Ask an SEO agency to explain how it would improve your specific business, not just show a standard package. The conversation should connect your services, customer language and enquiry process to a prioritised workload. Clear deliverables are more useful than promises of dominance.
Ask how priorities are chosen
What would the team inspect first? Which service pages are missing? Is the website technically accessible to search engines? What needs your approval? A provider should distinguish observed problems from hypotheses that need investigation.
Request examples of actual work: page rewrites, technical fixes and reporting that explains business relevance. Check whether the agency implements changes itself or only recommends them. Both models can work, but the contract must reflect the difference.
Inspect reporting quality
Ask how non-brand searches, relevant landing pages and qualified enquiries are assessed. A single ranking screenshot or total traffic figure can hide irrelevant visitors. Look for explanations of completed work and unresolved dependencies.
For a Belgian multilingual project, ask who researches and reviews each language. Translating the same keyword list literally can miss local wording. Clarify whether all languages are included in the monthly scope.
Read commercial terms
Check minimum duration, cancellation, account ownership and access. Ask which content and reports remain yours at the end. Identify separate costs for writing, development, software or external placements. Require transparency about any proposed link acquisition.
An agency cannot guarantee Google’s positions or your sales team’s close rate. It can commit to defined work, communication and review. Make the distinction explicit before paying for a long engagement.
Take these questions to the call
- What will be delivered in the first phase?
- Who executes each recommendation?
- How will we evaluate relevance and lead quality?
- What happens when the initial plan needs to change?
Choose the team that can explain tradeoffs and responsibilities plainly. Your proposal should make it possible to check progress without learning every SEO acronym.
A brief you can use to compare proposals
Use the following as an illustrative procurement check, not a promise of results or a fixed package. Ask the provider to turn it into named deliverables, exclusions and a test you can witness before accepting the work.
Ask for a prioritized action list and evidence of implementation rather than a promised ranking position.
A published example to inspect
A calm, editorial website for a beauty studio, bringing natural sugaring, manicure services and booking into one coherent experience. Visitors can compare treatments and prices, understand sugaring, explore the studio and continue to booking from clearly placed calls to action.
Inspect the project: Maison Lumia
This published example illustrates presentation and visitor flow. It is not evidence of a conversion uplift, a ranking position or a price for your own project. Compare the scope you need with the capabilities actually demonstrated, then ask what would be different for your business.
Primary reference
Google Search Central. Use the reference to check terminology and platform requirements when briefing a provider; the proposal still needs to define your own implementation and responsibilities.
Continue your comparison
Local SEO Agency or DIY: When Should a Belgian Business Outsource?
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