Here at Wikimotive, we love educated customers. Thatʼs why we put together this list, laying out the top five questions a business should ask any prospective SEO Company before hiring them. It doesnʼt cover everything, but with these five questions, you should be able to get a good overall feel and narrow down your prospective partners.

And SEO professionals–you better be sure you have good answers!

1: Do you engage in any black- or grey-hat SEO?
” A surprising number of companies will answer yes to this. Others wonʼt come right out and admit it, but youʼll be able to see them squirm. The fact is,black- or grey- hat techniques work…until they donʼt. Donʼt let yourself be fooled by strong initial results, only to get slammed with penalties after the SEO company has already cashed your checks.

2. What will I see for reports?
” Itʼs your business, and you have a right to know. Any SEO company who wonʼt share what theyʼre doing on your time (and there are a surprisingly large number of them) in the interest of hiding their “secret sauce” isnʼt worth the money. A good SEO company will be able to show you all the steps theyʼre taking to make you money while still protecting themselves from competitors.

3. Do you have a client limit?
” This seemingly simple question will actually tell you a lot. If a company tells you that they have no upper limit for clients, then warning bells should be going off. A truly effective SEO strategy requires constant dedication and if an SEO company has an unending client list, theyʼre more likely to sacrifice their smaller clients to make more time for the big ones.

4. What is the price, and is there a contract?
” If an SEO company hides their price or is otherwise evasive, then just keep walking. Sure, your tailored SEO campaign wonʼt be a cookie-cutter price, but they should at least have the breakdown of the generic services right on their website. As far as contracts, steer clear! SEO takes time, so you canʼt expect to see results right away, but you can expect clear reports and indicators of work being done and progress being made. As a business, you NEED the ability to drop any SEO company that isnʼt continually working for you.

5. How will we measure my success?
” Know what you want out of your SEO efforts, and know what the company you contract plans on delivering. If you can reach an agreement before anything is even signed, then there is a good chance itʼs a good match.