Pakistan
USA
Canada
UK
Dubai
Australia
Germany
- Compare scope, process and reporting, not just price.
- Check who owns accounts and content.
- Agree success measures before you sign.
What an SEO agency should do
A competent agency audits your site, researches keywords and competitors, fixes technical issues, optimises existing pages, creates new content, earns links and reports on results. Some also handle local SEO, ecommerce SEO or international SEO. The scope should match your goal, not a standard package.
Types of agencies
Large full-service agencies offer many channels but may assign juniors. Boutique agencies specialise in SEO and often give senior attention. Local agencies know regional markets and languages. Offshore agencies may be cheaper but require careful communication and quality control. Choose the type that matches your complexity and budget.
Pricing models
Monthly retainers are the norm for ongoing SEO. Project fees suit audits, migrations and one-off pushes. Hourly rates suit advisory work. Performance-based deals sound attractive but can encourage shortcuts. Compare proposals on deliverables, not just price, and be wary of anything much cheaper than the rest. See typical tiers in our SEO packages.
How to evaluate agencies
Review case studies with starting position, actions and outcomes. Check reviews from real clients. Meet the people who will work on your account. Ask for a sample report. Ask about their process for audits, content and links. Check whether they follow search engine guidelines, as covered in white hat SEO.
Contracts and ownership
Confirm that you own your website, analytics, Search Console and content. Ensure the notice period is reasonable, typically one to three months. Clarify who pays for third-party tools and content. Beware of long lock-ins with unclear deliverables.
Agreeing on outcomes before you sign
Ask for a realistic timeline and early indicators. Technical fixes may show effects within weeks, while competitive rankings take months. A trustworthy agency explains what could slow progress, such as slow developer implementation or heavy competition, and agrees reporting milestones.
Our approach
We run SEO as an agency and as a consultancy, with senior involvement and clear reporting. Explore the SEO agency service, compare freelancer versus agency or read what a real SEO agency delivers. Start with a consultation through the contact page.
A step-by-step selection process
First write a one-page brief: your goals, target markets, current traffic, budget range and timeline. Second, shortlist three agencies using referrals, reviews and case studies. Third, hold a discovery call with each and ask the same questions. Fourth, request written proposals with scope, deliverables, timeline, fees and reporting. Fifth, check references. Sixth, compare proposals on a simple scorecard covering expertise, fit, transparency and value.
Doing this takes a couple of weeks but avoids the far greater cost of switching agencies after six months.
Agency selection in Pakistan and abroad
Compare with freelancer vs agency.
Locally
- Check local client references
- Confirm account ownership
- Clarify reporting in plain terms
Internationally
- Review contracts and data terms
- Check time-zone support
- Request case studies from similar markets
What good reporting looks like
A good monthly report starts with outcomes: leads, enquiries or sales from organic search. It then shows leading indicators such as impressions, clicks and rankings for target terms. It lists what was completed, what is planned and any risks. It includes plain-language explanations and recommendations, not just charts. Ask to see a sample before you sign.
What I would check before signing
Before signing with any agency, I would ask who owns the accounts, what happens if I leave, and what the first 90 days will deliver in writing.
- My suggestion: insist on access to your own analytics and ad accounts.
- Be careful with long lock-ins.
Warning signs during the engagement
Watch for reports that never change, vague descriptions of work, reluctance to share access, constant upselling and slow responses. If progress stalls, ask for a review of the plan. A good agency will either adjust the approach or explain why patience is needed. If you decide to leave, make sure you retain all assets and credentials. For help comparing providers, speak to our team through the contact page.
Agency terms to know
Common phrases in proposals.
- Retainer
- Monthly fee for ongoing work.
- Scope
- What is and is not included.
- KPI
- A key performance indicator.
- Onboarding
- The setup phase before regular work.
How we handle this for clients
When a business asks us to pitch against other agencies, we start by asking what they want from search in plain business terms: calls, bookings, quote requests or online orders. Then we look at their Search Console data, their current rankings and the pages that already bring in enquiries. That tells us whether the problem is technical, content, authority or simply that the wrong keywords are being chased. Our proposal is built from that review, not from a standard package.
We write the scope as a list of named deliverables for the first months, with the reasons for each. We state who owns every account and that the client keeps everything if they leave. Reports follow the same order each month: what we did, what changed, what it means for leads, and what comes next. If a prospect would be better served by a freelancer, a developer or their own team, we tell them before they sign.
Mistakes businesses make when hiring an SEO agency
These are the errors we see most often when owners pick an agency, and how to avoid each one.
- Choosing on price aloneA cheap retainer often means a fixed checklist that ignores your real problems. Compare what each agency will actually deliver in the first three months.
- Accepting a ranking guaranteeNo agency controls Google's results, so a guarantee is a sales line. Ask instead how they will measure progress and what they will do if it stalls.
- Letting the agency own your accountsIf the agency sets up Analytics, Search Console or your domain in its own name, leaving becomes painful. Insist these are created under your business and shared with them.
- Skipping the reference checkCase studies on a website are selected highlights. Ask to speak to a current client in a similar industry or market.
- Signing without a written scopeVague promises such as "full SEO" cause disputes later. Get a list of monthly tasks, the reporting format and the notice period in writing.
- Never reading the reportsOwners often stop checking after the first month. Book a short monthly call so the agency has to explain results and next steps to you directly.
Junaid has worked in SEO, paid media, web development and custom software for more than 18 years. He founded SEOnumber1, builds WordPress plugins, CRMs and web applications, has served 500+ clients in 48 countries, and holds Google Ads, Analytics and Google Blue and Green Belt certifications. He is a National Level Award Winner in Digital Marketing. Read his story or ask a question about this article.