Hiring an SEO agency in 2026 is a strategic decision: organic search can be the channel with the best cost per lead — or a monthly fee with no results. This guide shows how to choose carefully, what to ask and how My Help handles technical and local SEO for businesses wherever they are.
Why choosing well matters
Poorly executed SEO wastes time and money: artificial links, shallow content, promises of “#1 in 7 days”. A good agency explains what it will do, how long it will take and how to measure it. Whether you want a local agency or remote support, the criteria are the same.
Before comparing prices, compare processes. SEO is ongoing work on a website that needs to be technically healthy — see our guide on SEO KPIs and ROI.
7 criteria for evaluating an SEO agency
1. An audit before the proposal
Be wary of a fixed quote given without looking at your URL. A serious agency analyzes indexing, speed, mobile, crawl errors and competition for the keywords that matter to your business.
2. Transparency in the monthly scope
The retainer should list deliverables: how many optimized pages, articles, Google Business Profile adjustments, reports. “Full SEO” with no detail is a red flag.
3. Local SEO experience
If you serve customers by city, the agency needs to master the Google Business Profile, location pages and consistent NAP. See NAP consistency for what that involves.
4. Case studies with metrics
Search Console screenshots, growth in impressions/clicks, rankings for relevant terms — not just “we grew 500%” with no context. Projects such as platforms and marketplaces demonstrate technical capability.
5. A well-built website of its own
An agency selling SEO needs to demonstrate it on its own website: performance, blog, structure, schema. Also check whether it offers website design with foundational SEO when the client does not yet have an online presence.
6. Realistic timelines
Technical fixes can show in weeks; competitive rankings take months. A promise of guaranteed results within days is a warning sign.
7. Ownership and access
You should be an admin of Search Console, Analytics, the domain and the Google Business Profile. The agency works with you; it does not hold your assets hostage.
Questions to ask in the first conversation
- Which keywords will we prioritize in the first 90 days?
- Does the website need fixes before link building?
- How do you handle the Google Business Profile and reviews?
- How many articles or landing pages per month are in the plan?
- What does the monthly report look like (metrics and next steps)?
- Is there a minimum contract period? What happens if I cancel?
Red flags: run if you hear this
- “We guarantee first place on Google”
- “A thousand backlinks for next to nothing”
- No access to your Search Console
- Reports with only “rankings” and no traffic or conversions
- They ignore mobile and site speed
Local or remote agency?
For SEO, what matters is competence and communication — not the postcode. My Help works with businesses in any city through a 100% online process. Many companies hire website + SEO from the same partner.
Next step
List your five main keywords, send us your website URL and ask for an initial audit. Compare two or three proposals with a written scope. Good SEO is a medium-term partnership — choose the one that explains the path clearly.
Read also: what an SEO consultant does and local SEO vs Google Ads.