Working with an SEO agency is not a matter of picking a name at random and signing. Finding the agency that fits your goals and budget takes research and careful assessment, a process we have refined over more than 10 years in the industry.
That is why our team has put together its best advice on how to compare SEO agencies.
Comparing SEO agencies: 7 factors to consider
Whether you are an SME looking at international SEO services or a large company looking for enterprise solutions, there is a lot to weigh up. Some factors matter more than others, but all of them help you choose the right agency for your business.
To start, here is a quick table of questions to ask yourself when you hire an SEO expert. They can help you map out how to choose the right partner. All SEO agencies, including enterprise ones, can look alike on the surface, but there are often many small differences between them: specialisms, industry focus, communication methods, reporting structures and so on.
| Point of comparison | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Agency deliverables | • Which services am I looking for? • What do I want to achieve with them? • Do I need a specialist agency or a full-service one? • How much time will my team and I need to commit? |
| Industry expertise | • Which industries has this agency worked in? • Does it have experience in my industry or related ones? • Does it offer case studies with measurable results? |
| Overall expertise and experience | • How long has this agency been operating? • Does it have a proven, consistent track record? • Does it specialise in my area of business? |
| Customer service | • Are past clients happy with the service they received? • Does the agency offer ongoing support or only initial advice? • How often does it report results to clients? • How high is staff turnover? |
| Location | • Do I prefer to work in person or remotely? • Which time zone is the agency in? • Would my team prefer a local agency? |
| Technology and software | • Does the agency use technology to support its work? • Which tools does it use? |
| Pricing | • What is my monthly SEO budget? • Is it realistic for my goals and needs? • How much am I willing to invest in SEO services? |
1) Agency deliverables
Look at what the agency delivers to understand:
- What you will get once and what you will get on an ongoing basis;
- How often the work will be done;
- How involved you will need to be.
Knowing what you want from an SEO partner helps you work out which agencies suit your business. For example, if you want an organic growth plan, look at full-service agencies rather than highly specialised boutiques.
At a minimum, the best SEO companies should include the following in your plan:
- SEO audit
- SEO reporting
- SEO consultations
- A dedicated account manager
Full-service agencies such as Visilay also include on-page, off-page and technical optimisation.
Bear in mind that how satisfied you are will also depend on your side of the relationship. For example, if you can't give the agency access to your site, you will be responsible for implementing the optimisations.
Before you start comparing SEO agencies, set your SEO goals. Defining your needs will help you narrow down potential SEO partners and find the ones that best fit your goals.
Questions to ask:
- Which services am I looking for?
- What am I trying to achieve with them?
- Do I need a specialist or full-service agency, or an SEO agency that specialises in B2B, e-commerce or local businesses?
- How much time will the agency need from me and my team?
2) Industry expertise
Beyond the range of digital marketing services on offer, you should also assess the agency's expertise in your industry. Your business and your industry are unique, so you need an SEO strategy that keeps you competitive in it. For a company selling software, that means finding a software SEO agency that understands the specific challenges and opportunities of your sector.
An SEO agency with experience in your industry is a big asset: it gives you peace of mind and an edge for your business.
Case studies and past clients are also important things to ask an SEO agency about. Are any of them related to your industry? Whether it is healthcare, restaurants, manufacturing, locksmiths or beauty salons, an SEO agency with experience in your industry is a big asset and gives you confidence that your SEO partner understands the needs of your market.
Questions to ask:
- Which industries has this agency worked in?
- Has this agency worked in my industry or related ones?
- Do they offer case studies with measurable results?
3) Overall expertise and experience
Beyond specialisms and industry experience, consider each agency's overall experience. When working out how to choose an SEO agency, companies sometimes focus so much on the details that they forget to look at the bigger picture.
Questions to ask:
- How long has this agency been operating?
- Do they have a proven, consistent track record?
- Do they specialise in my industry?
4) Customer service
When you think of customer service, you probably think of shop assistants helping customers in a store. When you compare SEO services, customer service is about how agencies interact with their clients and how often.
Look at what an agency's SEO services include and check whether they mention regular meetings to discuss goals, SEO results and strategy.
You can get a sense of an agency's customer service by reading client testimonials and reviews.
Look for cases where clients talk about working directly with the agency's staff. Were they happy with the help they got? Did the agency listen to their concerns and questions, or did clients say they felt ignored?
Also look closely at what an agency's SEO services include and whether they mention regular meetings to discuss goals, SEO results and strategy. Watch for signs of high staff turnover too, for example clients being moved from one account manager to another on a regular basis.
Questions to ask:
- Are past clients happy with the support the agency provides?
- Does the agency give SEO advice and then leave you to it, or does it help you put the recommendations into practice?
- How often does the agency report results to clients?
- How much staff turnover does the agency have?
5) Location
When choosing an SEO agency, consider where it is based. Does your team prefer to work with an agency in the same area? In the same time zone? Location plays a big part in how and when you communicate with the agency you choose.
Local SEO agencies make it easier to meet in person more often. Visilay, for example, works mainly across Northern Italy and Switzerland.
Likewise, working with SEO agencies in your area or in nearby time zones means you can talk to them during normal working hours and expect faster replies. If you are leaning towards an agency abroad, you will need some planning to set up effective ways of communicating.
Either way, it comes down to what works best for your team.
Questions to ask:
- Do I want to work with this agency in person or remotely?
- Which time zone is this agency in?
- Do you and your team prefer to work with a local agency?
6) Technology and software
Beyond their services, SEO agencies often use software to support their work. It can range from third-party tools and white-label platforms to proprietary technology built in-house.
An SEO company's technology can transform a business.
An SEO company's tech stack matters for several reasons, including:
- It speeds up tasks such as keyword research, link building and more
- It tracks competitors' moves, gains, losses and strategy changes
- It reports on rankings, traffic and even return on investment
- It aligns other departments, such as sales and marketing, for example on Google Ads campaigns or offline advertising.
There are a few things to consider when comparing these software options:
- Third-party tools: Ahrefs, Semrush and Screaming Frog are all useful SEO tools, and practically every SEO agency uses one or all of them. If an agency doesn't, be sceptical about how it does SEO.
- White-label platforms: many agencies use white-label platforms. The problem is that updates, fixes and new features depend on a third party, which also sets the prices, and those costs are passed on to your business.
- Proprietary technology: agencies that build their own SEO software are often top-tier SEO companies. At Visilay we have our own software for rank tracking, scraping and reporting.
When comparing SEO agencies, look at their tech stacks and ask:
- What kind of technology (third-party, white-label or proprietary) do they use?
- What does the technology cost, and what does it cost through their services?
- Which problems can I solve with this technology?
- How will this technology affect other departments and/or campaigns?
In our experience, an SEO company's technology can transform a business.
Imagine removing the silos between marketing and sales, for example, or tracking a user's online and offline journey from start to finish. It could change the part marketing and SEO play in your company's growth.
So take the time to look at an SEO agency's technology, and bring in other people from your team, such as IT, to understand how it could fit with your company's own tech stack.
The right SEO agency software can make that integration easier, providing what you need to improve collaboration, tracking and the overall effectiveness of your SEO strategy.
Questions to ask:
- Does this agency use SEO tools to support its work?
- Which SEO tools does the agency use?
7) Pricing
Finally, when choosing an SEO agency to work with, price is a key factor. Before setting a budget, do some research on what a good SEO strategy costs.
In the Italian and Swiss markets where we work, our research puts SEO services at between €1,500 and €6,000 a month. For a UK reference point, Prospects puts freelance SEO specialists at £240 to £320 a day, often more (prospects.ac.uk, September 2026). The price depends on:
- The agency's experience
- The agency's tech stack
- The agency's location
- The agency's team
You will see plenty of ads for cheaper SEO plans, but the risks of "cheap" search engine optimisation are serious. As well as wasting your marketing budget, these providers can also:
- Get your website removed from Google's search index
- Damage your business's online reputation
- Hurt your SEO performance through lost rankings and traffic
- In our more than 10 years of experience, we have seen the impact of low-cost SEO first-hand.
Repairing the damage these services cause can take months or longer. In some cases companies can't even afford SEO help afterwards, because they have used up their budget.
So research what good SEO costs, then set your monthly SEO budget.
Bear in mind that most SEO companies charge an upfront fee separate from the ongoing monthly fee. It covers onboarding your business and preparing your site for ongoing SEO, fixing any issues before the strategy is built.
As you compare SEO agencies, you will find that most don't publish their prices online. Some, like Visilay, do. Otherwise, to find out an SEO agency's prices you will need to contact them and share information about your business and goals.
Questions to ask:
- What is my monthly SEO budget?
- Is my budget realistic for my goals and needs?
- How much am I willing to pay for SEO services?
Start your SEO journey with Visilay
So, have you weighed up whether to hire an SEO agency, and whether it should be an experienced one?
Start (and finish) your search for an SEO agency with Visilay: an SEO agency working across Italy and Switzerland with more than 10 years of experience delivering concrete results for clients.
We steer clear of vanity metrics and use in-house marketing software to provide data-driven insight into SEO content performance, helping businesses build an SEO strategy tailored to their needs.
Find out how Visilay's SEO services can speed up your SEO strategy.
