Choosing an agency
How to choose the best SEO agency in the UK (and the questions that expose a bad one)
Every “top 10 SEO companies” list was paid for or written by an agency. We are an agency too, so instead of a ranking here are the criteria and ten questions to judge anyone — including us.
No minimum contract · Itemised monthly deliverables · UK team, Fareham HQ · Reporting from your own GA4 & Search Console
The short version
10
questions to ask any agency
6
red flags that should end the conversation
0
agencies that can guarantee rankings
Ask us all ten. We will answer on the first call.
What “best” should mean
The best SEO company for you has evidence of results in situations like yours, a process you understand, reporting you can check yourself and commercial terms that do not trap you. Size, awards and postcode matter much less than people think. A large London agency may put a junior on your account; a small specialist may give you its founder.
Ten questions to ask any SEO agency
- Can you show me results for a business like mine, with the data behind them?
- Who exactly will work on my account, and how senior are they?
- What will you deliver each month, itemised?
- How do you build links, and can I see examples?
- What happens to the content and links you create if we stop?
- How do you report, and can I verify it in Search Console and GA4?
- What is the minimum contract?
- What do you need from us for this to work?
- What would make you turn down a client?
- How are you adapting to AI search?
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings or “page one in 30 days”
- Pricing far below the market for the work promised
- Reports made entirely of rankings for keywords nobody searches
- Refusal to say how links are built
- Twelve-month contracts with no exit, or ownership of your content retained
- Cold outreach that “noticed problems on your website”
How MHAFs measures up
Judge us by the same list. Our pricing and deliverables are published, there is no minimum contract, every link and page we create is yours, reporting runs on your own Search Console and GA4, and our case studies show the data. If we are not the right fit, we will say so on the first call.
FAQ
Questions we get asked
Who is the best SEO agency in the UK?
There is no single answer; it depends on your sector, size and budget. Use the ten questions to compare on evidence.
Are award-winning SEO agencies better?
Awards are entered and judged on written submissions. They indicate marketing effort more than client results.
Should I choose a local SEO agency?
Proximity helps for workshops but is not a quality signal. Most SEO work is remote.
How much should I pay an SEO agency?
UK retainers commonly run £500 to several thousand a month. Ours are £450, £1,250 and £2,250.
Put us through the ten questions
Book a call and ask us anything on the list. If we are not the right fit we will tell you.
Reply within one working day · No obligation · We will tell you if SEO is not the right spend