How to choose an SEO or GEO agency: questions, red flags, contracts

01

Start here

Google publishes its own guidance on hiring an SEO. I've used it as the base here, and added what I'd ask about AI search.

02

What Google says

• Nobody can guarantee a #1 ranking. Google's words: "If they guarantee you that their changes will give you first place in search results, find someone else."
• Be careful if they're secretive. If a company won't clearly explain what it intends to do, that's a flag.
• Unsolicited emails about your site's performance and claims of a "special relationship" with Google are flags too.
• Start with read-only access. For Search Console, Google advises giving read access and not write access at the start.
• You're responsible for what they do. If a company you hire breaks Google's rules, your site takes the hit.

03

Add one for AI search

Nobody can guarantee a citation. The odds of getting the same list of brands twice from an AI tool were under 1 in 100 in a 2026 SparkToro study. If answers move that much, a promise of a specific mention isn't something anyone can keep. Google also says that even meeting every requirement doesn't guarantee a page is crawled, indexed or shown.

04

Questions to ask

1. What will you do in the first 90 days, in a list? A good answer has deliverables, not themes.
2. How will you measure it, and what will you report? Ask to see a sample report.
3. Can I see examples of past work and talk to a past client? Google suggests this too.
4. What do you expect to see, and by when? A straight answer gives a range and says what could change it.
5. Will you tell me every change you make and why?
6. Who does the work? The person you meet, or someone else?
7. What happens when we stop? Do I keep the content, the access and the reports?
8. For AI search: how do you check results, given that answers change run to run? You want to hear about many runs, dates and raw answers.

05

Case studies

Look for the business outcome, not only traffic or rankings. Check that the client is like you. And look for what they'd say went wrong, because a case study with no problems in it is a brochure.

06

What a sensible contract looks like

• A baseline first. A dated record of where you are, so later results can be compared with it. Without a baseline, nobody can show whether anything changed.
• A clear scope. What's included, what isn't, and what extra work costs.
• A short term or a way out. Month-to-month, or a few months with a clear exit. Long lock-ins make more sense after you've seen the work.
• You keep access and ownership. Your site, your accounts, your content.
• Reporting on a schedule, in terms you can read.

07

One agency or two?

SEO and AI search rest on the same foundation: a site that's easy to find and read. I'd lean toward one team doing both, so nobody is arguing over whose job a problem is. If you already have a good SEO partner, ask whether they'll cover AI search before adding another firm. That's my opinion, not a rule.

08

In-house or outside?

In-house works if you have someone with real time for it and the skills. Outside help works when you don't, or when you want a baseline and a plan before deciding. An audit alone, with a roadmap you carry out yourself, is a middle option.

09

Sources

• Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?
• Google Search Central, AI features and your website.
• Search Engine Land, AI recommendation lists rarely repeat, SparkToro study, January 2026.