SEO is uniquely easy to sell badly. The results take months, the mechanics are invisible to most clients, and a monthly report full of graphs can look identical whether real work happened or not. These questions are designed to make that difference visible before you sign.
Published: August 2026. Written by Khaled Samy, Founder & CEO of Aelaany, based on the questions Egyptian and Gulf clients ask us before signing — and the ones they should.
About strategy
- “Which specific keywords will we target, and why those?” You want to hear reasoning about intent and competitiveness, not a list generated by a tool. If every target is a broad two-word phrase, they are selling you a fight you will lose.
- “What did you find when you looked at our site?” Anyone proposing without having looked is proposing to guess.
- “Which of our pages should rank for what?” A good answer maps existing pages to intents and identifies gaps. A weak answer talks about “optimising the website”.
About the actual work
- “Who writes the content, and in which languages?” If you need Arabic, ask who writes it and whether it is written or translated. This single question filters out a lot of providers.
- “Do you implement technical fixes, or hand us a list?” Both models are legitimate. Confusing them is how sites sit for months with a to-do list nobody actioned.
- “How do you approach links and mentions?” Listen for anything resembling bulk purchasing. Cheap links are the fastest way to damage a healthy site, and the damage takes far longer to undo than it took to cause.
- “How much of this is automated?” Tools are fine and normal. A service that is only tools is a subscription you could buy yourself.
About measurement
- “What will the monthly report contain?” Ask to see a real one with another client’s details removed. Rankings alone are not enough — you want organic traffic, the pages earning it, and enquiries.
- “How will we know this is working at month three?” Rankings for competitive terms may not have moved by then. A capable provider can name leading indicators — indexation, impressions, long-tail movement — that appear well before revenue does.
About ownership and exit
- “Whose name is on the accounts?” Search Console, Analytics, your Business Profile, your hosting and your domain must be yours. This is not negotiable, and reluctance here is disqualifying.
- “If we stop, what do we keep?” Content published on your site stays yours. Confirm that anything else — documents, tracking setups, dashboards — is handed over.
- “What is the notice period?” A commitment period on a service whose results take months is a fair ask; twelve months with no performance review is not.
Answers that should end it
- “We guarantee page one.” Impossible to promise honestly.
- “We have a special relationship with Google.” No such thing exists.
- “We’ll submit you to 500 directories.” A tactic from a previous decade that now causes harm.
- “You don’t need to worry about the details.” You do, and the phrasing suggests a reason they would rather you did not look.
One last check
Search for the provider’s own target terms and see where they rank. It is not conclusive — plenty of good agencies are too busy with clients to optimise their own site — but combined with everything above, it is a useful final data point. If they cannot explain their own position credibly, that itself is the answer.
If the technical side is where you get stuck, that is exactly what our SEO service for businesses in Egypt and the Gulf covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I ask an SEO company about strategy?
Which specific keywords will we target and why those, what did you find when you looked at our site, and which of our pages should rank for what. You want reasoning about intent and competitiveness rather than a list generated by a tool, and anyone proposing without having looked is proposing to guess.
How do I check who writes the content?
Ask who writes it and in which languages. If you need Arabic, ask whether it is written or translated. This single question filters out a lot of providers.
What should a monthly SEO report contain?
Ask to see a real one with another client’s details removed. Rankings alone are not enough: you want organic traffic, the pages earning it, and enquiries. Also ask how you will know it is working at month three, because a capable provider can name leading indicators such as indexation, impressions and long-tail movement that appear well before revenue does.
Whose name should the accounts be in?
Yours. Search Console, Analytics, your Business Profile, your hosting and your domain must all be yours. This is not negotiable, and reluctance here is disqualifying. Confirm too that if you stop, documents, tracking setups and dashboards are handed over.
Which answers should end the conversation?
We guarantee page one, we have a special relationship with Google, we will submit you to 500 directories, and you do not need to worry about the details. A guarantee is impossible to promise honestly, no special relationship exists, mass directory submission is a tactic from a previous decade that now causes harm, and the last phrasing suggests a reason they would rather you did not look.
Should I judge an SEO company by its own rankings?
It is a useful final data point, not a conclusion. Plenty of good agencies are too busy with clients to optimise their own site. But if they cannot explain their own position credibly, that itself is the answer.
More in: SEO