What should I ask before hiring someone for SEO?

Ask what they will change and why, what results they expect and over what time, how they report progress, and whether they follow Google's guidelines. Walk away from guarantees.

Google publishes its own advice on hiring someone for SEO. The short version: hire someone who explains their work clearly, follows Google's guidelines, and sets honest expectations. Walk away from anyone who guarantees a ranking.

Questions Google suggests asking

Can you show me examples of your past work and successes?
Do you follow Google Search Essentials?
What results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How will you measure success?
What experience do you have in my industry and my area?
How will you tell me what you changed on my site and why?

Questions we would add

Who will own the accounts, such as Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console? (The answer should be: you.)
Will you ask for my passwords, or will you use your own user access? (The answer should be: user access.)
What happens to the work and the accounts if we stop working together?
How will you report results, and will you show real numbers like calls and form fills, not only rankings?

Red flags

Google warns about anyone who:

Guarantees a number one ranking. No one can.
Claims a special relationship with Google or a priority way to submit sites.
Sends you an unsolicited email offering SEO.
Is secretive or will not explain what they will do.
Uses link schemes, fake reviews or other tactics against Google's spam policies.

Common problems

If you already hired someone and are unsure what they did, ask for a written list of changes and confirm you are the owner of every account.
If a vendor will not give back access, see the article on recovering accounts when the person who set them up is gone.

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