Identifying a Reputable SEO Company: Key Indicators

With over 1 billion websites on the internet, you want to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to find your company online. The most common method those people use to find you is through a search engine — so you need to be at the top of your game with your SEO.

Your next best client can only find you if every page and every piece of content on your website is optimized for the exact words your potential customers use to search for businesses like yours. Without SEO, your company may not succeed regardless of the quality of your products and services. If customers cannot find you, they cannot make purchases.

Why choosing the right SEO company matters

Many organizations believe that they can handle their own SEO. But asking ChatGPT for a few keywords and slipping them into your site will result in your content being buried on page 10 of search results — or worse. According to the Conductor State of SEO in 2025, 91% of marketers say SEO positively impacted website goals and performance in 2024.

Effective SEO requires expertise, experience, and the right tools. An SEO company with those attributes can make it easy for potential customers to find your organization online, increase your website traffic, and let you focus your energy on building your business. Even more importantly, SEO companies provide data and analytics to help you make the best business and marketing decisions.

Knowing how to find trustworthy SEO agency is a key part of SEO success. However, it’s easy to choose the wrong company, and that can be a costly mistake in terms of money spent and lost potential business. Many businesses choose the cheapest agency. Others pick one based on lofty promises. It’s also easy to get lured in by flashy websites and advertising.

Understanding SEO company credentials

With many companies offering SEO services, it’s critical to find the team that meets your specific needs.

Here are five key factors to consider when researching vendors and looking for reputable SEO company signs:

• Proven track record & experience: You want a company that gets results for their clients through improved rankings and traffic. Look at each company’s website for case studies, and pay close attention to which agencies provide data on their results.
• Reviews & client testimonials: Check user reviews for each company at G2, Capterra, and co. Because occasional poor reviews happen to the best agencies, look for both positive and negative patterns in the reviews.
• Years in business & industry expertise: SEO often varies by industry, so look for an established firm that has experience working with clients in your specific industry. Because SEO began as a field in 1997, it’s possible to find an agency with decades of experience.
• Certifications & industry recognition: Ask potential agencies how many team members have certifications and what certifications they hold. Look for industry-recognized certifications, such as HubSpot, Semrush, Moz, Yoast, LinkedIn Learning, and eMarketing Institute.
• SEO awards: Top agencies often receive well-known awards and recognitions, such as US Search Awards, Search Engine Land Awards, and DesignRush Top 30 list.
• Retention rate & client longevity: Organizations stay with SEO agencies that deliver results. By looking at client retention rates, you can gauge client longevity and customer satisfaction.

Core SEO services to expect

While people often refer to it as a single service, SEO encompasses numerous different types of strategies. By first understanding what services your organization needs to achieve your SEO goals, you can look for a company that specializes and excels in that area.

• On-page SEO capabilities: This service ensures that all elements of each page of your website are optimized. This includes the URL, title tag, internal links, meta description, headings, images, mobile optimization, and page load speed.
• Keyword research & optimization: Search engines use both long-tail and short-tail keywords that are used in the page content as a factor when ranking pages. SEO agencies take over the time-consuming and complicated processes of determining which keywords to add to existing pages and new keywords to use in future content creation.

• Technical SEO & site structure: Search engines consider other elements in addition to keywords and links. SEO agencies evaluate and optimize technical factors, such as website load speed, mobile friendliness, crawlability, indexability, and SSL certificate. The agency can also ensure that your site uses a hierarchal structure with defined categories and subcategories.
• Off-page SEO strategies: Instead of focusing on internal content like on-page SEO, this service involves using link-building strategies to get backlinks from other reputable and authoritative sites as well as social media mentions.
• Digital PR: This umbrella term includes a wide range of services that affect SEO, such as content marketing, events, crisis communication, and influencer marketing.
• Brand mentions & outreach: By increasing the number of media outlets and associations that mention your brand, agencies can increase your website’s SEO rankings.
• Content development & optimization: Because creating content that drives SEO is often time consuming and requires specialized SEO writing skills, agencies often manage all aspects of content marketing, from ideation to development and optimization.

• Local SEO expertise: Small local businesses depend on customers in their area finding their online content. Agencies use specific local SEO strategies, including hyper-localized keywords, online reviews, and Name Address Phone Number consistency.
• Google Business Profile management: Because Google considers the Google Business Profiles into ranking websites, agencies focus on creating a robust profile that is accurate, has compelling descriptions, and includes relevant images.
• E-Commerce & enterprise SEO: An often-overlooked part of SEO, e-commerce typically brings significant traffic to websites, which improves their ranking. Agencies also focus on optimizing category and product pages for SEO purposes.

Transparent SEO Practices

SEO involves multiple approaches and processes. When researching SEO agencies, ask about the following practices to make sure they are a match for your needs and ethics.

White hat SEO vs. Black hat tactics

White hat SEO refers to agencies and organizations that use ethical SEO methods, such as appropriate keywords, technical SEO, and backlinks.

Other agencies use black hat SEO tactics, which are deceptive methods for trying to rank higher in searches. For example, an agency that puts large amounts of keywords into a page of content, which is referred to as keyword stuffing, is using black hat SEO. Other examples of black hat SEO include getting links from low-quality websites for backlinks and placing hidden links or text on the page. Agencies may also use content scraping, which is using content stolen from other sites to improve rankings.

However, search engines specifically look for these tactics. Not only do sites that use black hat SEO not improve their rankings, but they are also actively penalized in the rankings.

Additionally, black hat SEO creates a poor user experience with useless links and extraneous keywords, making it hard for people to find what they’re actually looking for on your site.

By hiring an agency that only utilizes white hat methods, you can increase your rankings and make it easy for your potential customers to find you.

Reporting & communication

Once you hire an agency, you’ll want to know their progress and results. The last thing you want is for an agency to go away to work on your site and not contact you for six months.

Talk to potential agencies about the type of communication to expect and how often you will hear from then. You should also ask about their reporting process and what you will receive. Be sure to compare communications practices between agencies on your short list.

SEO audit & progress reports

Agencies often start a relationship with a new client with an SEO audit, which is a solid first step. During the audit, the agency analyses the ranking of each of the pages on search engine results pages (SERPs).

An audit shows the current state of your SEO, and you can then work with the agency to create a plan to reach your goals. Ask agencies if an audit is part of their services, if there are any extra charges, and how regularly you will receive progress reports.

KPIs & metrics to track

The site audit often reveals the status of key performance indicators (KPIs) to track throughout the SEO process. While many people focus solely on ranking, KPIs measure your progress in areas that contribute to your ranking and help move you up the page.

Here are 5 KPIs to watch:

• Organic traffic: The number of visitors who land on your site or a specific page from search engines — not from ads. This provides a solid picture into SEO results when compared with previous traffic.
• Bounce rate: This metric shows how many people look at one page on your site and then leave, which demonstrates a lack of interest.
• Keyword rankings: The web page ranking for specific targeted keywords, which shows progress toward increasing ranking.
• Site speed: This calculates the average time it takes for a page to load, which impacts rankings as well as user experience.
• Referring domains: This metrics tells you how people are landing on your page, such as which backlinks or search engine, and provides insight into which strategies are working.

Pricing & contract considerations

Now to the big question: How much does it cost?

Search Engine Land reported that the most common monthly budget for SEO services with an agency range from $500 to $5,000. However, agencies often work with their customers to create a package of services based on their needs and budget.

The most common pricing model for agencies is a monthly retainer, according to Ahrefs, with78.2% of agencies using this model. This means that an organization pays a set amount each month for continued SEO services.

Another option is project based, which businesses often choose when first starting their SEO journey. For example, an organization may hire an agency for keyword research and optimization for specific low-performing page. Many companies start working with an agency on a specific project and then move to a retainer model.

When talking money with an agency, be sure to ask about contract terms and exit clauses. Some agencies have strict contracts for set periods of time, while others offer more flexibility. While it’s tempting to start with a short-term contract, this often does not give the agency enough time to deliver the desired results.

Client success & long-term results

Everyone wants results fast. But that’s not how SEO works. Successful SEO is a long-term game.

If you hire an agency expecting to see a big ranking jump next week, you will almost certainly be disappointed. According to Ahrefs, SEO results typically take at least three to six months to start showing.

Typically, at three months organizations may begin to see positive movement in KPIs that lead to improved rankings. Often by six months, companies begin to see increased traffic and improved rankings. Most agencies don’t adjust their plans based on performance until this mark. By 12 months, businesses often see significant improvement from their continued and consistent efforts.

How to Make the Right Choice

Now you are ready to create a short list of agencies to meet with to see if they’re a match. Next review the qualities of a good SEO agency we’ve discussed to see which meet those requirements.

It’s important not to simply hire the agency with the best reviews or the most ads. Instead, find an agency that understands your business needs and feel like a partner to your business.

During your meetings with the agencies, focus the discussion on your business goals.

Ask detailed questions about their SEO strategy and their experience with companies with similar goals. Agencies with a strategy that aligns with your business goals are more likely to be a better fit and deliver results.

Be wary of agencies that are not focused on learning about your business and your future plans.

During the conversations, keep an eye out for the following red flags.

• Guaranteed rankings promises: If an agency claims that they can land you on the first page of a SERP, you should strongly consider not hiring them. Because the search engine algorithms are constantly changing and user behavior isn’t guaranteed, even exceptional agencies cannot always land a client on the first page. Also, these claims overlook an important point: It’s easy to rank high on low-volume keywords, which means even a top ranking often doesn’t translate into increased traffic.
• Lack of transparency regarding their methods: Agencies should be able to explain in detail their SEO strategy and techniques. If they do not provide details, they are typically either using black hat methods or do not have the expertise to gain results.
• Overuse of automated or AI-generated content: While AI-generated content may initially seem like an affordable way to increase content creation, many search engines penalize pages for AI content. Additionally, the end results do not speak to your specific audience and help build trust in the same way original content does.

Moving forward with an SEO agency

Selecting the right SEO agency is a critical decision in the future of your company. The companies that see the most success with SEO agencies carefully research those companies and select one with the experience, expertise, and techniques that match their own business needs and goals.