Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Local SEO Company
The questions that separate a local SEO company that will get you more calls from one that will send you rankings reports, and the answers to listen for.
Before hiring a local SEO company, ask what they will do in the first month, how they will measure calls and booked jobs, who will own your profile, site and tracking, how they get reviews, whether they guarantee rankings, and what happens if you leave. Good answers are specific and in plain words. Warning signs are guaranteed map positions, vague “optimization,” reports full of rankings and nothing about leads, and contracts that lock you in.
Use the questions below with any company you are considering, including us. Fruitful Local publishes this site and ranks itself first, so hold us to the same list.
About the plan
What exactly will you do in the first month?
Listen for named tasks: fix the profile category and services, clean up duplicate listings, set up call and form tracking, write the first service pages. Be wary of “audit, research and strategy” with nothing concrete after it.
What will you do every month after that?
You want a clear rhythm: profile posts and photos, new pages, review follow-up, listings checks, a report. Ask how many of each and how often.
What do you need from me?
A good agency will ask for photos, customer access for reviews, and your time to check pages for accuracy. One that needs nothing from you is probably not writing anything specific to your business.
About results
How will I know it is working?
The right answer starts with calls, form leads and booked jobs from Google, tracked from your profile and your site. Profile views and rankings are useful signals, but they are not the goal.
Will you guarantee a top-three map position?
The right answer is no. Map results depend on where the searcher is and on Google’s own choices. Nobody controls them. An agency that guarantees a position is promising something it cannot deliver, or measuring it in a way that flatters them.
How long until I see results?
A good answer explains what changes in the first weeks, what takes months, and what in your market makes it faster or slower. Our guide on how long local SEO takes sets out what is realistic.
Can I talk to a current client?
Reasonable to ask. Note who they offer and whether that business is like yours.
About the work itself
How do you get reviews?
Listen for a process that asks every customer the same way, with a direct link, inside Google’s rules. Walk away from anything involving paid reviews, incentives, or only asking happy customers. Our guide on getting more Google reviews the right way covers the rules.
Who writes the pages, and how do you make them about my business?
You want pages written for your services and the towns you really serve, using details only you can give. Ask to see examples of service and area pages they have written. If every town page looks the same, see service area pages that actually rank.
Do you build links? Which ones?
Local SEO rarely needs aggressive link building. Mentions from local organizations, suppliers and real directories help. Bulk directory blasts and bought links do not, and can do harm.
Do you also run ads?
Not required, but useful. Google Ads data shows which searches turn into calls, which tells the SEO work where to focus. If they do both, ask whether the same people plan both.
About ownership and leaving
Who owns the Google Business Profile?
You should be the owner, with the agency as a manager. Never let an agency own your profile.
Who owns the website, the pages and the tracking?
You. If they build the site, ask what happens to it if you leave. If they set up call tracking, ask whether the numbers stay with you.
What is the contract length and notice period?
Long lock-in contracts are a warning sign. Good agencies keep clients by getting results.
About price
What does it cost, and what exactly does that buy?
Ask for the work in writing next to the price, so you can compare quotes that are built differently. Our guide to how much local SEO costs explains the models and what drives the number.
Is there anything extra?
Setup fees, page fees, ad management fees, tracking fees, software. Ask now so none of it surprises you later.
About fit
Who do you usually work with?
Some agencies focus on contractors, some on law firms, some on healthcare, some on multi-location brands. A good fit knows your kind of customer. On our list of the best local SEO companies you can see what each one says it focuses on.
Will I talk to the person doing the work?
Ask who you will deal with each month, and whether that person knows your account.
Should you do it yourself instead?
Sometimes the honest answer is yes. If you have one location and a short service list, you can handle much of it. See local SEO agency vs doing it yourself.
Ask us the same questions
Fruitful Local works with local service businesses and contractors on the profile, the pages, the reviews, the tracking and the ads as one plan, and reports on calls and booked jobs. We will answer every question above in the free local SEO review. See also our local SEO services.