Five Questions to Ask an SEO Provider

1. Which pages and problems will you work on?

Ask for the initial priorities and why they matter. A provider may need an audit before defining every task, but the proposal should explain what that audit produces and how implementation is scoped.

Look for a connection to the services and customers you want, rather than a promise to publish a fixed volume of interchangeable articles.

2. What access do you need?

Identify the website, analytics, and search accounts involved. Agree appropriate permissions and keep ownership of business accounts clear. Access should fit the task.

Ask how public-page checks differ from any work involving private customer records. Those are not interchangeable permissions.

3. What evidence supports the claims?

A case study should identify the work, the reporting period, and what the figures count. Our Oregon RV Outlet example separates documented search activity from the website features.

Impressions are not customers, and a later increase does not prove a single change caused it.

4. How will the report guide a decision?

Ask which queries, pages, visits, and inquiries are reviewed, and what happens when a finding needs action. A report should explain the observation and the next investigation.

AI-answer samples need their system, date, and question recorded. They should not be presented as permanent positions.

5. What belongs to us afterward?

Clarify ownership and access to content, accounts, reports, and tools. Identify ongoing responsibilities and what changes when the engagement ends.

Compare the answers with the service scope. You should know what can be inspected and delivered without relying on a guaranteed ranking.

Ask for the answers in the proposal

A usable proposal names the first pages or problems, the deliverables, what you must provide, who approves factual claims and how completion is checked. It should separate work the provider controls from outcomes affected by search systems and customer behavior.

For reporting, ask to see how a finding leads to an action. “Traffic went up” is not an action. “This service page attracts unrelated queries; we will review its topic and title” identifies work you can assess. The provider still needs evidence before attributing a change to its edits.

Confirm ownership of content, accounts and access. An outside provider may need permissions to work, but you should understand what it can change and how access ends. Keep the proposal alongside your reporting record so you can compare the promised work with what was delivered.