Hiring an SEO provider goes well when you know what good work looks like before the first call. Most disappointing engagements share the same warning signs: vague promises, no clear plan, reports built on rankings nobody searches for, and accounts controlled by the agency. This checklist helps BC owners avoid them, whoever they hire, including us.
Before you talk to anyone
Spend thirty minutes getting your own facts straight. It makes every conversation sharper.
- List the towns you actually serve, and the ones you'd like to grow into.
- Name your two or three most profitable job types.
- Estimate current enquiries per month, and how many come from Google.
- Check who controls your accounts: domain, website, Google Business Profile, Search Console and analytics. Write down whose name each is in.
- Work out what a new customer is worth to you, using average job value and margin.
With those five facts, you can judge whether a proposal fits your business or is a generic package.
Questions to ask on the first call
Good providers answer these directly. Evasive answers tell you a lot.
About the plan
- "What would you do first for my business, and why?"
- "Which of my towns would you target, and which would you leave out?"
- "How would you handle the towns where I have no office?"
The last question matters in BC. A good answer mentions honest service-area settings and genuinely local pages. A worrying answer mentions virtual offices or a page for every town in the region. Google's business profile guidelines don't allow rented mailboxes or unstaffed virtual offices, and its spam policies treat near-identical pages built for similar searches as doorway abuse.
About the work
- "What exactly will you do each month?"
- "Who will do it, and will I speak to that person?"
- "How do you get links or mentions for a site?"
- "Will any content be mass-produced?"
About measurement
- "What will you report each month?"
- "Will you use my Google Search Console data, or only your own tools?"
- "How will we know if it isn't working, and what happens then?"
About ownership and exit
- "Whose name will my profile, Search Console, analytics and website be in?"
- "If I leave, what do I keep?"
- "What's the notice period?"
Red flags in proposals
Treat any of these as a reason to slow down:
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Promised rankings or lead numbers | Nobody controls Google's results. Promises suggest either guessing or shortcuts. |
| "Hundreds of backlinks a month" | Bought or bulk links break Google's spam policies and can harm your site. |
| A page for every town in BC | Near-identical location pages risk being treated as doorway abuse. |
| Keyword-stuffed business name | Adding services or towns to your profile name breaks Google's guidelines and risks suspension. |
| Agency-owned accounts | You may lose your profile and data when you leave. |
| Long lock-in with large cancellation fees | Good results keep clients; contracts shouldn't have to. |
| Reports with only rankings | Rankings for unsearched terms prove nothing. You need clicks and enquiries. |
| No questions about your business | A plan written without knowing your jobs and towns is a template. |
Agency, freelancer or do it yourself
Each option can work; the right one depends on your size and market.
- Do it yourself suits a small business in a less competitive town, with an owner or office manager willing to spend a few hours a month. The basics (profile, reviews, a few good pages) are learnable.
- A freelancer can suit a business that needs a specific job done, such as a technical clean-up or a set of town pages, and has someone in-house to keep things going afterwards. Check how they cover holidays and illness.
- An agency suits businesses in competitive markets, or those serving many towns, where steady monthly work across several areas is needed. Check who actually does the work and whether you'll speak to them.
Whichever you choose, the questions above still apply. A freelancer who buys links is no safer than an agency that does.
What a fair arrangement looks like
There's no single right model, but fair SEO arrangements in BC tend to share a few features:
- Clear scope in writing: what is done monthly, and what counts as extra.
- Reasonable notice: month-to-month terms or a short commitment with a clear exit.
- Prices in Canadian dollars, with GST shown.
- Your accounts, your name. The provider works through user access you grant.
- Plain reporting that ties work done to results seen.
Also check basics about the provider. A Canadian business should be able to tell you its legal name, and you can look up many BC companies through BC Registries and Online Services.
How to judge progress in the first six months
SEO is slow, but it isn't invisible. A reasonable timeline:
- Month 1: written plan, account access sorted, Google Business Profile corrected, technical review done.
- Months 2–3: fixes completed, first new pages live, Search Console showing more impressions for target searches.
- Months 4–6: clicks rising for target towns and services, enquiries from search becoming noticeable, content plan underway.
If you reach month four with no written plan, no new pages and no change in Search Console, have a direct conversation. Our Search Console guide shows you how to check the numbers yourself.
If you've been burned before
Many owners arrive at a new provider after a bad experience. Before starting again:
- Recover your accounts. Ask the old provider to make you owner of your profile, Search Console and analytics, and to hand over website logins.
- Ask for a list of what was done, especially any links bought or pages created.
- Get an honest audit before new work starts. Some past work may be worth keeping; some may need undoing.
Where we fit
We wrote this checklist as the standard we try to meet. Our pricing page shows month-to-month terms and Canadian-dollar prices with GST, our FAQ covers ownership and reporting, and our about page explains who leads the work. BCSEO.ca is a marketing and consulting service, not a contractor. If you'd like to put these questions to us, call, text or email.
Frequently asked questions
Should I hire a local BC provider or one from elsewhere?
Location matters less than understanding your market. A provider anywhere can do good work if they research your towns properly. Ask how they would handle the specific places you serve; vague answers are a warning sign.
Is a cheap SEO package ever worth it?
Sometimes for a very small business with simple needs, if the work is honest. But packages built on bulk links or copied town pages can cost more to clean up than they ever earned. Ask exactly what is done each month.
How soon should I expect progress?
Within the first month you should see a written plan and early fixes. Within three months, profile and technical improvements should show in Google's own data. Meaningful lead growth from pages and content typically takes three to six months or more.