Outsourcing SEO: 10 questions US businesses should ask before signing

Most SEO work is research, writing and technical changes, so it’s commonly outsourced, sometimes to agencies on the other side of the world. That can work very well. It can also mean months of reports with nothing to show for them. These questions separate the two.

Full disclosure: Arnira Infotech provides SEO services to US businesses from India. These are the questions we’d want you to ask us.

1. “What will you need from us in the first month?”

A serious provider needs access to Search Console, analytics and your CMS, plus time with someone who understands your customers. If they can start without any of that, they’re probably running a template.

2. “Which market should we compete in first?”

National, regional and local SEO need different structures and budgets. A good provider will ask where you sell and how competitive your category is before recommending a scope. Our US SEO page compares them how the options differ.

3. “Who implements the changes?”

Recommendations don’t rank; implemented changes do. Ask whether the provider will make technical and content changes directly, brief your developer, or simply send a report. All three can work, as long as you know which you’re paying for.

4. “How do you decide which page targets which search?”

Look for a keyword-to-URL map with one primary intent per page. Without one, pages compete with each other (keyword cannibalization) and none of them wins.

5. “How do you build links?”

The safe answers involve useful content, digital PR, partnerships and fixing broken or unlinked mentions. Be wary of “guest post packages,” private blog networks or a fixed number of links per month. Google’s spam policies treat link schemes harshly.

6. “Will you create city pages?”

Location pages are useful when you genuinely serve an area and have something specific to say. Hundreds of pages with the city name swapped in are thin content and risk being treated as doorway pages.

7. “What does a monthly report include?”

You want work completed, Search Console trends, movement on mapped keywords, and organic leads or revenue where tracking allows. Ask for direct access to the data, not just screenshots.

8. “Who owns the content and accounts?”

Content you pay for should be yours. Search Console, analytics and your website should stay in your company’s name, with the provider added as a user.

9. “What can’t you promise?”

No one can guarantee rankings, because no one controls Google’s algorithm or your competitors. Providers who say so plainly tend to be more trustworthy than those who guarantee page one.

10. “How will we work across time zones?”

If the team is overseas, ask about their actual office hours, how quickly they respond during your day, and how they handle approvals. India is 9.5 to 10.5 hours ahead of Eastern time, depending on daylight saving time, so East Coast mornings usually overlap with an Indian evening.

A simple scoring method

Rate each answer from one to three. Specific, honest answers that refer to your business score highest. Vague promises score lowest. If you’d like to try these questions on us, see how our SEO services for US companies work, or request a proposal in USD.