and an ownership clause covering content and code.
11. Do you build links or buy placements?
Google's page is blunt: "You should never have to link to an SEO." Its spam policies treat links made to manipulate rankings as link spam, including "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes."
Proof to see: a list of every link or placement bought on your behalf, with the site and the price.
12. How fast do you reply, and who will I talk to?
Google's list asks "How can I expect to communicate with you?"
Proof to see: a response time in the contract or terms, and a named way to reach them.
Our answers to all twelve
We'd ask any agency to fill in this table, so here's ours. Everything in the right-hand column is a page or an account you can open.
| # | Our answer | Where you check it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Results | Daily Search Console data for three sites we run, including the two whose clicks are down. Their domains aren't public, so you can't open them yourself; weigh that | Use cases |
| 2. Access | We need Search Console, your domain account and your repo. You stay the owner and add us as a user | Search Console, Users and permissions |
| 3. Each month | First month, $500: audit, technical fixes, site design, content plan. Then $300 a month: up to 30 articles, ongoing technical fixes, hosting, the domain, maintenance | Terms, pricing |
| 4. Changes | The code and content live in your repo, so every change is in its history | Your repo |
| 5. Content | AI drafts, our pipeline researches and fact-checks, and a person approves every article before it's published | Terms |
| 6. Report | What we published, what we fixed, and your Search Console clicks and impressions | The first monthly report |
| 7. Results | We promise no ranking. On our own sites the first 100-click day came 5 to 36 days after the first click | How long SEO takes |
| 8. Guarantee | If your Google clicks haven't grown after 6 paid months compared with your first month, we refund you. Conditions: 6 months in a row, Search Console shared, our content left up | Terms |
| 9. Contract | No minimum. Cancel by email; it takes effect at the end of the month you've paid for | Terms |
| 10. Ownership | Code and content are yours and stay in your repo. The domain is registered in your name; we transfer it on request. Hosting stops when the plan ends | Terms, your registrar |
| 11. Links | The plan doesn't include link building | Terms |
| 12. Replies | Email replies within 12 hours, at [email protected] | Terms |
Where our answers are weaker
Google's list also asks "What's your experience in my industry?" and "How long have you been in business?" Our three sites are a manhwa and anime guide site, a game news site and a trading card game site, all publishers. If you run a local service business or an online store, we haven't shown results in your industry, and our own sites' Search Console data starts in April 2026.
One reply in the same r/SEO thread, at 3 points, argued for skipping agencies altogether: "Skip SEO agencies and hire one good, employed SEO professional. I've worked in SEO agencies before, and they charge clients proportionately insane amounts of money." The original poster replied: "Employing is not a problem. Self motivated team members are rarer than diamonds." Both have a point. If you can find and keep that person, they'll learn your business in a way an outside agency rarely does. The cost side is easy to check: our in-house SEO vs agency post puts a U.S. hire next to agency prices, and our plan is $300 a month after the first. The SEO content service page lists the rest.
How we know this
Written by Elmrank editorial. Every source below was read on the date shown; the page was last reviewed on Oct 14, 2026.
- Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?, accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Search Console Help, Managing owners, users, and permissions, accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Search Console Help, Performance report (Search results), accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Google Search Central, Guidance on using generative AI content on your website, accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Google Search Central, Spam policies: link spam, accessed Oct 14, 2026
- r/SEO, What to look for when hiring a new SEO(?) agency in today's time? (comments by u/WebLinkr, u/WxMan2201, u/saudtf, u/Only_Standard_8354), accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Elmrank, Terms of Service, accessed Oct 14, 2026
Email us your site.
We reply within 12 hours with what we'd fix first. Then we run it for you, technical SEO and content: $500 for the first month, then $300 a month for up to 30 articles. You don't need any technical knowledge, and you can cancel any time.