How Do I Choose an SEO Company Without Getting Burned?

Two versions of this question keep coming up on Reddit. One owner asked how to choose an SEO company without getting burned. Another asked how to even find a marketing agency that helps service businesses like lawyers and doctors. The answer is the same, so here it is in one place.

I own an agency, so factor that in. But this is genuinely how I would vet one if I were on the other side of the table.

Results and Referrals, and Go Specific

Judge an agency by results, but not only that. Ask for referrals. And if you have a particular type of business, hire a company that specializes in it, whether that is dental, medical, landscaping, or legal. I would not work with a company that does every single niche, because they end up broad. Go more specific.

I would also not go with the huge names in the space. If a company works specifically with firms like yours, is big, manages thousands of clients, and has been around for 20 years, you are just going to become a number. I have had several clients switch from those firms to us. The reason they picked them in the first place was that they were a trusted brand. But a trusted brand is not rocket science at this point.

Interview Three or Four, and Ask One Thing

Schedule at least three or four interviews, because almost every agency gives a free consultation. Tell them exactly what you need and ask how they are going to bring you more leads. Most of them will talk about Meta ads, or SEO, or AI. Listen for who actually has a method versus who is selling a brand.

Here is a trick. Take your original question and paste it into ChatGPT along with what you are hearing from these agencies, and ask it how you should hire a company and what the criteria are. It will help you cut through the pitch.

The Real Tell: Do They Ask You Questions

Interviewing right now is genuinely tricky, and I will tell you why. AI is changing everything, fast. As an agency owner I am on my toes every day, and I would be lying if I said I kept up with every single search and algorithm change. But the end point does not change. Everyone, no matter what they are looking for, is going to sit at home, open ChatGPT, and say, I have a problem with X, Y, and Z, find me someone who does A, B, and C so I do not have to look and burn myself.

So how does AI pick? Ninety-nine percent of it comes from the website. Go read your own site. If it sounds generic and says nothing specific about your business, that is your answer, and no amount of paying an agency to just handle it will fix it.

The way we work, every month I ask my clients at least a hundred questions about their specific topics. They answer in a sentence each, and that is enough. That is what makes a website personal, and that is what AI loves, because there is already plenty of generic information online. That is my non-negotiable. If a company does not ask you questions to extract your knowledge as the owner and the professional, there will be no success whatsoever. You cannot take content that already exists, rewrite it, and hope it ranks.

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