Most business owners hiring an SEO have no independent way to check if what they're being sold is real work or a black box. Google has actually published its own answer to this, in plain language, and most people never read it.
What Google Itself Says a Legitimate SEO Actually Does
Google publishes an official guide on hiring an SEO, and it lists specific, concrete services rather than vague promises: reviewing a site's content and structure, giving technical advice on website development (hosting, redirects, error pages, JavaScript use), developing content, doing keyword research, providing SEO training, offering expertise in specific markets and geographies, and, in a line added to the guide's more recent update, optimizing for generative AI. That's a genuinely useful checklist on its own: if a proposal doesn't map to something on that list, it's worth asking exactly what is actually being delivered.
The Red Flags Google Explicitly Warns About
Google's own language here is unusually direct for an official guide: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." The same guidance specifically warns against SEOs who claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google, none of which exist as real mechanisms. It also flags link popularity schemes, mass submissions to thousands of search engines, techniques that violate Google's own spam policies, and third-party tools that falsely claim to be Google-"approved," since Google doesn't evaluate or endorse third-party SEO tools at all. If an SEO offers to run an audit, Google's own recommendation is to grant read-only access to Search Console, not write access, and to expect realistic estimates of improvement, not a promised outcome.
What It Actually Costs
Ahrefs' own survey of 439 SEO service providers, last updated in August 2024, found an average monthly agency retainer of $3,209, with freelancers averaging lower and consultants averaging slightly higher. That's a useful reference point, not a fixed price, actual cost varies significantly with scope, how competitive the market is, and geography. A narrowly-scoped local SEO engagement and a full national or ecommerce SEO program are different things being sold under the same umbrella term, which is exactly why the specific deliverables matter more than the price tag alone.
Why This Is Worth Reading Even On an Agency's Own Site
It's a fair question why an SEO agency would publish a piece that mostly just points to Google's own documentation instead of making its own case. The honest answer is that a business that understands what legitimate SEO actually involves is a better client, not a harder one to sell to. Proposals get evaluated on substance instead of vague promises, expectations get set correctly from the start, and the relationship holds up better when a report shows real, specific work rather than activity that's hard to independently verify. None of that requires trusting any one agency's word for it, since Google has already put the actual standard in writing.
A Simple Way to Evaluate Any SEO Proposal
Ask what specifically will be done, and check whether that list actually resembles Google's own description of legitimate services above. Ask whether they can point to official Google documentation supporting a specific recommendation, not just "best practice" as an unsupported claim. Notice whether they explain their methods clearly or stay vague about what they're actually doing. And remember that Google places responsibility on the business itself for the actions of any SEO it hires, which makes this evaluation worth doing upfront rather than after a contract is signed. If there's already a website and existing SEO work in place, our Website Health Scorecard is a useful independent check on whether that work is actually showing up in the areas it should.
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What does Google itself say a legitimate SEO actually does?
Google's own official guidance lists specific legitimate services: reviewing a site's content and structure, giving technical advice on website development like hosting, redirects and JavaScript use, developing content, doing keyword research, providing SEO training, offering expertise in specific markets, and optimizing for generative AI.
What red flags does Google explicitly warn about?
Google's guidance is direct: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." It specifically warns against SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, advertise a "priority submit" to Google, promote link popularity schemes or mass search-engine submissions, use techniques that violate Google's spam policies, or claim a third-party tool is Google-"approved."
How much does SEO actually cost?
Ahrefs' own survey of 439 SEO service providers (last updated August 2024) found an average monthly agency retainer of $3,209, with freelancers averaging lower and consultants averaging slightly higher. Actual pricing varies significantly by scope, market competitiveness, and geography, so this is a reference point, not a fixed rate.
What should a business ask before hiring an SEO?
Whether they can explain specifically what they'll do and why, whether that list matches Google's own description of legitimate services, whether they can cite official Google documentation supporting their recommendations, and whether they avoid guaranteeing rankings. Google itself also notes that a business remains responsible for the actions of any SEO it hires.
If an SEO audit is offered, what access should actually be granted?
Google's own guidance recommends granting read-only access to Search Console for an audit, not write access, and expecting realistic estimates of improvement rather than guarantees of first-place rankings.