The purpose of these questions is not to test knowledge. It is to find out whether someone has looked at your site, and whether they will tell you things you did not want to hear. Both are visible within a short conversation if you ask properly.
About your site specifically
- What is the biggest problem with our site right now? A specific answer means they looked. A general answer about content or authority means they did not.
- Which pages should be our priority, and why those? The reasoning matters more than the list.
- What would you not do? Good consultants rule things out. Anyone who would do everything has not prioritised anything.
- What is already working that we should protect? Sites lose rankings during improvement projects. Knowing what not to touch is part of the job.
About the work
- Who does the work, and what is their experience? Not who runs the account — who executes.
- What exactly do we receive each month? Ask to see a real deliverable from another client, redacted.
- Who writes the content, and who implements changes? The most common gap: recommendations delivered, nobody assigned to implement them.
- What do you need from us? Engagements stall on client-side bottlenecks. A consultant who has never thought about this has not run many.
- What happens in month one versus month six?
About measurement
- What will you report, and what does a bad month look like?
- How will we know at month three whether this is on track? There should be leading indicators well before revenue moves.
- What would make you tell us to stop? A consultant who cannot imagine recommending against continuing is selling, not advising.
About the commercial terms
- What is excluded from the fee?
- What is the notice period?
- Who owns the content, accounts and data if we leave? The answer must be that you do, in all cases.
- Are there costs beyond your fee? Tools, hosting changes and development time often are.
The two answers that tell you most
“How long until we see results?” — anything under three months is either a misunderstanding of the work or a sales answer. Six to twelve months for commercial impact is honest.
“Can you guarantee first position?” — the only acceptable answer is no. Any qualified yes is disqualifying, regardless of how it is framed.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ask for references?
Yes, and ask the reference what went wrong during the engagement rather than whether they were happy. Every real project has friction, and how it was handled is the useful information.
What if I do not understand the technical answers?
Say so and ask them to explain it again plainly. The ability to explain technical work to a non-specialist is part of the job, and an inability to do it is itself informative.
Is it reasonable to ask for a free audit?
A brief review to identify obvious issues is normal. A full audit is a substantial piece of paid work, and expecting one free is not reasonable.
How many should I speak to?
Two or three. Ask each the same questions about your site and compare the specificity of the answers. The differences are usually stark.
Consulting CTA
Book an SEO consultation and ask these questions directly.