To choose a good SEO company, look past the promises and at how they work. A good one will explain what they’d change on your site and why, show you real results from comparable clients, report on enquiries and sales as well as rankings, keep your accounts and data in your name, and be honest that SEO takes months. Be wary of anyone who guarantees rankings, won’t say how they build links or locks you into a long contract before you’ve seen any work.
That’s the checklist in short. The rest of this guide explains each point, because by the time you’ve had three pitch meetings, every agency will have told you they’re data-driven and tailored.
What a good SEO company actually does
It’s easier to judge proposals once you know what the work looks like. Say you run an accountancy practice in Richmond and you want more enquiries from small business owners across South West London. A competent SEO company would usually work through four things.
Research. Which searches do your potential clients actually use? “Accountant for limited company Richmond” and “small business accountant Twickenham” are worth more to you than “accounting”, which is mostly students. They’ll also look at who already ranks for those searches and why.
Fixing the site. A technical check for anything stopping Google crawling and indexing your pages, slow pages, broken links and missing titles. Then the on-page work: making sure each service has a page that answers what people searching for it want to know. Our guide to on-page and off-page SEO explains the difference.
Building authority. Your Google Business Profile, reviews, local directories and genuine links from other sites, such as a local business association or a guest article in a trade publication.
Measuring and adjusting. A monthly report that shows what was done, what moved and what’s next, tied to enquiries rather than rankings alone.
What to look for in an SEO company
Most agencies say the same things in their proposals, so look for evidence instead.
- Results you can check. Case studies with named clients and specific numbers, ideally in a business similar to yours. “We increased traffic for a leading brand” is not a case study.
- A plan that’s specific to you. If the proposal could be sent to any business by changing the name, it probably was.
- Technical and content skills in the same team. Many SEO problems sit in the website itself. An agency that can fix the site, write the pages and build the authority saves you managing three suppliers.
- Reporting that talks about money. Rankings and traffic are useful signals. What you need to know is whether enquiries went up.
- Someone you’ll actually work with. Meet the person who’ll run your account, as well as the person selling it.
Questions to ask an SEO agency before hiring
These questions tend to separate good agencies from the rest. A good answer is specific and comes without hesitation.
- What would you change on our site first, and why? A good agency will have looked before the meeting.
- How do you build links? You want to hear about content, PR, partnerships and local listings. Bought links can earn a penalty from Google.
- What will you report on each month? Ask to see a sample report.
- Will Search Console, Analytics and the Business Profile stay in our name? They should. If you part ways, you keep your data.
- How long is the contract, and what’s the notice period? A short initial term or a rolling contract is a reasonable request.
- Who writes the content, and do we approve it? Nothing should go live on your site without your sign-off.
A good SEO company can tell you what it would change on your site before you’ve signed anything. A weak one can only tell you how good it is.
What are the red flags when choosing an SEO company?
Some warning signs come up again and again:
- Guaranteed rankings or “page one in 30 days”. Nobody controls Google’s results. Google’s own guidance on hiring an SEO says the same.
- Secret methods. If they can’t explain what they’ll do in plain English, assume you wouldn’t like the answer.
- Hundreds of links for a fixed fee. These usually come from low-quality sites built for selling links, and they can do lasting harm.
- Reports that only show rankings for terms nobody searches. Ranking first for your own company name isn’t progress.
- Accounts set up in the agency’s name, so you lose your history if you leave.
- A twelve-month contract before any work is delivered.
If something has already gone wrong with a previous supplier, our guides to recovering from a Google penalty and Google algorithm updates explain how to tell what happened.
How much does a good SEO company cost in the UK?
SEO in the UK is usually sold as a monthly retainer, and the price depends on how competitive your market is, how big your site is and how much content and link building the plan includes. A local business targeting a handful of searches in one area will pay far less than a national retailer competing for expensive terms in London.
You’ll typically see one of these models:
- A monthly retainer covering ongoing technical work, content and authority building.
- A fixed-price project, such as an audit, a site migration or a content overhaul.
- An hourly or day rate for consultancy and training.
Ask what’s included. Content writing, technical fixes and reporting tools are sometimes extras. And compare proposals on hours and deliverables, because two retainers at the same price can contain very different amounts of work.
How long does SEO take to work?
Expect early technical fixes to show within weeks and meaningful growth in enquiries over roughly three to twelve months, depending on competition and where your site starts. Newer sites and very competitive markets sit at the slower end.
As a reference point from our own work, DRK Lighting saw a 50% increase in web traffic within six months, with 80% of their targeted keywords reaching page one. You can read how in the DRK Lighting case study. Results like that come from steady monthly work. Be cautious of anyone promising them faster.
Is SEO still worth it in 2026?
Yes, for most businesses whose customers search before they buy. What has changed is where people see the results. Google now shows AI Overviews above many searches, and more people ask tools like ChatGPT for recommendations. Both still draw on websites that are clear, well structured and trusted by other sites, which is what good SEO has always built.
The practical change is in measurement. Some searches now end without a click, so a good SEO company will look at enquiries, branded searches and where you’re cited, alongside traffic.
Can ChatGPT do SEO?
ChatGPT and similar tools can help with parts of SEO: suggesting keyword ideas, drafting meta descriptions, summarising a technical report. They can’t see your Search Console data, fix your site, build relationships with publishers or decide which of a hundred possible jobs matters most for your business. Treat them as a useful assistant for someone who already knows what good looks like.
How we approach SEO
We run SEO for growing businesses with our in-house team, so the people who audit your site are the same people who can fix it, write the pages and build the authority. Every month you see what we did, what changed and what we’re doing next, in plain English. If you’re comparing agencies, you can read more about our SEO services in London, and we’re happy to tell you what we’d change first.
FAQs
How do I choose an SEO company?
Ask each agency what they would change on your site first, how they build links, what they report on and who owns your accounts. Choose the one that gives specific, honest answers, shows checkable results from similar clients and doesn’t guarantee rankings or lock you into a long contract up front.
What questions should you ask an SEO agency before hiring?
Ask what they’d fix first and why, how they build links, what a monthly report includes, whether your Search Console and Analytics stay in your name, how long the contract runs and who approves content. Ask to meet the person who will run your account.
How much does SEO cost in the UK?
Most UK businesses pay a monthly retainer, and the cost depends on how competitive the market is, the size of the site and how much content and link building is included. Local campaigns cost considerably less than national ones in competitive sectors. Compare proposals on the hours and deliverables included, as well as the price.
How long does SEO take to work?
Technical fixes can show results within weeks, but meaningful growth in traffic and enquiries usually takes three to twelve months. New websites and highly competitive markets tend to take longer. Anyone promising top rankings within a few weeks is a reason for caution.
