Search "SEO company Sri Lanka" and you'll find dozens of agencies all claiming to be the best. Many are good. Some will take your money and deliver very little. Here's how to tell the difference before you sign anything.
12 questions to ask any SEO provider
1. What exactly will you do each month?
A good answer lists concrete work: technical fixes, pages written, profiles updated, links earned. A vague answer ("we optimise your site") is a warning sign.
2. Who will do the work?
The person who pitched to you, a junior team member or an outsourced team overseas? None of these are wrong, but you deserve to know.
3. Can I see your own results?
Ask for examples with real data from Search Console or Analytics, with permission from the client. Screenshots of rankings alone are easy to cherry-pick.
4. How will you report progress?
Insist on reports based on your own Google Analytics and Search Console, which you can check yourself.
5. Who owns the accounts and content?
You should own your website, domain, Google accounts and all content created for you. Walk away if they want to register these in their own name.
6. How do you build links?
Good answers mention digital PR, partnerships, local directories and creating content worth linking to. Bad answers involve buying links or "private blog networks".
7. Can you make technical changes, or only recommend them?
If they only recommend, budget for your developer's time too. If they can do the work, ask what access they need.
8. What will you need from me?
SEO works best with your input on services, customers and approvals. A good provider tells you upfront how much time to set aside.
9. How long is the contract?
Month to month is fairest. Long lock-ins protect the agency, not you. A discount for prepaying is fine, as long as leaving is possible.
10. What happens if results don't come?
You want an honest answer about what could go wrong and how they'd adjust, not a guarantee.
11. Do you work with my competitors?
Not always a problem, but you should know.
12. What do you need to see before you can quote?
A good provider wants to look at your site and market before quoting. An instant fixed price for "SEO" without seeing your site suggests a one-size-fits-all package.
Warning signs
- Guaranteed rankings, especially "page one in 30 days"
- Secret methods they won't explain
- Thousands of backlinks for a low monthly fee
- Reports only from their own tool, with no access to your Google accounts
- Long contracts with heavy cancellation fees
- No visible prices and pressure to decide quickly
We go deeper in SEO red flags: why guarantees are a warning sign.
What a good proposal looks like
A strong proposal:
- Starts from an audit of your site and competitors
- Names the specific keywords and pages to focus on
- Lists monthly deliverables
- Sets realistic targets with timelines
- States the price, contract terms and what's not included
Agency, freelancer or consultant?
- Large agencies offer many services under one roof, but you may be a small account.
- Freelancers are flexible and affordable, but capacity can be limited.
- Specialist consultants give you direct access to an expert, often with deeper technical skills.
The right choice depends on your budget and how much hands-on technical work your site needs.
How SEOguru.lk answers these questions
Our prices are published. Plans are month to month. Reports come from your own Google accounts. You work directly with Prabath, a certified engineer who makes the technical fixes himself. And we don't guarantee rankings, because nobody honestly can.
Request a free audit and judge our proposal against these 12 questions.