What Should I Look for in an SEO Agency? (7 Criteria)
Seven criteria for evaluating an SEO agency in 2026: methodology, named team, sector case studies, transparent pricing, short contract, AI search coverage, and a paid audit option.
Look for seven things in an SEO agency: published methodology, a named senior strategist on your account, two case studies in your sector with revenue data, transparent monthly retainer (£1,500 to £8,000+ for most UK SMEs), short rolling contract (3 or 6 months), AI search coverage (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews), and a paid audit option before any retainer. Avoid agencies that guarantee rankings or use anonymous team language.
The seven criteria
| Criterion | What good looks like | What bad looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Published methodology | A process page explaining audit, prioritisation, and measurement | "We do SEO" with no detail |
| Named senior strategist | Founder, director, or principal named on your account | Anonymous "our experts"; account passed to juniors after sale |
| Sector case studies | Two case studies in your vertical with traffic AND revenue data | Logo wall with no figures; testimonials only |
| Transparent pricing | Starting-from figures or pricing tiers published | "Contact us for pricing" only |
| Short rolling contract | 3 or 6-month rolling, with notice period | 12-month lock-in with full early-exit penalty |
| AI search coverage | Explicit deliverables for ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Bing | "AI search" mentioned only on the homepage |
| Paid audit option | £500 to £2,000 standalone audit before retainer | "Free audit" that is just a sales call |
Five red flags to walk away from
- Guaranteed rankings. No agency can guarantee Google placement or AI citations. Anyone who claims otherwise is either inexperienced or deliberately misleading.
- 12-month lock-in with full early-exit penalty. Reasonable agencies offer rolling contracts because they back their work. Long lock-ins protect the agency, not you.
- Anonymous team. No team page, or a team page with stock photos and first names only. You should know who is doing the work.
- No published methodology. If they cannot explain their process on a public page, they probably do not have one.
- No AI search coverage in 2026. AI Overviews now appear on 18% of UK Google searches and ChatGPT search is in the millions of weekly queries. SEO that ignores AI platforms is leaving demand on the table.
Sector experience matters more than you think
For regulated or technical sectors (financial services, healthcare, legal, SaaS, B2B technology), sector-specialist agencies bring keyword maps, schema templates, link prospects, and compliance awareness that generalists need months to build. Ask for two case studies in your specific vertical, not just adjacent ones.
For retail, hospitality, and local services, sector experience matters less. A strong generalist with good local SEO chops will usually deliver as well as a sector specialist.
What about AI search agencies specifically?
If your priority is AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews), the criteria shift slightly. See the AI search agency criteria for how AI-specialist evaluation differs from classic SEO.
Use the directory to shortlist
Browse the SEOCompare directory for UK agencies that meet these criteria, filtered by sector, budget, and platform coverage. Use the matcher for a personalised three-to-five-company shortlist. See how SEOCompare evaluates every agency.
Related questions
Oliver Mackman
AI Search Analyst, SEOCompare
Oliver leads SEOCompare's editorial and comparison research. With over a decade in digital marketing, he oversees agency evaluation, tool testing, and AI search data analysis.
Last reviewed: 7 April 2026
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