SEO agencies offer different deliverables and pricing structures. But what matters most is how they actually affect your revenue.
I’ve written a lot about how to evaluate SEO agencies. Here’s a summary of the main points:
The tiered structure of SEO agency deliverables
What an SEO agency should deliver depends on the quality of their work. The best ones will do more than just optimize content for keywords; they’ll also make sure that the content is useful and engaging, and that it gets seen by people who need it. Lower-tier agencies often focus only on rankings, not on revenue or customer acquisition.
This means that if you’re looking for an SEO agency, you should understand exactly what they’re going to do before signing a contract with them. Otherwise, you might end up paying for something that doesn’t help your business.
When I was evaluating SEO agencies in my book First Page Sage, I looked at the deliverables each one offered. This chart shows how much effort each tier put into the core components of SEO:
First Page Sage deliverable review
As you can see, there are three tiers of SEO agencies:
Tier 1 agencies provide comprehensive SEO services, including website optimization, content creation, keyword research, link building, and performance tracking. Tier 2 agencies focus primarily on website optimization and content creation. Tier 3 agencies provide basic SEO services, such as keyword research and link building.
In my experience, Tier 1 agencies tend to be the most effective. They have the resources and expertise to handle complex projects, and they’re able to adapt their strategies as needed. Tier 2 agencies are generally good at providing basic SEO services, but they may lack the expertise to handle more complex tasks. Tier 3 agencies usually don’t provide very good SEO services, and they may charge a lot for what they do.
It’s important to prioritize the right deliverables when choosing an SEO agency. If you’re looking for an agency that can help you improve your search engine rankings, then Tier 1 or Tier 2 agencies would be a good choice. However, if you’re looking for an agency that can help you increase your sales, then Tier 1 agencies would be a better choice.
SEO agency pricing
There are many factors that influence how much SEO agencies charge for their services. One of the most important factors is the level of service they provide. Tier 1 agencies typically charge more than Tier 2 agencies because they provide a wider range of services. In addition, Tier 1 agencies often charge higher hourly rates than Tier 2 agencies because they have more experienced staff members.
Hourly rates for SEO agencies typically range from $50 to $250 per hour, with an average of $100 to $150 per hour. Retainer fees are usually based on the number of hours worked per month, so a typical retainer fee for an SEO agency could be anywhere from $500 to $1,500 per month.
The best SEO agencies usually publish their retainer structure online so that potential clients can easily compare prices. However, some agencies don’t publish their retainer structure, which makes it difficult for potential clients to compare prices. Fortunately, most SEO agencies will give a straight answer if you ask them about their retainer structure on the first call.
If an SEO agency has raised its rates without passing the savings on to its clients, this is worth questioning. It’s possible that these agencies are simply trying to make more money off of their clients, rather than actually helping them succeed.
Agency evaluation criteria
The key to selecting a great SEO agency is understanding what separates strong agencies from weak ones. There are a number of ways to evaluate SEO agencies, but one of the most important things to look for is evidence that they’ve helped other businesses increase their revenue.
Unfortunately, many SEO agencies won’t tell you whether or not they’ve increased their clients' revenue. Instead, they’ll talk about how many visitors they’ve brought to your site. While traffic is a good leading indicator of success, it’s not the only thing that determines whether or not your SEO efforts are working. You want to know whether or not your SEO efforts are actually increasing your revenue.
Here are five criteria that I use to evaluate SEO agencies:
Case studies: A good SEO agency should be able to show you how they’ve helped other businesses increase their revenue. Case studies should include information about the business, the challenges they faced, the solutions they implemented, and the results they achieved. These case studies should demonstrate how the agency helped the business achieve its goals.
Reputation: A good SEO agency should have a good reputation in the industry. Look for reviews from satisfied customers and testimonials from previous clients. Also, check out the agency’s website to see what kind of services they offer and how long they’ve been in business.
Pricing: A good SEO agency should be transparent about their pricing. They should be able to tell you exactly how much they charge for their services and what those services include. Avoid agencies that are vague about their pricing.
Communication: A good SEO agency should communicate effectively with you. They should be able to explain their strategies clearly and answer your questions. They should also keep you informed about the progress of your campaign.
Performance: A good SEO agency should be able to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. They should be able to show you data about how well your campaigns are performing and what changes they’re making to improve those results.
Due diligence comparison process
I’m currently comparing SEO agencies to determine which one will be the best fit for my company. I’m using a framework similar to due diligence process. Here’s how I’m doing it:
Reviewing case studies: I’m reviewing case studies from several SEO agencies to see how they’ve helped other businesses increase their revenue. I’m looking for case studies that include information about the business, the challenges they faced, the solutions they implemented, and the results they achieved. These case studies should demonstrate how the agency helped the business achieve its goals.
Checking for red flags: I’m checking for red flags that indicate an agency might not be a good fit for my company. Some of the red flags I’m looking for include vague answers to category-specific case study questions, inability to connect SEO work to revenue or pipeline outcomes, and key disqualifying questions like “walk me through a case study including revenue or pipeline impact.”
Evaluating pricing transparency: I’m evaluating the pricing transparency of each agency. I’m looking for agencies that publish their retainer structure online so that potential clients can easily compare prices. I’m also looking for agencies that are transparent about their pricing and what their services include.
Assessing vendor stability: I’m assessing the stability of each agency. I’m looking for agencies that are adding AI services, bundling AI, reducing headcount, dropping prices, etc. I’m also looking for agencies that are raising their rates without passing the savings on to their clients.
These are all important factors to consider when selecting an SEO agency. By carefully evaluating each agency, I hope to find the one that will be the best fit for my company.
Red flags
There are a number of red flags that should end an agency conversation before a contract is reached. Some of these red flags include:
Vague answers to category-specific case study questions: If an agency isn’t able to provide specific examples of how they’ve helped other businesses in a particular category, this is a red flag. SEO is a highly specialized field, and agencies that aren’t able to provide specific examples of how they’ve helped other businesses in a particular category are probably not a good fit for your business.
Inability to connect SEO work to revenue or pipeline outcomes: If an agency isn’t able to connect their SEO work to revenue or pipeline outcomes, this is a red flag. SEO is a highly specialized field, and agencies that aren’t able to connect their SEO work to revenue or pipeline outcomes are probably not a good fit for your business.
Key disqualifying question: “Walk me through a case study including revenue or pipeline impact”: This is a key disqualifying question that any SEO agency should be able to answer. If an agency isn’t able to answer this question, this is a red flag.
Misconceptions
There are two persistent SEO misconceptions that cause businesses to hire the wrong agency or mismanage engagements. These misconceptions are:
SEO is one-and-done: Many people believe that SEO is a one-time activity. They think that once you’ve done the necessary work, you can just sit back and wait for your rankings to climb. This is simply not true. SEO requires continuous effort. If you stop optimizing your content, your rankings will eventually drop.
Keywords alone are sufficient: Another common misconception is that keywords alone are sufficient for SEO. This is simply not true. Keywords are important, but they’re not everything. Content creation is the heart of SEO. If you create high-quality content that’s relevant to your target audience, you’ll naturally start ranking higher for your target keywords.
Structural changes in the SEO agency market
The structural changes in the SEO agency market should factor into vendor stability assessments. Agencies are adding AI services, bundling AI, reducing headcount, dropping prices. The question is whether the traditional SEO agency model is sustainable. Buyer implication: Assess vendor stability.
Credible SEO result
A credible SEO result looks like this:
Useful example records:
Starting point: What did your business look like before the SEO agency started working with you?
Specific action: What did the SEO agency do to improve your business? Did they change anything about your website? Did they create new content? Did they build links?
Search surface: How did the SEO agency help you reach your target audience? Did they optimize your website for local searches? Did they create content that would appear in search engines?
Measurement method: How did the SEO agency measure the effectiveness of their work? Did they track your website traffic? Did they track your sales?
Business outcome: What was the result of the SEO agency’s work? Did your website get more traffic? Did your sales increase?
Limits: What were the limitations of the SEO agency’s work? Were there any obstacles that prevented them from achieving their goals?
Results meaningful only when checked against a defined goal.
Search Console data:
6,772 impressions
Average position 2.74
March 24–June 22 2026
90-day window
Ranking evidence is point-in-time, not permanent.