How to choose an SEO agency: 10 questions and a calculation
Short answer: choose an SEO agency that can explain how the work will lead to more enquiries, that gives you insight into what is being done, and that does not promise rankings. With the right questions and a simple calculation, you can judge this before the first meeting.
This guide is written for you if you run a smaller business and need to choose an SEO agency. It helps you compare agencies on what matters, work out what the work needs to deliver and prepare for the meeting.
What you’ll get from this article
Three things to look at extra carefully
None of the points below automatically means the agency is the wrong choice. But each one needs a good explanation, and you should understand the answer before you sign.
1. Promises about rankings. No one can guarantee a specific position in Google, and Google says so itself in its guidance on hiring SEO help. Ask what the promise is based on and which keywords it covers. A promise of first place for a keyword that few buyers use is easy to keep but gives you little.
2. Links sold in packages. “A set number of links per month” can mean anything from serious PR work to bought links from sites that only exist to sell links. Ask for examples of where the links come from and how they are chosen.
3. Ownership and insight. Search Console, Analytics and the website should be registered to your business, and you should be able to see what is being done. If the agency wants to own the accounts, ask why and what happens to them if you stop working together.
Do the maths before you compare prices
A lower monthly fee is only cheaper if the work delivers just as much. So start by working out how many additional enquiries the SEO work needs to create to cover its cost.
The formula: contribution margin per deal × share of enquiries that become deals = expected contribution margin per enquiry.
Example (made-up company and assumed numbers): A roofing company has an average job value of €11,000 and a contribution margin of 30%, which is €3,300 per deal. Roughly one in four enquiries turns into a job. Each enquiry is then worth about €825 in contribution margin on average.
If the SEO work costs €1,100 a month, it needs to create about 1.3 enquiries a month on top of those the company already gets for the contribution margin to match the cost. What is left over then has to cover the company’s other costs before it becomes profit.
Run the numbers for your business
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An average. Close rate and order value vary from month to month, so it is worth calculating over a full year.
The numbers are averages. Close rate and order value vary between months, and SEO rarely has its full effect straight away, so calculate over a longer period than one month. Use your own figures and the same approach you would use in an ordinary budget.
With the calculation in hand, you can ask the agency a better question: “How many more enquiries do you need to create for this to pay off, and how will we see whether it is happening?”
Would you like us to run the numbers with you?
We go through the calculation and your Search Console together with you.
Ten questions for the agency
| Question | Strong answer | Weak answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How will we see whether the work brings more customers? | Enquiries, calls and forms linked to their source | Only rankings and traffic |
| 2. What do you do in the first 30 days? | An analysis and a plan based on it | A standard package that looks the same for everyone |
| 3. Which searches should we focus on? | Searches with buying intent, backed by data | The biggest keywords in the industry, regardless of intent |
| 4. Who does the work, and who is responsible? | Clear responsibility, even when subcontractors are involved | Unclear who does what and who you contact |
| 5. Who owns the accounts? | You, from day one | The agency, with no clear reason |
| 6. What happens if we stop? | The work stays on your website and in your accounts | Pages, links or data disappear |
| 7. How do you work with local SEO? | Google Business Profile, reviews and relevant pages for the areas you serve | Local visibility is not mentioned |
| 8. How long will it take? | A timeline per action and an honest view of the uncertainty | Promises of quick results |
| 9. What do we need to do ourselves? | A concrete list: material, approvals, reviews | “Nothing” |
| 10. Can we see an example of a report? | A report with conclusions and next steps | Charts with no explanation |
What a good answer to question 10 can look like. A useful report compares the current period with earlier ones and shows where things will land if the pace holds. In a client report in Tokig Insights, for example, this year’s sign-ups are shown next to the client’s two previous campaigns, together with a projection of where the pace will end up. You can see straight away whether the work is delivering more than before, not just that something is happening.
What most agencies don’t tell you
The first page is a milestone, not the goal. There are plenty of searches where you can rank highly without it bringing in a single customer. The goal is visibility in the searches buyers make before they get in touch, even when the volume is small.
More text is not always the answer. Sometimes content is missing, and then it is right to start there. Just as often, existing pages are unclear, overlap each other or cannot be indexed. The analysis should decide the order.
Technical errors can go unnoticed for a long time. An important page that has accidentally been blocked from indexing works as normal for visitors who find it, but it cannot appear in Google’s search results. That is why the error is rarely noticed until someone looks for it. Problems like this are found by someone going through Search Console regularly.
Be sceptical of exact answers about AI search. Google says the same foundational SEO applies to its AI features. How other tools such as ChatGPT choose their sources is less well known. Anyone who claims to know exactly how every AI tool works should be able to show what that claim is based on.
How we work with SEO
- Measurement comes first. Before we change anything, we make sure calls and forms can be linked to their source, in Tokig Insights.
- Every page should have a clear topic and answer a clear need. That makes the website easier to understand for both visitors and search engines.
- A team that knows you, not a single contact person. Several of us work with each client, and the work, the numbers and the enquiries are in the same customer portal that you see yourself.
- You get a prioritised list, not a quote. The first review shows what we would do first and why.
Prepare before the meeting
- Work out your approximate contribution margin per enquiry
- Decide which services and areas matter most to you
- Make sure you have access to Search Console and Analytics, or know who does
- Think about what you can contribute yourself: material, photos and replies to reviews
Want to know where you stand before you choose an agency?
We go through your Search Console together with you and tell you which searches are realistic and what we would do first. You get a prioritised list, whether or not we end up working together.
Book a free SEO review or call +46 8 545 222 22, weekdays 08:00–17:00 (CET)
Frequently asked questions
How long does SEO take before it delivers results?
Technical fixes can show within a few weeks. New pages and local visibility usually take a few months, and how long depends on your starting point and the competition.
Do we need an agency in the same city?
No, but the agency needs to understand local search. It can be easier to follow up the work when you can meet in person, but it is not a requirement.
Responsible for marketing and SEO at Pixeltokig. Shavin works on how our clients show up in Google and in AI search, and makes sure every channel is measured in enquiries, not clicks.
Read next
Sources
- Google Search Central: Do you need an SEO?
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
- Google Search Central: Block Search indexing with noindex
- Google Search Central: Google’s guide to optimising for generative AI features on Google Search