Hiring a digital marketing agency or freelancer is a significant decision: you are trusting someone with your budget, your brand and often your website. Having worked on the freelance side for six years, these are the questions I would ask if I were hiring.
1. Be clear about your own goals first
Before you compare agencies, write down what you want: more enquiries, online sales, applications, or visibility for a specific service. Add a rough budget and timeline. An agency can only be judged against a clear goal.
2. Check that their services match your needs
Some agencies are strong in SEO and content, others in paid advertising, social media or web design. Ask which services they deliver in-house and which they outsource.
3. Look at case studies and references
Ask for examples from businesses similar to yours, with the problem, what they did and the result. Then ask to speak to one or two clients. Specific, verifiable results are worth more than impressive logos.
4. Ask how they would approach your business
A good agency asks questions before proposing solutions. Ask them to outline how they would tackle your goal in the first three months and why. Generic packages that look the same for every client are a warning sign.
5. Examine their SEO methods
Ask how they build links and create content. Look for:
- research-based content written for your audience;
- technical improvements to your website;
- links earned through useful resources, partnerships and genuine outreach.
Be wary of anyone who sells links in bulk or promises quick wins. Google’s own guidance on hiring an SEO is clear that no one can guarantee a number-one ranking.
6. Meet the people who will do the work
Find out who will actually work on your account and what experience they have. Senior people often sell; make sure you know who delivers.
7. Understand the pricing
Ask what is included, what costs extra, how long the minimum term is and what happens to your accounts, content and data if you leave. You should own your website, analytics and ad accounts.
8. Agree on communication and reporting
Agree how often you will meet and what reports will show. Good reports connect activity to business results — enquiries, sales or applications — not only to rankings and impressions.
9. Ask about tools and access
Which tools do they use for research, reporting and project management? Will you have access to the data? Transparency here usually reflects transparency elsewhere.
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings or guaranteed traffic numbers.
- Refusal to explain methods (“it’s our secret formula”).
- Contracts that give the agency ownership of your website or accounts.
- No references, or references that cannot be contacted.
Conclusion
The right agency understands your goals, explains its methods, reports honestly and leaves you in control of your assets. Take your time, ask the questions above and compare answers side by side.
If you work in the water or environmental sector and want a technical specialist rather than a generalist agency, see my content and SEO services.
