How to Choose an SEO Company: A Virginia Buyer’s Checklist

Every SEO company says it can get you to the top of Google. The sales calls start to sound the same. So how do you pick?

Most business owners go with whoever sounds most confident. That’s how people end up in a 12-month contract with an agency that sends a monthly PDF and nothing else.

This guide shows how to choose an SEO company using checks you can run yourself, in an afternoon, without knowing much about SEO. Run them on every agency you talk to. Us included.

The short answer

To choose an SEO company, check 9 things before you sign:

1. You know what you need (local, technical, content or links).
2. They rank for their own services in Virginia.
3. They show results you can check yourself.
4. They know your industry and your part of the state.
5. You own your accounts, website and data.
6. The contract lets you leave without a penalty.
7. You know who does the work.
8. Reports show calls and leads.
9. They never guarantee #1 rankings.

Each check is covered below.

Start with what you need

SEO covers several jobs, and most businesses only need 2 or 3 of them. Knowing which ones keeps you from paying for work you don’t need.

A dental practice in Northern Virginia and a manufacturer in the Shenandoah Valley need very different work. A good agency figures this out by asking you questions. A weak one sends the same package to everyone.

Google makes the same point in its own advice on hiring an SEO. A good SEO should ask what makes your business different, who your competitors are and how your customers find you. If they don’t ask, Google’s advice is to find someone who will.

Check whether they can rank themselves

This is the fastest test there is. Open Google and search for “SEO company” plus your city: Richmond, Norfolk, Roanoke, Arlington, wherever you are.

Is the agency on page 1? If they can’t rank their own business in Virginia, ask why they’d do better for yours.

There are fair exceptions. A new agency may be strong and still building its own site. A national agency may rank for bigger terms. But they should have a clear answer when you ask. “We’re too busy with client work” isn’t one.

Ask for results you can verify

Every agency has a case study. Few let you check it.

Ask for 2 or 3 client websites and the searches they rank for. Then search those terms yourself, in a private browser window so your own history doesn’t skew the results. If the client shows up, the claim holds. If you can’t find them, ask why.

Also ask to speak with a past client. Google suggests this too: ask whether the SEO was useful, easy to work with and got results. An agency that can’t produce one reference in your state is telling you something.

Experience in your industry and your part of Virginia

SEO for a Tysons law firm is a different fight from SEO for a Roanoke HVAC company. The first competes with dozens of firms that have spent years building links. The second competes with a handful of local companies on a map.

Ask which businesses like yours they’ve worked with. We work with a Roanoke HVAC company, a dental practice, an Asian restaurant, a CPA firm and a law firm, and each one needed a different plan. Our overview of how SEO changes by industry shows why.

Make sure you own your accounts, website and data

This is the check most people skip. It matters most when you leave.

Before you sign, confirm in writing that you own:

• Your website and domain. The domain should be registered in your name, on your account.
• Your Google Business Profile. You should be the primary owner. The agency gets manager access.
• Google Search Console and Google Analytics. These should be your accounts, with the agency added as a user.
• The content they write. Blog posts and service pages you paid for should stay on your site if you part ways.

Google adds one more point. If an agency offers a free audit, give it read access to Search Console only. Write access can wait until you’ve hired them.

Contracts, reporting and who does the work

The contract

Many agencies ask for 6 or 12 months up front. SEO does take time, often several months before you see steady movement. But a long contract mainly protects the agency.

We work month to month. If we’re not earning the fee, you can leave. Whatever you choose, read the exit terms before you sign, and ask what happens to your content and accounts on the way out.

For prices, see our breakdown of how much SEO costs in Virginia, including what each budget buys.

Who does the work

Ask who will work on your account every week. Is it the person on the sales call, a team member or a contractor overseas? Any of these can work. You should still know, and you should have a name to email.

What the reports show

A report full of rankings and “impressions” can look good while your phone stays quiet. Ask what the monthly report will show. The useful answer includes calls, form fills and direction requests from your Google Business Profile. Rankings matter because they lead to those.

Red flags that should end the conversation

Some claims should make you walk away:

• “We guarantee #1 on Google.” Google states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking. It also warns against anyone claiming a “special relationship” with Google.
• Secret methods. If they won’t explain what they’ll change on your site, don’t hand them the keys. Google notes that you’re responsible for what a company you hire does to your site.
• Cheap link packages. “500 backlinks for $99” usually means links from spam sites. These can hurt you.
• Fake reviews. Some agencies sell review packages. The FTC banned buying and selling fake reviews in August 2024, with civil penalties for businesses that knowingly break the rule.
• Cold emails about your “ranking problems.” Google says it gets these spam emails too.

Questions to ask an SEO company on the first call

Take this list to every call. Write down the answers so you can compare agencies side by side.

1. Which Virginia businesses like mine have you worked with?
2. Can I see 2 or 3 client sites and the searches they rank for?
3. What would you fix first on my site, and why?
4. Who will do the work each week?
5. What will you need from me, and how often?
6. What will the monthly report show?
7. Who owns the website, content and accounts if I leave?
8. How long is the contract, and how do I end it?
9. When should I expect to see results, and how will we measure them?

A good agency answers these quickly and clearly. It will also have questions of its own about your customers, your competitors and what a new lead is worth to you.

Want to see how we’d answer these for your business? Contact us and ask us all 9.

Local agency or national agency?

Both can work. Here’s how they compare for most Virginia businesses:

If your customers come from a few Virginia cities, local knowledge usually matters more than size. You can see the cities we serve across the state.

The next step

Choosing an SEO company comes down to a few checks: their own rankings, results you can verify, who owns your accounts and how you get out of the contract. None of them need SEO knowledge.

Run those checks on anyone you’re considering. If you’d like us to be one of them, contact us. Tell us where you’re based, what you sell and what’s frustrating you about search today. We’ll tell you what we’d fix first, and you can hold us to every check in this guide.