Short answer: Google says hiring an SEO can improve your site’s visibility and save you time, but an irresponsible one can damage your site and reputation. Learn the basics first, interview the company, check references and give only read access for an audit. Turn down anyone who guarantees first place.
Do you need an SEO company?
Not always. For a small local business, Google thinks you can probably handle much of the work on your own. It suggests starting with its SEO Starter Guide; our SEO checklist puts the basics in order. Knowing them helps you spot techniques Google discourages.
Google never takes payment to include or rank a site, and the free results cost nothing to appear in. It suggests bringing an SEO in early, while you plan a redesign or the launch of a new site, though a good SEO can also improve an existing one.
| What you hear | Why it is a warning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “We guarantee first place” | Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking | Find someone else |
| “We have a special relationship with Google” | Google names this claim as a warning sign | Ask how they really work |
| “Link to us” or “we submit you to thousands of engines” | Google calls these useless for rankings | Avoid them |
Our summary of Google Search Central, read November 5, 2026.
Questions for the interview
Google suggests interviewing the company: ask for examples of past work, what results they expect and in what timeframe, how they measure success and whether they will tell you about every change on your site. A good one asks about you too.
Check references with past clients. Our guide to hiring a web designer walks through the same interview for the people who build your site.
Warning signs
Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking, and to be wary of SEOs that claim a special relationship with Google or advertise a priority submit. Be careful with a company that is secretive or won’t say clearly what it plans to do.
You should never have to link to an SEO, and Google calls link popularity schemes and submitting your site to thousands of search engines useless exercises. It also warns about firms that send you unsolicited emails.
If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content for you, your site could be removed from Google’s index. Google adds that you are responsible for the actions of any company you hire.
Audits, tools and AI claims
If a company offers an audit, give it only read access in Search Console, never write access at that stage. Our Search Console guide covers the permissions. The audit should give you realistic estimates of improvement and of the work involved. Our SEO audit guide shows what one covers.
Google doesn’t evaluate or endorse third-party SEO tools, and those tools have no access to its internal ranking data. Ask whether their advice cites Google’s own documentation, including any advice on AI features, sometimes sold as AEO or GEO.
How to choose an SEO company
- Read Google’s SEO Starter Guide so you know the basics.
- Write down what you want: more calls, a new site or fixes to the one you have.
- Interview the company with Google’s questions on past work, results, timeframe and how they measure success.
- Call past clients and ask whether the work was useful and the results positive.
- For an audit, grant read-only access in Search Console.
- Ask that every change and recommendation be shared with the reasoning behind it.
- Walk away from guarantees, secret methods and offers that arrive by unsolicited email.
Before you sign
- No one promised you the top spot.
- You know what they will change and why.
- Past clients confirmed the work was useful.
- The audit came with realistic estimates.
- Search Console access for the audit is read only.
- Their advice cites Google’s own documentation.
RememberA good SEO company explains what it will do, shares every change and never promises first place. You stay responsible for what it does on your site.
Our SEO service is one option; ask us the same questions. If your business is in Miami, our page on bilingual SEO in Miami shows how that work runs in English and Spanish. You can reach us on WhatsApp or through the form.
Quick answers about choosing an SEO company
Can an SEO company guarantee first place on Google?
No. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking, and that if someone guarantees their changes will put you in first place, you should find someone else. It also warns about claims of a special relationship with Google.
Do I pay Google to appear in the free results?
No. Google says it never accepts money to include or rank sites in its search results, and that appearing in the organic results costs nothing. What you pay an SEO company is for their work on your site.
Can a small business do its own SEO?
Much of it, according to Google, which says that if you run a small local business you can probably do much of the work yourself. It recommends starting with its SEO Starter Guide, which describes much of what an SEO would do.
What access should I give an SEO for an audit?
Read access to Search Console only, Google advises, without write access at that stage. The audit should give you realistic estimates of improvement and of the work involved.
Where can I complain about a dishonest SEO?
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices, and you can file one on its website. For a company in another country, Google points to econsumer.gov.
Sources
Read on November 5, 2026. Google Search Central: Do You Need an SEO? Tips for Hiring an SEO.