What does an SEO company actually do?
It works on the things that decide whether Google can find, understand and trust your website. That covers technical fixes, page wording, the searches your customers type, your local listing and reports on what changed. A good one explains each change in plain English before it makes it.
Google publishes its own list in its guide Do you need an SEO? It says useful SEO companies and consultants offer services such as these:
- A review of your site content or structure
- Technical advice on hosting, redirects, error pages and JavaScript
- Content development
- Keyword research
- SEO training
- Expertise in specific markets and places
- Optimising for generative AI
The same guide warns that hiring the wrong company carries risk. It says the right help can improve your visibility and save you time, but an irresponsible SEO can damage your site and your reputation.
Do you need an SEO company for a small business?
Not always. Google's guide says that if you run a small local business, you can probably do much of the work yourself. Hire help when you lack the time or are planning a new site. It also makes sense when the basics are done and you still cannot be found.
Google also says that advertising with it has no effect on where your site appears in its ordinary results. It never accepts money to rank a site, and appearing in those results costs nothing. So any company that hints at a paid shortcut with Google is not telling you the truth.
If you do the work yourself, start with your own pages. Make sure each service has its own page, your town and contact details are clear, and your Google Business Profile matches your website. Our local SEO service page lists the details that matter most for map searches.
What does a fair monthly scope look like?
A fair scope names the work, the time it takes and how you will see the result. For most small businesses that means a short audit, then an agreed list of fixes. After that come better pages for the searches that bring work, and a plain monthly report on what moved.
Ask for the scope in writing before you sign. A sensible monthly plan for a local business often looks like this:
- A first audit with realistic estimates of what could improve, and how much work that takes.
- Technical fixes, such as slow pages, broken links and pages Google cannot read.
- Page improvements for the real searches your customers make, not vanity terms.
- Your Google Business Profile, website and other listings kept saying the same thing.
- New or better pages, written for your customers first.
- A short monthly report: what was done, what changed and what comes next.
Prices vary with the work and the competition in your area, so compare scopes, not just monthly fees. A cheap plan with no named tasks is not cheaper if nothing gets done.
Rather have it done for you? We build your website free, it goes live in days, and you pay nothing for the first 14 days. No card needed. See how the free 14-day trial works.
What are the red flags when hiring an SEO company?
Walk away from anyone who promises a set position, claims a special relationship with Google or sells a paid shortcut to the top. Be just as careful with a company that will not explain its methods, or that wants to buy links to your site. Google treats those link deals as spam.
Google's guide says nobody can promise a top position in its results. It also says to be careful if a company is secretive or will not clearly explain what it plans to do. Watch for these warning signs:
- A promised position on Google, or a "priority submit" service.
- Cold emails offering to get you to the top fast.
- Vague reports with no list of the changes made.
- Asking for full control of your Google Search Console account during an audit. Google says to grant read access only at that stage.
- Paying for links, swapping links or placing links in other people's articles.
Links are where small businesses get hurt most often. The Google spam policies on link spam give clear examples. They include buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges and automated link building. Breaking these rules can push your site down or out of the results.
What should you ask an SEO company before you sign?
Ask what they will do in the first three months and how they measure success. Ask what results they expect and by when, and whether they will show you every change. Also ask what happens to the work and your accounts if you leave. Clear answers to these questions tell you more than any sales pitch.
Google's guide suggests similar questions. These are the ones we would ask in your place:
- Can you show me examples of your previous work, from businesses like mine?
- Do you follow the Google Search Essentials?
- What results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe?
- How do you measure your success?
- Will you share every change you make to my site, and explain the reasons?
- Who owns the pages, content and accounts if I leave?
- Is there a minimum contract, and how do I cancel?
A good company will ask you questions too. Google says your SEO should want to know what makes your business different, who your competitors are and how your customers find you.
How does a managed website with SEO built in compare?
A managed website puts the groundwork inside the website itself, so you are not paying a second company to fix what the first one built. The pages, speed, structure and on-page SEO are handled by the people who run your site. You only pay for extra campaigns if you want to climb further.
That is how Buzzozo works. On-page SEO and an AI-search-ready build are included in the Website plan, from £149 a month for the first 100 businesses, locked for life. From £299 a month after the first 100. It is monthly, with no contract, and you can cancel any time. Our plans and prices page lists everything included, and our managed website service explains who looks after what.
If you want more than the groundwork, our SEO and AI search service covers technical audits, keyword strategy, local SEO campaigns and articles. That work is priced per job, because it depends on the type of SEO and the competition. We quote after a quick chat.
Want to see the difference first? Start your free 14-day trial. We build your website free, it goes live in days, and no card is needed.
How is AI changing what an SEO company does?
AI answers now sit above or beside the usual results, so a good SEO company also makes sure AI tools can read your business details. The work is mostly the same: clear service pages, answers in your customers' words, accurate business details and structured data. Google lists optimising for generative AI as one of the services SEO companies offer.
Be careful with anyone selling AI search as a separate, secret method. Our buyer's guide to answer engine optimisation (AEO) services covers what that work should include and what you do not need to pay for.
Buzzozo helps your business use AI in practical ways. Every website we build is ready for AI search. The Website plan also includes an AI chat assistant, with a monthly usage allowance. It answers your visitors day and night and captures their enquiries.
Common questions
How much does an SEO company cost in the UK?
It depends on the work and the competition, so ask for a written scope before comparing prices. At Buzzozo, on-page SEO is included in the Website plan, and extra SEO or local SEO work is priced per job after a quick chat.
How long does SEO take to work?
There is no fixed timeline. It depends on your site, your competitors and how much work is needed. A good SEO company gives you realistic estimates at the start and explains them, rather than promising a date or a position.
Is an SEO company the same as an SEO agency or consultant?
Mostly, yes. The names describe size more than the work. A consultant is often one person, while an agency or company has a team. Judge each one by its scope, its methods and the questions in this guide.