What is included each month?
Do not judge a proposal by the number of items on its list. Ask for a schedule: which pages will be improved, who will write the content, how many pieces will be produced and how they will be checked. “Twelve posts” means little without topics, quality and a purpose for each. Likewise, “technical optimisation” may mean detailed work on the site or a one-off fix to a few basics. Ask what happens if the audit reveals a more important problem than the tasks included in the package.
How should you assess links and content?
For links, ask where they will be published, how relevant those sites are to the industry and how quality will be checked. Link count alone does not show value. For content, find out who brings in knowledge of the business, who is responsible for accuracy and whether existing pages can be updated instead of only adding new ones. An article made without talking to the owner or a specialist can easily become a generic summary. If the supplier also promises “SEO for AI”, ask for concrete actions on the website rather than another service label in a table.
How can you measure progress without ranking guarantees?
No one can honestly guarantee a permanent ranking for a chosen phrase. You can, however, agree on measurable work and a way to assess the direction. Useful measures include visibility of important pages, queries in Search Console, traffic to relevant topics and enquiries and sales from organic traffic, if tracking allows it. Set a baseline and review frequency. A report should show what was done, what changed, what remains uncertain and what decisions follow from the data. A chart showing more ranking phrases does not yet show whether the right customers are arriving.
Is a two-year contract always a bad idea?
No. SEO often requires sustained work and some businesses prefer to reserve resources for longer. The problem is rigidity without a clear scope, checkpoints or the ability to change priorities. Ask what can be adjusted after a quarter, what the termination terms are, who retains access to accounts, content and data, and whether unfinished tasks roll over to the next period. A long contract should help deliver a plan, not replace conversations about results.
What should you do before signing?
Compare the proposal with what the website really needs. Fixing the service structure, explaining the offer or improving the form may matter more than twelve new posts. Ask the supplier for the first three priorities and why they are in that order. If the answers are generic, consider discussing the proposal with someone outside the sales process. A good decision does not have to mean choosing the cheapest company. It means understanding what you are paying for and how you will check whether the work is worthwhile.
In a consultation, we can review your activities and decide on the next steps.
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