How to choose an SEO agency, with Google's own questions

Updated Oct 7, 2026.

Google publishes its own advice on hiring someone to do SEO. It covers when you need help, what to ask an agency and which promises to walk away from (Google Search Central).

Do you need an agency?

Google says that if you run a small local business, “you can probably do much of the work yourself”, and suggests starting with its SEO Starter Guide. Knowing the basics also helps you notice if an agency wants to use a technique Google discourages.

If you do hire, Google says a good time is when you’re planning a site redesign or a new site, “the earlier, the better”, though a good SEO can also improve a site you already have.

Paying Google for ads doesn’t change where you appear in its regular results. Google says it “never accepts money to include or rank sites in our search results”.

Questions Google suggests asking

• “Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?”
• “Do you follow the Google Search Essentials (previously known as Webmaster Guidelines)?”
• “What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?”
• “What’s your experience in my industry?”
• “What’s your experience in my country/city?”
• “How long have you been in business?”
• “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 also suggests asking past clients whether the agency was useful and easy to work with, and looking for an agency that asks you what makes your business unique, who your competitors are and how your customers find you.

If an agency offers an audit, Google says to give it read access to Search Console only, not write access, and to expect realistic estimates of the improvement and the work involved. It adds that it “doesn’t evaluate or endorse third-party SEO tools, and these tools don’t have access to Google’s internal ranking data.”

When to walk away

Google’s warning signs include:

• a promise of first place in search results. In Google’s words, “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google”;
• a claimed “special relationship” with Google, or a “priority submit”;
• an email out of the blue offering SEO;
• an agency that’s secretive or won’t clearly explain what it intends to do;
• any requirement to link to the agency: “You should never have to link to an SEO”;
• talk of link popularity schemes or submitting your site to thousands of search engines.

Google also reminds site owners that “you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire”. We don’t list an agency that promises rankings.

Sources

• Google Search Central: Do you need an SEO?, last updated June 5, 2026, checked October 7, 2026