You pay your SEO agency every month. Every month a report arrives, full of green arrows. But are you actually getting more customers? These twelve questions cut through the noise. Ask them — politely, in writing — and watch how the answers change the conversation.
1. Which keywords sent us real enquiries?
Rankings are not revenue. Ask which pages and search terms led to calls, forms or sales — shown in Google Analytics or Search Console, not a screenshot.
2. What exactly did you do this month?
Ask for a list: pages changed, content published (with URLs), links earned (with URLs), technical fixes (with before/after). “Ongoing optimisation” is not a deliverable.
3. Are we mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity?
Your buyers are asking AI assistants for recommendations. Ask your agency to show you what those assistants say when someone asks for your service in your area.
4. If branded searches are removed, what’s left?
Ranking #1 for your own company name is easy. Ask to see growth for searches that do not include your brand.
5. Why did traffic drop — and what is the plan?
Every dip has a cause: an update, a site change, a lost page. A good agency can name the date and the reason.
6. Who owns our accounts?
You should be the owner of your Google Analytics, Search Console, Google Business Profile, ads account, domain and website hosting. Not your agency.
7. What is “Domain Authority” actually doing for us?
It’s a score invented by a software company — Google doesn’t use it. Ask what it changed in leads or revenue.
8. Who wrote our content, and was it fact-checked?
AI-written, unchecked content can hurt trust with both Google and AI assistants.
9. Which links did you build, and could we lose them?
Paid or low-quality links can disappear — or get your site penalised.
10. What does success look like in 90 days?
Agree on measurable goals tied to your business: enquiries, bookings, sales.
11. What happens if we leave?
Do you keep the content, the links and the accounts? Get it in writing.
12. What would change if we stopped paying next month?
An honest answer to this question tells you everything.
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