By Bret Moleta, Founder, Mindsaw · Published October 25, 2026 · Last updated October 25, 2026
Most owners hiring an SEO company don’t know what to ask, so they ask about backlinks and article counts. Those are the wrong questions. Here’s what I’d ask instead, from the sales calls I talk about in my hiring video.
What are you actually paying an SEO company for?
Results you can see: rankings, calls and leads.
“you’re not buying a package like a shopping cart worth of stuff, right? You’re not buying cereal, milk, and eggs. You’re buying the outcome,”
Bret Moleta, 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring at 3:09
And the line I’d tape to your monitor:
“you’re paying an SEO company to rank you and get phone calls. You’re not paying an SEO company to get you backlinks and write articles.”
Bret Moleta, 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring at 13:50
So when a proposal is a list of “deliverables” (blog posts, backlinks, press releases), ask how any of that turns into calls.
Which type of SEO are they doing for you?
There are three places you can show up on a Google search: the ads, the Google Maps listings and the organic results. Ask which one they’re working on.
“‘What did they do for you?’ And they would say, ‘Well, SEO.’ And I was like, well, what type of SEO did you do organic? Did they do maps?”
Bret Moleta, Google’s AI Mode What Local SEOs and Business Need to Know Now at 1:23
For a home-service business, that’s usually the Maps section, and it’s the one I focus on. Our Google Maps SEO page explains that section.
What should you ask on the first call?
I put the list right in the video:
“So these are the top five questions that you should ask your SEO, right? When you you’re just interviewing your SEO, you want to see if you want to work with this company,”
Bret Moleta, 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring at 10:42
Watch: 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring, from the clip above.
- How do you organize projects? “how do you organize your projects?” (10:52) You want to hear a real system, like a CRM, not loose spreadsheets and paper.
- Do you send reports every month? “do you send out reports each month, right? How do I know if I’m doing better or if I’m doing worse?” (11:08)
- Do I need to sign a contract, and for how long? Get the term in writing before you start. (Our own terms are on the pricing page.)
- How do you know when my project isn’t working? Ask what they check each week and what they do when a client slips.
- Do I own everything if we stop? “Another question is do I own everything at the end of the month or at the end of the contract.” (13:23) Your Google Business Profile, your website, your ad accounts and your content should stay yours.
What are the red flags?
They sign you on the first meeting.
“never sign up with an SEO company that will sign you on the first meeting.”
Bret Moleta, 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring at 0:30
A good company asks about your business, your competition and your keywords first. If they skip that, they’re guessing.
They sell you backlinks by the month.
“I don’t buy backlinks for my clients.”
Bret Moleta, 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring at 3:48
Buying links for rankings is against Google’s spam policies. Ask what they do instead.
They can’t tell you what pages you’re missing. A real audit should find the gaps, like a service you offer with no page on your site:
“if you want to rank for residential plumber, you have to have a page on your website that’s that says that’s what you do.”
Bret Moleta, 7 Deadly SEO Mistakes When Hiring at 8:24
They want you to do half the work. You’re hiring them so you can run your business.
FAQ
How many meetings should it take before I sign?
More than one. They need time to look at your business before they can tell you what it needs.
Should an SEO company guarantee rankings?
No one controls Google’s rankings, so a ranking promise is a red flag. Ask what they’re measured on instead, like tracked calls or leads. Our 90-Day Lead Guarantee (Get Leads and Get Booked plans) is on tracked leads, not rankings, and the full terms are on the pricing page. Guarantee not available for legal, roofing or water damage.
What reports should I get each month?
At minimum, where you rank across your service area and how many calls and leads came in. If a report is only a list of tasks done, ask for the results.
Next step
Want to see what an audit should look like before you hire anyone? Get a free Google Maps audit or text (718) 227-2300.
Written from Bret’s videos with AI help; reviewed by Bret.
