Edinburgh SEO agencies for technical, local, ecommerce and AI search optimisation

Search engine optimisation is no longer limited to inserting keywords into pages and acquiring backlinks.

A modern SEO programme can involve:

• Technical crawling and indexation
• Website architecture
• Search-intent research
• Service and product pages
• Local search visibility
• Google Business Profile optimisation
• Ecommerce category structure
• Internal linking
• Structured data
• Digital PR
• Link acquisition
• Conversion improvement
• Analytics
• Content consolidation
• Website migrations
• International targeting
• AI-search readiness

The correct agency depends on the website, market and internal resources.

A small Edinburgh service business may need local landing pages, review strategy and improvements to its Google Business Profile. An ecommerce company may require category architecture, product-feed optimisation and technical work across thousands of URLs. A national brand could need content strategy, digital PR and cooperation between SEO, development and paid media teams.

SEO should also be connected to commercial outcomes.

Traffic growth has limited value if visitors arrive through irrelevant informational searches and never enquire or purchase. Equally, ranking reports can create a positive impression while concealing weak lead quality, poor landing pages or declining revenue from the searches that matter most.

Before appointing an agency, businesses should establish:

• What commercial problem SEO is expected to solve
• Which services or products are the priority
• Whether the agency will implement changes
• Who creates and approves content
• Whether development work is included
• How links are acquired
• Which reporting metrics will be used
• How leads and sales will be attributed
• Whether the agreement has a minimum term
• Who owns created content and accounts
• What happens when the contract ends
• Whether AI-search work is part of SEO or sold separately

This guide compares five Edinburgh agencies with different strengths across technical SEO, local campaigns, ecommerce, international search, content, paid acquisition, brand development and AI-assisted discovery.

How the SEO agencies were selected

The agencies were considered against factors relevant to Edinburgh and UK businesses:

• Current SEO service: Each business must actively provide search engine optimisation.
• Technical capability: Crawling, indexation, architecture, performance and structured data are considered.
• Content strategy: Strong agencies connect content to customer intent and commercial priorities.
• Local search: Google Business Profile, citations, reviews and location pages matter for service businesses.
• Ecommerce experience: Product and category websites require specialist handling of duplication, filters and inventory.
• Measurement: Agencies should report beyond rankings and impressions where enquiries or sales can be tracked.
• Implementation: The guide distinguishes strategic advice from agencies able to make website changes directly.
• Communication: Clients need understandable priorities, progress updates and access to relevant accounts.
• Commercial structure: Bespoke retainers, projects and integrated services are considered.
• Specialist fit: The selection includes SEO-led firms and broader agencies where search can be coordinated with advertising, design or development.

Inclusion is editorial and does not guarantee ranking improvements, traffic growth or commercial results.

How much does SEO cost in Edinburgh?

Most Edinburgh agencies do not publish one universal SEO price because the workload varies significantly.

Common commercial structures include:

• One-off audit
• Fixed technical project
• Website-migration support
• Monthly retainer
• Local SEO package
• Content programme
• Digital PR campaign
• Consultancy days
• Hourly support
• Combined SEO and paid-media agreement

Broad monthly budgets can range from several hundred pounds for limited local or advisory work to several thousand pounds for competitive national, ecommerce or multi-market campaigns.

Larger enterprise projects can cost considerably more where the work includes:

• Several websites
• International markets
• Large content teams
• Digital PR
• Complex development
• Data engineering
• Continuous testing
• Senior consultancy
• Migration support

Price alone does not establish value.

A £500 monthly service may be appropriate for a small local business if the scope is focused and realistic. The same budget is unlikely to support substantial technical, editorial and authority work for a national ecommerce website.

Businesses should compare:

An agency should be able to explain what will be delivered within the proposed budget and which work is deliberately excluded.

How long does SEO take?

SEO rarely produces a stable transformation within a few days.

Some changes can have an effect quickly, particularly where a site has:

• Accidental noindex instructions
• Broken canonical tags
• Major internal-linking problems
• Incorrect redirects
• Missing pages
• Google Business Profile issues
• A failed migration
• Severe crawling restrictions

Competitive growth normally takes longer because search performance depends on:

• Existing authority
• Competitors
• Website quality
• Content depth
• Technical condition
• Brand recognition
• Link profile
• Implementation speed
• Search demand
• Search-engine updates

A realistic agency should distinguish early technical improvements from longer-term organic growth.

Guaranteed page-one rankings should be treated cautiously because no agency controls Google’s results.

SEO, GEO and AI-search optimisation

Businesses increasingly use terms such as:

• AI SEO
• Generative Engine Optimisation
• GEO
• Answer Engine Optimisation
• AI-search readiness
• Large-language-model optimisation

These terms describe attempts to improve how a brand is understood, retrieved or cited by AI-assisted search and answer systems.

Useful work can include:

• Clear service descriptions
• Strong entity information
• Consistent company details
• Structured data
• Expert authorship
• Accessible page architecture
• Original research
• Direct answers
• Source-backed claims
• Internal linking
• Reputation signals
• Relevant third-party mentions

AI-search optimisation does not replace technical SEO, content quality or authority building.

Agencies should explain what they will actually change rather than selling an undefined standalone “AI package.”

TwoSquares

Phone: 0330 043 7775

Business hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9 AM to 5 PM
• Saturday: 10 AM to 2 PM
• Sunday: Closed

Website

TwoSquares is an Edinburgh digital marketing agency providing SEO alongside Google Ads, paid social, website development, email marketing and conversion-focused support.

Its SEO proposition currently covers:

• Technical SEO
• Local SEO
• Keyword research
• Content strategy
• On-page optimisation
• Internal linking
• Authority building
• SEO audits
• Conversion improvement
• Structured data
• AI-search readiness
• Regional and national search campaigns

The agency’s main distinction is the ability to coordinate organic and paid acquisition rather than treating them as isolated services.

This may suit businesses using:

• Google Ads for immediate demand
• SEO for longer-term visibility
• Paid social for audience development
• Landing pages for conversion
• Email for lead follow-up

Search-query data from paid campaigns can help identify which terms generate qualified enquiries before substantial content investment is made.

SEO insights can also reveal organic opportunities that reduce dependence on increasingly expensive paid clicks.

Technical SEO

TwoSquares publishes technical work covering:

• Site architecture
• Crawlability
• Indexation
• Core Web Vitals
• Mobile performance
• Structured data
• XML sitemaps
• Internal links
• Page quality
• Redirects
• Search accessibility

The agency also offers manual SEO and website audits rather than relying solely on automated exports.

An audit can identify issues, but prospective clients should confirm whether the proposed fee includes implementation.

Local SEO

Local work can include:

• Google Business Profile optimisation
• Local service pages
• Citation consistency
• Review strategy
• Local schema
• Edinburgh and regional targeting

This may be relevant to:

• Trades
• Professional services
• Hospitality
• Clinics
• Property businesses
• Multi-location companies

Businesses should retain ownership and administrator access to their Google Business Profile.

Content and commercial intent

TwoSquares positions its SEO work around useful traffic and enquiries rather than traffic volume alone.

Its process can include:

1. Audit and discovery
2. Strategy and prioritisation
3. Technical and content implementation
4. Measurement and continuing improvement

The agency reviews service-page clarity, search intent, internal links and conversion gaps rather than assuming that publishing frequent blog posts is sufficient.

AI-search readiness

TwoSquares currently includes AI-search work within its wider SEO approach.

Published areas include:

• Clear service information
• FAQs
• Structured data
• Internal linking
• Authority signals
• Technical accessibility
• Location information
• Content written for direct answers

The agency correctly positions this as an extension of SEO fundamentals rather than a replacement for Google optimisation.

Free audits

TwoSquares advertises free SEO and website audits with a one-to-one review.

Businesses should confirm:

• Depth of the free audit
• Whether it includes implementation
• Which data access is required
• Whether recommendations are prioritised
• What ongoing service is proposed afterwards

A free audit can be useful for initial diagnosis but should not be treated as a substitute for a full technical investigation of a large website.

Services include

• Technical SEO
• Local SEO
• Content strategy
• On-page optimisation
• Internal linking
• Authority building
• AI-search readiness
• SEO audits
• Google Ads
• Paid social
• Website design and development
• Conversion optimisation
• Analytics and tracking
• Regional and national campaigns

Best suited to: Businesses seeking one Edinburgh partner for SEO, paid acquisition, websites and AI-search readiness, particularly where commercial lead quality matters more than traffic volume alone.

Pros

• SEO integrated with Google Ads and paid social
• Technical and local SEO
• AI-search readiness
• Manual audit process
• Content and internal-linking work
• Conversion-focused approach
• Website implementation capability
• Edinburgh office
• UK-wide campaigns
• Free audit enquiries
• Suitable for service, hospitality, property and ecommerce businesses
• Direct coordination across several acquisition channels

Customer review

Great service for both Google Ads and SEO

“Great service for both Google Ads and SEO. Clear communication, practical advice, and we’ve seen a real improvement in sales.”

• Ivan, Google review

Alba SEO Services

Mobile: 07867 951266

Office phone: 0131 235 2188

Business hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9 AM to 5 PM
• Appointments arranged directly

Website

Alba SEO Services is an Edinburgh digital marketing agency founded by Caroline Phillips in 2013.

The business provides:

• SEO
• Local SEO
• Technical audits
• On-page optimisation
• Content
• Link acquisition
• Reporting
• Website design
• PPC
• Social-media marketing

Although SEO remains central to its name and positioning, Alba is not limited exclusively to organic search.

Its smaller-team structure may appeal to SMEs wanting direct contact with the people carrying out the work.

SEO process

Alba’s published campaign process includes:

• Initial consultation
• Business and audience discovery
• Keyword research
• Competitor review
• Technical audit
• On-page changes
• Content
• Citations
• Link acquisition
• Monthly reporting
• Continuing refinement

The agency states that monthly reports include rankings, traffic, progress and issues.

Quarterly face-to-face meetings can also be arranged.

Businesses should ask whether technical recommendations are implemented by Alba, passed to the client’s developer or charged as separate development work.

Small-business support

Alba publishes experience helping small companies that may not require a large national retainer.

Its services can include standalone audits and project work rather than requiring every enquiry to enter a long campaign.

This can suit a business needing:

• Website-launch review
• Local visibility
• Google indexation diagnosis
• On-page improvements
• Keyword research
• SEO guidance for a rebuild
• Recovery from technical mistakes
• Initial content planning

The agency should still define realistic limits where the market is highly competitive.

Local, national and international work

Alba works across local, national and international SEO.

Its team profiles describe experience in:

• Local-business marketing
• Technical SEO
• Ecommerce
• Content
• Larger and smaller companies

The firm currently lists Caroline, Janet and Julie among its SEO specialists.

Website design and paid media

Alba also provides website design, Google Ads, Facebook advertising and social-media support.

Businesses commissioning a new site can therefore involve the SEO team before development rather than attempting to repair the structure after launch.

The proposal should clarify:

• Website platform
• Technical specification
• Page allowance
• Content responsibility
• Redirect planning
• Analytics
• Hosting
• Maintenance
• SEO work after launch

Services include

• Local SEO
• National SEO
• International SEO
• Technical auditing
• On-page optimisation
• Content
• Link acquisition
• Citations
• Monthly reporting
• Website design
• PPC
• Social media
• Standalone SEO reviews
• SME consultancy

Best suited to: Small and medium-sized businesses seeking a hands-on Edinburgh team, straightforward communication and the option of audits, ongoing SEO or combined digital support.

Pros

• Established in 2013
• Direct founder involvement
• Small specialist team
• Local, national and international SEO
• Technical and on-page work
• Link and citation activity
• Monthly reporting
• Quarterly meeting option
• Website design
• PPC and social media
• Standalone audit availability
• Strong SME focus
• Central Edinburgh address

Customer reviews

I cannot thank her enough

“I contacted Alba SEO while my new website was being designed by a web developer and I had just found out about SEO. Caroline was very helpful and offered very useful advice nobody else gave me. She also offered to do a 30-minute call with me to review my new website and suggest what needed to be done in order to optimise it for Google. I cannot thank her enough for her invaluable help.”

• Laura S, Google review

I would recommend her to any business

“I cannot praise Alba SEO Services, and Caroline Phillips in particular, enough for the work they did for me when I made an urgent call to them to help me return my tiny business to the Google Index. With a friendly and helpful approach which was most reassuring, Caroline identified the problem immediately and was quickly able to rectify it.”

• Ian Evans, Google review

Shake Digital

Edinburgh-based service

Phone: 0131 564 0150

Enquiries: Through the website, telephone or email

Website

Shake Digital is a Scotland-based digital marketing agency with a particularly strong focus on search engine optimisation.

Its current SEO services include:

• Local SEO
• Ecommerce SEO
• International SEO
• Technical SEO
• Edge SEO
• SEO audits
• Link building
• White-label SEO
• On-page optimisation
• Analytics
• Content
• WordPress SEO
• B2B SEO

The agency publishes more than ten years of SEO experience.

The original article described Shake as operating exclusively in SEO. That is too absolute. Its main positioning is strongly search-led, but its own materials and testimonials also reference Google Ads and broader online marketing.

Technical SEO

Shake publishes work covering:

• Crawling
• Indexation
• Site architecture
• Page speed
• Mobile optimisation
• Broken links
• Structured data
• XML sitemaps
• Robots directives
• URL structure
• Internal linking
• Security and headers

The agency offers technical audits and continuing implementation on monthly retainers.

Its audit pages indicate that a standard investigation may take one to two weeks, with larger sites potentially taking longer.

Prospective clients should establish whether implementation is included or quoted separately.

Edge SEO

Edge SEO involves making certain technical or content changes through an edge platform or content-delivery layer rather than altering the origin website directly.

Possible uses include:

• Redirects
• Hreflang
• Metadata
• Security headers
• Content adjustments
• A/B testing
• Performance improvements

This can be useful where:

• Development queues are slow
• A legacy platform is difficult to edit
• Several markets require rapid implementation
• The company wants controlled testing

It also introduces potential risks involving conflicts, caching and maintainability.

Clients should ask:

• Which platform will be used?
• Who owns the configuration?
• What happens when the contract ends?
• How are changes documented?
• Can the website team reproduce them at origin?
• What monitoring and rollback process applies?

International SEO

Shake publishes support for more than 50 languages and lists native expertise across several major global languages.

International SEO may include:

• Market research
• Keyword localisation
• Hreflang
• International site structure
• Translation coordination
• Cultural adaptation
• Country-specific content
• Regional links
• Separate analytics views

Translation alone is not enough. Search behaviour can differ between markets even where the products are identical.

Ecommerce SEO

Shake works across platforms including:

• Shopify
• Magento
• WooCommerce
• BigCommerce

Ecommerce services can include:

• Category architecture
• Product optimisation
• Technical crawling
• Commercial keyword research
• Content
• Internal linking
• Conversion considerations

The proposal should address faceted navigation, discontinued products, variants and duplicate URLs where relevant.

White-label SEO

Shake provides white-label services for agencies wishing to outsource SEO delivery while retaining the client relationship.

This can include:

• Audits
• Local SEO
• Technical work
• International campaigns
• Content
• Link building
• Reporting

Agencies should establish confidentiality, account ownership and direct-client communication restrictions.

Services include

• Technical SEO
• Edge SEO
• Local SEO
• Ecommerce SEO
• International SEO
• Multilingual optimisation
• SEO audits
• Link building
• White-label SEO
• Content
• Analytics
• WordPress SEO
• B2B SEO
• Monthly retainers

Best suited to: Businesses and agencies needing a specialist search partner for technical, international, ecommerce, edge or white-label SEO.

Pros

• More than ten years of SEO experience published
• Broad specialist SEO range
• Edge SEO capability
• International work across more than 50 languages
• Ecommerce-platform experience
• Technical implementation
• White-label service
• Link building
• SEO audits
• Local and national campaigns
• Reporting and analytics
• Strong fit for technically constrained websites

Customer reviews

The service and communication are wonderful

“Shake Digital has taken my business from a small word-of-mouth operation to highly successful. The difference of being on top of search engines and having more traffic to our website was a game changer. Our phone rings off the hook. We are so happy with the results we have seen. Additionally, the service and communication from Shake is wonderful.”

• MaryAnne Baker, Google review

Professional and very patient

“Fantastic service from Craig at Shake Digital. Craig reached out after learning I needed help quickly due to a problem with my business. Craig was genuinely a real gentleman, professional and very patient with me. I am so happy the issue I had has now been resolved.”

• Derek Macleod, Google review

We Are Hype

Head office: 28 Rutland Square, Edinburgh, EH1 2BW

Phone: 0131 339 6974

Studios:

• Edinburgh
• Liverpool
• Dubai

Website

We Are Hype is a family-run creative and digital agency working across strategy, brand, technology and growth.

The business traces its history to 2009 and previously operated under the My Web Care name.

Its wider services include:

• Brand strategy
• Brand identity
• Website design
• Website development
• Digital transformation
• Marketing strategy
• Content
• Search visibility
• Growth work
• Web2 and Web3 projects

Hype is therefore different from a specialist SEO consultancy.

Its strongest fit is likely to be a project where organic search must be considered alongside:

• Rebranding
• Website architecture
• User experience
• Content design
• Development
• Digital products
• Wider growth strategy

SEO within a broader agency engagement

The supplied article made highly specific claims about an in-house SEO copywriting team, ethical link building and limited server-side technical capability.

Those claims were not supported clearly enough by the agency’s current public positioning and have been removed.

Prospective clients should ask Hype to define the SEO work included in its proposal.

Relevant questions include:

• Will keyword and intent research be completed?
• Who owns technical SEO?
• Is content migration included?
• Will redirects be prepared?
• Is schema included?
• Who writes the pages?
• Is link acquisition included?
• What reporting will be provided?
• Is post-launch SEO support available?

SEO can be especially valuable during a rebrand or website build because decisions about navigation, page templates and content structure can be made before development is complete.

Website and brand integration

Hype works with designers, developers, strategists and marketers within one wider team.

This can reduce conflict between visual decisions and search requirements.

For example:

• A creative navigation system should remain crawlable.
• Brand copy should still explain services clearly.
• Animations should not compromise performance.
• Replatforming should preserve valuable URLs.
• New visual templates should support headings and internal links.
• Javascript-heavy interfaces should remain accessible to search engines.

A broader agency may cost more than a small SEO specialist but can be useful where the website itself requires substantial change.

International studio structure

Hype currently operates from Edinburgh, Liverpool and Dubai.

This may suit organisations working across UK and international markets, although the proposal should identify which studio and senior staff will deliver the work.

Services include

• Digital strategy
• Brand strategy
• Brand identity
• Website design
• Website development
• Search planning
• Content
• Digital transformation
• Growth strategy
• User experience
• Web2 and Web3 projects
• Multi-market digital work
• Edinburgh, Liverpool and Dubai studios

Best suited to: Businesses planning a rebrand, website rebuild or wider digital transformation where SEO needs to be incorporated into design, development and brand strategy.

Pros

• Business history dating to 2009
• Family-run agency
• Edinburgh head office
• Strategy, brand, technology and growth
• Website design and development
• Suitable for major rebuilds
• Search can be incorporated before launch
• Liverpool and Dubai studios
• Senior-led enquiry process
• Broad creative and technical team
• Useful for organisations needing more than an SEO retainer

Customer reviews

They consistently exceed expectations

“I’ve been working with We Are Hype for years, and they consistently exceed expectations. From developing websites for my own company to recently creating wireframes for a project I led designing Medicash’s new healthcare cash plan app, their expertise shines through every project. Their pricing is always fair, and they’ve never missed a delivery deadline.”

• Paul, Google review

Professional and well planned

“I found My Web Care easy to get on with; they are a very friendly and professional team. They use a well-planned and constructive website build timeline, and every communication with them is managed in one place.”

• Office Machine Services, Google review

Ambition Digital

Phone: 0131 385 9118

Business hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9 AM to 5:30 PM
• Strategy calls arranged directly

Website

Ambition Digital is a specialist digital marketing agency founded in Edinburgh in 2021.

Its services include:

• SEO
• PPC and paid media
• Website design
• Digital consultancy
• White-label delivery
• Subcontracted marketing support

The agency positions its SEO work around inbound commercial growth rather than rankings or traffic in isolation.

It currently describes a small specialist team working across B2B and B2C businesses.

Bespoke SEO campaigns

Ambition does not present SEO as one fixed package.

Its current proposition focuses on custom strategies based on:

• Website condition
• Commercial priorities
• Market competition
• Lead or sales goals
• Existing resources
• Technical requirements

This can suit companies that need a mixture of:

• Technical SEO
• On-page work
• Content
• Ecommerce optimisation
• Local SEO
• Conversion planning
• Paid-media support
• Website improvements

A bespoke proposal should still state measurable deliverables.

“Custom strategy” should not mean that the client cannot identify what is being supplied each month.

Commercial measurement

Ambition emphasises revenue, leads and sales rather than vanity metrics.

A useful reporting framework may include:

• Qualified organic leads
• Ecommerce revenue
• Conversion rate
• Assisted conversions
• Non-brand visibility
• Landing-page performance
• Cost per acquisition across channels
• New-customer revenue
• Search demand by service

Businesses should ensure that tracking and attribution are configured before performance commitments are assessed.

SEO, PPC and websites

Ambition can coordinate SEO with paid media and web design.

This may suit businesses that need:

• A rebuilt site
• Search campaigns
• Paid acquisition during the SEO growth period
• Landing-page testing
• Technical implementation
• Commercial reporting

The company’s terms confirm that it works directly, on a white-label basis and as a subcontractor.

Ecommerce and SME work

Ambition markets its services to growth-focused SMEs and publishes experience across organic search, paid media and website design.

The supplied article described advanced product-feed optimisation and annual-retainer discounts as established universal features.

Those details were not sufficiently clear in the current public information and have been removed.

Ecommerce clients should ask specifically about:

• Platform experience
• Product feeds
• Merchant Centre
• Faceted navigation
• Category pages
• Product templates
• Javascript rendering
• International stores
• Out-of-stock products
• Tracking
• Conversion testing

Services include

• Custom SEO
• Technical optimisation
• Content strategy
• Local SEO
• Ecommerce SEO
• Paid media
• PPC
• Website design
• Conversion-focused support
• B2B and B2C campaigns
• White-label delivery
• Subcontracted agency support
• Strategy calls
• Commercial reporting

Best suited to: SMEs seeking bespoke SEO tied to leads or sales, with the option to combine organic search, paid media and website development.

Pros

• Founded in Edinburgh in 2021
• Small specialist team
• SEO, PPC and website services
• Commercial performance positioning
• B2B and B2C work
• Bespoke campaign design
• White-label capability
• Direct Edinburgh office
• Suitable for growth-focused SMEs
• Strategy-call process
• Organic and paid channel coordination
• Current legal and service information published clearly

Customer reviews

Explained things in easy-to-understand terms

“I reached out to Ambition Digital to help with an SEO issue our company had been struggling with for quite some time. Gatis was able to diagnose and solve the issue almost immediately. Despite being a wiz, he explained things in easy-to-understand terms and was responsive throughout the whole process.”

• Blake Irwin, Google review

The work has been consistently excellent

“I hired Ambition Digital to design and build a new website for an academic society. The quote was very reasonable. Meanwhile the work has been consistently excellent. Gatis listened carefully to what I wanted and designed us a modern website that is consistent with our original branding.”

• Joseph Millum, Google review

Which Edinburgh SEO agency may suit different businesses?

The five agencies are not direct substitutes.

For integrated SEO and paid acquisition

TwoSquares provides the clearest combination of:

• SEO
• Google Ads
• Paid social
• Website work
• Conversion optimisation
• AI-search readiness

It may suit a company that wants paid and organic search coordinated through one strategy.

For small-business SEO and direct contact

Alba SEO offers a smaller-team model with standalone audits, ongoing campaigns and wider digital support.

It may be appropriate for local firms and SMEs that do not need an enterprise-scale agency.

For specialist technical or international SEO

Shake Digital publishes the broadest specialist range covering:

• Edge SEO
• Technical SEO
• Ecommerce
• International optimisation
• More than 50 languages
• White-label delivery

For a rebrand or website transformation

We Are Hype is best viewed as a broader creative and technology agency.

It may be suitable where SEO needs to be integrated into brand, design and development rather than commissioned as a separate monthly service.

For commercially focused SME growth

Ambition Digital positions SEO alongside paid media and website development, with an emphasis on leads and revenue.

For AI-search readiness

TwoSquares publishes the clearest dedicated service information around AI-assisted retrieval and citation.

Other agencies may also provide related work, but the exact activities should be requested in writing.

Technical SEO audits

A technical audit can examine:

• Crawling
• Indexation
• Canonical tags
• Redirects
• XML sitemaps
• Robots directives
• Javascript rendering
• Internal links
• Orphan pages
• Duplicate content
• Structured data
• Page speed
• Mobile usability
• International targeting
• Pagination
• Faceted navigation
• Server errors
• Log files

The audit should prioritise findings.

A report containing hundreds of issues without impact or implementation guidance can be difficult to use.

Ask the agency to distinguish:

• Critical
• High priority
• Medium priority
• Monitoring
• Optional improvement

Local SEO

Local SEO commonly includes:

• Google Business Profile
• Categories
• Services
• Business details
• Reviews
• Local landing pages
• Citations
• Local links
• Maps visibility
• Local schema
• Location-based content

Businesses should retain ownership of:

• Google Business Profile
• Analytics
• Search Console
• Website
• Domain
• Call-tracking numbers

An agency should be added with appropriate access rather than becoming the sole permanent owner.

Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO can involve:

• Category pages
• Product pages
• Product variants
• Filters
• Pagination
• Canonicals
• Internal search
• Out-of-stock products
• Product feeds
• Reviews
• Merchant listings
• Structured data
• International stores
• Javascript rendering
• Conversion rate

Publishing hundreds of low-value category pages can create indexation problems rather than growth.

The agency should explain which pages deserve to be indexed and how search demand maps to the catalogue.

Link building and digital PR

Links remain part of search visibility, but acquisition methods vary.

Ask:

• How are sites selected?
• Are links paid?
• Are placements labelled?
• Is editorial control genuine?
• Are sites relevant?
• Can examples be shown?
• Who owns created assets?
• Are links guaranteed to remain?
• What happens if a site is penalised?
• Are private networks used?
• Is digital PR included?

A large volume of inexpensive unrelated links can create risk without meaningful authority.

Content production

SEO content can include:

• Service pages
• Product categories
• Location pages
• Guides
• Comparisons
• FAQs
• Case studies
• Research
• Tools
• Glossaries
• Support content

The agency should understand the business before writing.

Clients should ask:

• Who writes the content?
• Is AI used?
• Who verifies facts?
• Is subject expertise required?
• How are claims sourced?
• How many revisions are included?
• Who owns the final copy?
• Is uploading included?
• Will old content be consolidated?
• How is performance reviewed?

More pages do not automatically produce better results.

Reporting

Useful SEO reporting can include:

• Organic leads
• Organic revenue
• Conversion rate
• Search visibility
• Non-brand traffic
• Important rankings
• Landing-page performance
• Technical health
• Completed work
• Planned work
• Lost visibility
• Attribution limitations

Reports should explain what changed and what action follows.

A dashboard without interpretation can leave the client with data but no strategic understanding.

SEO contracts

Before signing, review:

• Minimum term
• Notice period
• Renewal
• Payment date
• Scope
• Deliverables
• Meetings
• Content ownership
• Account ownership
• Confidentiality
• Subcontracting
• Link methods
• Development hours
• Reporting
• Pausing
• Termination
• Handover

SEO normally requires time, but a long contract should still contain a clear scope and reasonable exit process.

Questions to ask an SEO agency

1. Which industries do you understand?
2. Who will manage the account?
3. Who completes the technical work?
4. Who writes content?
5. Is implementation included?
6. How do you build links?
7. Do you use subcontractors?
8. What happens during the first 90 days?
9. Which metrics will be reported?
10. How will leads or revenue be tracked?
11. What access do you require?
12. Who owns the accounts?
13. Is development included?
14. What is the minimum term?
15. What is the notice period?
16. Can work be paused?
17. What happens after termination?
18. How do you approach AI search?
19. Can you show relevant case studies?
20. What result would make the campaign unsuccessful?

The agency should be able to discuss risks and limitations, not only potential upside.

Warning signs

Exercise caution where an agency:

• Guarantees first position
• Promises immediate permanent results
• Will not explain link acquisition
• Requires ownership of client accounts
• Reports rankings without conversions
• Produces large volumes of generic content
• Cannot explain technical recommendations
• Hides subcontracting
• Uses vague AI terminology
• Has no cancellation process
• Refuses to provide completed work
• Avoids discussing implementation
• Creates locations or reviews that are not genuine
• Promises a precise return without adequate data

SEO includes uncertainty. Honest agencies should explain what they can influence and what remains outside their control.

Frequently asked questions

Final checklist before appointing an SEO agency

Before signing an SEO agreement:

• Define the commercial objective.
• Identify priority services or products.
• Confirm current tracking.
• Request a website and market assessment.
• Review the proposed scope.
• Confirm implementation responsibility.
• Identify the account manager.
• Ask who writes content.
• Ask how links are acquired.
• Retain ownership of accounts.
• Confirm reporting metrics.
• Review the minimum term.
• Review the notice period.
• Understand additional development costs.
• Confirm content ownership.
• Ask about subcontractors.
• Request relevant case studies.
• Establish a first-90-day plan.
• Agree how success will be reviewed.
• Keep copies of proposals and reports.

TwoSquares provides the strongest integrated proposition for SEO, paid acquisition, websites and AI-search readiness. Alba SEO offers a hands-on service suitable for SMEs and clients wanting direct access to a smaller team. Shake Digital has the broadest specialist range across technical, edge, ecommerce, international and white-label SEO. We Are Hype is best considered for wider brand and website transformation, while Ambition Digital provides a commercially focused combination of SEO, paid media and web design for growth-oriented businesses.

The best agency is the one whose capabilities match the actual constraint—whether that is technical debt, weak local visibility, poor content, insufficient authority, a difficult ecommerce platform or a website that does not convert its existing traffic.

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