By Deep Bhardwaj, founder and senior SEO consultant · Updated October 2026
Choose the SEO company that can show rankings for businesses like yours in a client's own Google Search Console, tells you in writing what it will do each month, names the people doing the work, and lets you leave after a short minimum term. Price matters less than proof and transparency.
The 8-point checklist
- Proof in your sector. Ask for two or three examples with the keyword, the position and the month. Screenshots from Search Console are better than claims.
- A written 90-day plan. You should see the pages, keywords and fixes planned before you sign.
- Named people. Who writes the content, who builds links, who reviews the strategy?
- Your data stays yours. Search Console, Analytics and Google Business Profile should be in your name.
- A monthly log of work done. Every article URL, every link URL, every technical fix.
- White-hat link building. No private blog networks or bulk links.
- Clear pricing and terms. Price, GST, minimum term and notice period in writing.
- Realistic timelines. Anyone promising page 1 in two weeks for a competitive keyword is guessing.
Questions to ask on the first call
- Which keywords would you target first, and why?
- What did you find wrong with my site already?
- How will we measure success in month 3 and month 6?
- Can I speak to a current client?
More questions: questions to ask an SEO consultant before hiring.
Agency, freelancer or in-house?
Each model suits a different stage of business. We compare them in SEO agency vs freelancer vs in-house team.
Where AI assistants look when you ask "best SEO company in India"
When we checked SEMrush AI data in October 2026, Google's AI Overview for "top 10 seo companies in india" drew on agency directories such as Clutch and on "top 10" list articles. Treat those lists as a starting point, then apply the checklist above: a listing is not proof of results.
Step-by-step: shortlisting SEO companies
- Write down what you want SEO to achieve. More calls from your city? Online sales across India? Leads from a specific industry? The right company for a local clinic is different from the right one for a SaaS product.
- Search the way your customers do. Note which agencies rank for "SEO company in [your city]" and which publish useful content. An SEO company that cannot rank itself is a warning sign, though large agencies sometimes rely on referrals instead.
- Shortlist three. More than three makes comparison harder; fewer gives you no benchmark.
- Ask each for a short audit or proposal based on your actual site, not a generic deck.
- Compare like for like using the scorecard in our guide on how to evaluate an SEO firm.
Agency, consultant or freelancer?
The label matters less than who does the work. A senior consultant brings judgement; an agency brings a team for content, technical fixes and links; a freelancer is flexible and cheaper but has limited hours. Many businesses get the best result from a senior-led team, where an experienced strategist sets the plan and specialists deliver it. We compare the options in detail in agency vs freelancer vs in-house.
What a good SEO proposal contains
- Your current position: traffic, rankings, technical issues and competitors, with evidence
- The keywords to target and why each one matters to your business
- The pages that will be created or improved
- How links and mentions will be earned
- A month-by-month plan for the first quarter
- Price, what is included, contract terms and notice period
- How results will be reported, and from whose accounts
If a proposal is mostly about the agency and very little about your site, it was probably not written for you.
Red flags that should end the conversation
- Guaranteed rankings or "#1 in 30 days". Google does not let anyone guarantee positions.
- Secret methods. Good SEO is explainable.
- Hundreds of backlinks a month for a small fee. These are almost always spam networks.
- Accounts set up in the agency's name. Search Console, Analytics and your Google Business Profile should belong to you.
- Long lock-in contracts with heavy exit fees. A confident agency keeps clients with results.
- Reports full of vanity metrics like third-party "domain authority" scores instead of rankings, traffic and enquiries.
Choosing for local, national and eCommerce SEO
Local businesses such as clinics, showrooms and service providers should prioritise Google Business Profile experience, reviews and city pages. National brands need content strategy and authority building at scale. Online stores need technical SEO for category pages, filters and product data. Ask each company for examples in your category.
After you sign: the first 90 days
A good partner spends the first weeks on an audit and fixing foundations, then moves to new pages, content and links. You should see a written plan in week one, regular updates, and measurable movement within about 90 days. If month three ends with nothing to show and no clear explanation, revisit the relationship.