In a recent session of Google’s SEO office-hours Q&A, the Search Relations team addressed a common concern among business owners: how to determine if an SEO agency is actively optimizing your website.

The Business Owner’s Question

The discussion was prompted by a business owner who asked:

“If I have an agency that is managing our organic SEO on a monthly basis, how can I tell if anyone has been actively optimizing? I have a suspicion that the agency has not been optimized out of site for years.”

Google’s Response

In response, John Mueller, a Search Relations team member, shared his experience collaborating with an agency on Google’s Search Central content.

Key Points from Mueller’s Advice

1. Regular Meetings: Hold frequent discussions with the SEO agency to review their work.
2. Progress Reports: Request reports that detail the site’s progress over time.
3. Future Planning: Discussing upcoming work helps ensure the agency addresses your needs.
4. Client Education: Clients should have a basic understanding of SEO work to better evaluate the agency’s efforts.

While acknowledging that increased engagement requires additional time from both parties, Mueller believes it’s worth the effort.

This allows you to check if the SEO agency is meeting your needs. However, he notes that you need to have some trust in your relationship with the agency.

Resources For SEO Education

To assist businesses in managing their SEO efforts, Mueller pointed to two valuable resources:

1. Google’s guide on hiring an SEO provides insights into the selection process.
2. The SEO starter guide offers a foundational understanding of SEO principles.

Mueller’s Full Response

“This is a great question. When we worked with an SEO agency for some of the Search Central content, we had regular meetings to discuss the work that they did, to look at reports about the site’s progress, and to discuss any upcoming work. This did require a bit more time, both from them and from us, but I found it very insightful. I think it helps to lightly understand the kind of work that an agency would do, so that you can confirm that they’re doing what you expect them to do, and even then there’s a component of trust involved. We have a page about hiring an SEO which has some insights, and there’s our SEO starter guide, which can explain a bit more. And also, perhaps some folks from the SEO industry can comment on how they’d help a client understand how they’re spending their time.”

Previous Discussions On SEO Hiring

This advice from Mueller echoes a similar discussion he initiated last year, where he sought recommendations on what businesses should look for when hiring SEO consultants.

The conversation among industry experts highlighted key factors such as experience, customization, transparency, and adherence to ethical practices.

For more insights on choosing the right SEO professional, refer to our previous coverage of that discussion.

When To Seek Professional SEO Help

For businesses unsure about when to seek professional SEO help, here’s an article that outlines five critical situations that warrant hiring an SEO expert.

These include when Google isn’t indexing your site, during site migrations or redesigns, when organic traffic drops significantly, to reverse manual actions, and when current SEO strategies aren’t yielding results.

This information complements Mueller’s advice by helping businesses recognize when professional intervention is necessary.

Featured Image: YouTube.com/GoogleSearchCentral