How to choose an SEO agency?
Choosing an SEO agency is a decision whose consequences you feel for a minimum of 12 months — in both directions. A good agency builds lasting competitive advantage; a bad one can expose your domain to a Google penalty that takes a year or more to recover from. I know dozens of companies that came to me after that experience. Below I explain how to tell one from the other — without generalities, based on concrete questions and sales behaviours.
Red flags that should immediately put you off
Over the years I have compiled a list of sales behaviours that almost always signal a bad agency. First and most importantly: a guarantee of TOP 1 or TOP 3 positions on specific phrases without first analysing your domain, history, budget and competition. Google guarantees nothing to anyone — an agency that makes such promises is either lying or planning to use black hat SEO.
Other red flags: refusal to write any measurable targets into the contract, no access to reports and scope of work, reports showing hundreds of rankings on phrases your customers never type into Google, aggressive "now or never" sales pressure, and inability to answer specific technical questions. Each of these signals is sufficient reason to end the conversation.
Questions you should ask every SEO agency
| Question | What you are looking for | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| What KPIs do you put in the contract? | Specific organic traffic growth, not "improved rankings" | No KPIs or only "increased visibility" |
| Show me a case study from my industry | Real data: traffic before/after, phrases, timeline | Only general testimonials without numbers |
| How many projects does one specialist handle? | Max 8–12 active projects | 30+ clients per person |
| What tools do you use? | Ahrefs/Semrush, Screaming Frog, GSC | "Our own tools" without details |
| What happens after the contract ends? | Knowledge and results stay with you | Dependency on their platform |
How to read agency case studies — and why most are useless
Most case studies on SEO agency websites are marketing, not proof of effectiveness. A "200% visibility increase" without stating the starting point, number of phrases and time period tells you nothing. A good case study contains: a named (or anonymised) project, a starting point (monthly traffic, domain DA, technical state), specific actions with a timeline, results measured by organic traffic and conversions — not just rankings — and a timeline showing when the growth appeared.
Ask for a case study from an industry similar to yours and the possibility of speaking to the client. A reliable agency has nothing to hide. If the only case studies you can see are on the agency's own website with no way to verify them — treat them as marketing, not evidence.
Max Mazurkiewicz
FounderLooking for SEO with results guaranteed in the contract?
At Max Digital I use contracts with concrete KPIs and an organic traffic growth guarantee. Zero vague promises — see my SEO offer.
View SEO offerAgency vs. freelance SEO specialist — which is better?
An agency typically gives you access to a team (SEO specialist + copywriter + developer), continuity of service when staff are sick or on holiday, and a broader range of tools. A freelancer usually offers direct contact with the person actually doing the work, greater flexibility, and often a better quality-to-price ratio for small and medium projects.
From experience: for businesses with an SEO budget up to €700 per month, a freelancer with strong references often delivers better results than an agency in the same price range — because the budget is not split between an account manager and reporting. For budgets of €1,200+ and complex projects (e-commerce with thousands of products, multilingual sites), an agency team makes more sense.
The SEO contract — what to check before signing
Before signing, check: whether KPIs are measurable and written as a commitment (not just a "goal"), what the notice period is (fair is 1–2 months, not 6 or 12), whether you retain ownership of content and links after the contract ends, whether you have access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics (you should always have access on your own account), and whether the scope of work is defined in numbers (articles, links, audit hours).
Pay particular attention to account ownership: some agencies set up GSC, GA and Google Business Profile on their own accounts. When the contract ends you lose access to years of historical data. This is not a partnership — it is dependency. Ownership of all accounts should be yours from day one.
How to vet an SEO agency before paying?
Before handing anyone money for SEO, do three things. First: check the agency's own Google rankings for phrases they should rank for themselves (e.g. "SEO agency [city]"). An agency that cannot rank its own website has a credibility problem. Second: look at their link profile in Ahrefs (the free version shows fragments) — if they use link farms for themselves, they will use them for you.
Third: ask for a free audit or preliminary analysis of your site. A reliable agency will show you 3–5 specific technical or content issues before you even sign a contract. If they cannot or will not do this, there is no basis for paying a monthly retainer. Effective SEO positioning always starts with an audit, not a contract.
What is the minimum sensible SEO budget?
The market reality is this: below €190–€240 per month you cannot buy reliable SEO for a business. Below this threshold an agency or freelancer simply cannot dedicate enough hours to your project to achieve anything measurable. These offers exist because someone buys them — not because they work.
A realistic minimum budget for a service business with a local reach is €280–€350 per month. For e-commerce or a national niche — a minimum of €590–€700 if you want to see results within a year. This is not price inflation — it is the maths of how many hours of work are needed to build domain authority faster than the competition.