19 Questions to Ask an SEO Agency

Our approach is built around a philosophy we call "Own Page One" — the belief that sustainable search visibility isn't bought, it's built. We combine technical SEO, UX optimization, and content strategy into a single, unified program tailored to each client. We don't chase short-term ranking spikes or rely on tactics that need to be constantly replaced. We build the kind of search authority that holds up through algorithm updates and compounds over time.

In 2025, that also means Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). AI-powered answer engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity — are reshaping how people find and evaluate businesses. We optimize for those platforms as well, so your business gets cited when people ask AI tools for recommendations in your category. GO-SEO has been doing this since 2007, which means we've navigated every major search shift — and we know how to adapt without losing what's already working.

Every engagement starts with discovery. Before we target a single keyword or write a line of copy, we learn your brand voice, your ideal customers, your competitive landscape, and your revenue priorities. Your SEO strategy is not a template with your name dropped in — it's built from the ground up around your specific situation.

We research your industry, analyze what your top competitors are ranking for (and where they're underperforming), and map that intelligence to a plan that reflects your goals. If your tone is buttoned-up professional, our content reflects that. If it's conversational and direct, we match it. SEO that doesn't sound like you doesn't convert even when it ranks.

We've worked with clients across a wide range of industries — photographers, service businesses, moving companies, professional services, and more. That said, if we haven't specifically worked in your vertical, we don't view that as a gap — we view it as an opportunity to bring fresh eyes and rigorous research.

When we take on a new industry, we do deep competitive analysis: auditing the top-ranking sites in your category, understanding the search intent behind your target keywords, and identifying the content and authority signals that actually drive results in your space. Our methodology is built to transfer across verticals. What we don't do is assume we know your industry before studying it.

Biweekly. Every two weeks you'll receive a report covering key performance metrics, what we worked on during the period, and what's planned for the next cycle. We scale the format to your preference — some clients want a concise five-bullet email summary, others want a full visual dashboard with live data. We'll set up the reporting format that works for you at the start of the engagement.

And unlike larger agencies, when you call us, you reach us. We answer our own phone.

Carefully, and over time. We build links the right way — earning them from relevant, authoritative sources through content quality, genuine outreach, and relationships. We don't buy links, participate in link exchanges, or touch private blog networks.

We also don't front-load your backlink profile with a sudden spike of new links — a pattern that can trigger algorithmic scrutiny and do more harm than good. Our approach is gradual, selective, and white-hat from day one. A smaller number of high-quality, contextually relevant links is worth more than a large volume of low-quality ones, and it's far less likely to create problems when Google updates its guidelines.

We run a professional-grade stack that covers every dimension of SEO performance:

• Ahrefs — backlink analysis, keyword research, competitor intelligence
• Sitebulb — in-depth technical SEO audits
• Google Analytics 4 + Google Search Console — traffic and search performance data
• Looker Studio — custom visual reporting dashboards
• Ubersuggest — keyword and AI prompt research
• Otterly.ai — GEO/AI visibility monitoring (how you appear in AI-generated answers)
• GTmetrix + PageSpeed Insights — Core Web Vitals and page speed analysis
• Microsoft Clarity — user behavior heatmaps and session recordings

These tools are part of our engagement — you don't pay for them separately or manage separate subscriptions.

Constant, ongoing attention. We monitor industry forums and publications — Search Engine Land, Search Engine Roundtable, Google Search Central Blog — and participate in webinars and professional communities where algorithm changes are analyzed in real time. We also watch the data: pattern shifts in rankings or traffic often signal an update before Google formally announces one.

When a significant update rolls out, we review your site's performance relative to the change and adjust strategy where needed. We don't panic-react to every fluctuation, but we don't ignore signals either.

You'll work directly with Blake Discher — GO-SEO's founder and lead strategist — throughout the entire engagement. Blake is supported by a research and implementation assistant, but strategy, decisions, and client communication run through him.

There's no bait-and-switch here. The person you speak with in your first call is the person managing your account. You won't be handed off to a junior team member after signing, and you won't need to re-explain your business every time you have a question. Direct access to a senior strategist who knows your account inside and out is one of the genuine advantages of working with a focused, boutique agency.

A few key things:

• Access to GA4 and Google Search Console — we can't report on what we can't see
• Website access — either direct CMS access or a developer contact who can implement technical recommendations promptly
• Honest communication about business goals — knowing what actually drives revenue (not just what ranks) lets us prioritize the right work
• Timely content feedback — if approvals lag, progress slows accordingly

The clients who see the best results treat the relationship as a partnership, not a hands-off outsourced service. We bring the strategy and execution. You bring the business context and the access. That combination is what produces results.

SEO works best as a multiplier, not a silo. Content we develop for search can fuel your email marketing, social media, and sales conversations. Strong organic rankings reduce dependence on paid advertising over time — which has an ongoing cost no matter what. And the keyword intelligence we develop often reveals things about your customers' language and intent that improve other marketing channels too.

We'll help you understand where SEO intersects with your other efforts — and where it can do the most work for the lowest ongoing cost. For most SMBs, a strong organic presence is the highest-ROI marketing investment over a 2–3 year horizon.

GO-SEO was founded in 2007 — which means we've been doing this for nearly two decades. We've operated through the era of keyword stuffing and exact-match domains, through Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, BERT, Core Web Vitals, the Helpful Content Update, and now the AI-powered search revolution.

That kind of longevity isn't just a number. It means we've seen every cycle, survived every major algorithmic shift, and built a methodology that's designed to hold up through the long game. Most agencies that were cutting corners in 2012 aren't around anymore.

We track the metrics that connect to your actual business goals:

• Organic traffic — overall and by landing page
• Keyword rankings — target terms and their movement over time
• Conversion signals — form submissions, calls, page engagement
• AI visibility — how often and accurately your business appears in AI-generated search results
• Technical health — crawl errors, Core Web Vitals, indexation status

Reporting is biweekly and scaled to your preferences — from a tight email summary to a full Looker Studio dashboard with live GA4 and Search Console integration.

Yes — and all three are non-negotiable. Here's why each one matters:

Technical SEO ensures search engines can crawl, render, and index your site correctly. Without a solid technical foundation, everything else is undermined — your content may not be indexed, your pages may load too slowly to rank, and structural issues can actively suppress performance.

UX (User Experience) Optimization ensures that once a visitor lands on your page, they stay, engage, and convert. Google reads behavioral signals like bounce rate, dwell time, and interaction patterns. A page that ranks but fails to satisfy users will lose its position over time.

Content is how you communicate relevance and authority — to search engines and to the people you're trying to reach. Properly researched, structured, and targeted content does the heavy lifting for both organic rankings and AI-generated citations.

We address all three, because treating them as separate workstreams is where most SEO programs develop weaknesses.

Honestly, it depends on where you're starting from and how competitive your market is. Here's a realistic general timeline:

• Weeks 1–4: Technical audit, strategy, baseline measurement, initial fixes. Early crawl and indexation improvements often show up in Search Console quickly.
• Months 2–3: Content production begins, on-page optimization rolls out, early movement on lower-competition terms.
• Months 3–6: Meaningful keyword ranking shifts, early traffic growth on optimized pages.
• Months 6–12: Compounding results — more content indexed, backlink authority building, measurable organic lead growth.

We'll set expectations specific to your situation during onboarding. We won't promise rankings by a certain date — anyone who does is overselling. What we will do is show measurable progress at every stage.

We start with your business — specifically, which services or products generate the most revenue and carry the clearest buyer intent. From there, we research search volume, keyword difficulty, and search intent to identify terms we can realistically compete for that will send buyers (not just browsers) to your site.

We also conduct competitor gap analysis — identifying keywords your top competitors rank for that you currently don't — and prioritize opportunities where the gap can be closed efficiently. And because AI-powered answer engines are increasingly important, we map AI prompt patterns (the way people phrase questions to ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity) to identify content opportunities that traditional keyword tools often miss.

Ongoing competitive monitoring is built into our process, not treated as a separate project. We track where your competitors are building authority, what content they're publishing, where their rankings are growing — and where they're weak. When we spot an opportunity they're not capitalizing on, we move.

We also think ahead of where search is going. Positioning your business for AI-powered search now — before your competitors do — is one of the clearest differentiation plays available to SMBs in 2025. We're building that positioning into every engagement.

We work on a monthly retainer, with scope and investment determined by your goals, your site's current state, and the competitiveness of your market. We don't publish flat-rate packages because we don't believe in one-size-fits-all SEO — the work required to dominate a local service area is different from what it takes to compete nationally.

We'll discuss your situation before quoting. Once we agree on scope, your monthly retainer stays fixed for the duration of the relationship — no mid-contract price increases, no surprise add-ons.

We require a minimum six-month commitment. The reason is practical: SEO is a compounding investment. The first 2–3 months are heavily weighted toward research, technical groundwork, and foundational content — work that pays off in months 4–9. Evaluating SEO performance at month two is like judging a marathon at mile four.

Six months is the minimum window to see meaningful, attributable results and make a fair assessment of the program.

If you choose to end the engagement before completing the six-month minimum term, we require 30 days written notice plus a one-month service fee. This covers the work already in progress on your behalf.

After the minimum term, you may cancel with 30 days written notice at any time — no additional penalty.