407-233-3387Most sales calls are designed so you leave impressed and uninformed. The fix is to ask questions where a vague answer is obviously vague. These fifteen do that.
Ask them in order. You will usually know inside the first four.
Thinking of doing SEO?
We can help. Drop your info below and we’ll take a free look at your Google Business Profile and website, then tell you straight what’s holding your rankings back.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (407) 233-3387 or send us a message.
About your business, before anything else
A good agency asks you these before quoting. If they quote first, they are selling a package, not solving your problem.
- What is our average job value and close rate? They should want to know, because it determines whether SEO is even the right channel for you.
- What is our biggest problem right now, and how did you work that out? A real answer references your actual site or profile. A weak one is generic.
- Is SEO the right spend for us, or would ads serve us better right now? An honest shop will sometimes say ads.
About the work
- What exactly happens in the first thirty days? You want boring specifics: audit, category fix, four indexation errors, first page published.
- How many pages per month, and how many words? Get a number.
- How many links per month, and can I see a report from another client? Names redacted is fine. Live URLs are not optional.
- Who writes the content? In-house, freelance, or AI. All three can work. Not knowing is the problem.
- How many hours a month does this retainer represent?
- Do you work with any of my direct competitors?
About measurement
- How will we measure success at ninety days? Should include leads, not just rankings.
- Who sets up call and form tracking, and who owns it? If the agency owns the tracking, they are grading their own work.
- What does your monthly report include? Ask to see a real one.
About the relationship
- Who will actually be doing the work, and can I meet them? Being sold by a principal and serviced by a junior is the most common agency disappointment.
- What do I own, and what happens on the last day if I leave? Domain, hosting, site files, content, Analytics, Search Console, Business Profile. All yours.
- What would make you tell us to stop spending money on SEO? The best question on the list.
Answers that should end the conversation
- “We guarantee first page rankings.” Google prohibits it; the only way to deliver is to target phrases nobody searches.
- “We have a proprietary algorithm/relationship with Google.” No such thing exists.
- “This price is only available today.” Urgency on a months-long service is a sales tactic, not a discount.
- “You do not need to worry about the technical side.” You do not need to do it, but you are entitled to understand it.
- “We cannot show you other clients’ links for confidentiality reasons.” Redacted reports exist. This is a dodge.
One thing to do after the call
Search the agency’s own name plus the word reviews, then look up two of the clients they named and check whether those businesses actually rank. It takes five minutes and it is the only part of the process where you get evidence instead of claims.
Keep reading
- Full selection framework: how to choose an SEO company in Orlando.
- On guarantees: can SEO results be guaranteed.
- Browse what we do on our SEO and web design services page.
- See recent builds in our project gallery.
- Ready to talk? Get in touch with Mamba Media.
Thinking of doing SEO?
We can help. Drop your info below and we’ll take a free look at your Google Business Profile and website, then tell you straight what’s holding your rankings back.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (407) 233-3387 or send us a message.