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How to Choose an SEO Agency in Australia (Without Getting Burned)
The Australian SEO industry has a reputation problem. Lock-in contracts, opaque reporting, and agencies that go quiet after month two are common enough that many business owners have been burned at least once. Here is how to find an agency worth keeping.
⚠ Red Flag: They Will Not Show You Pricing Up Front
If an agency makes you book a discovery call before they will tell you what anything costs, that is a deliberate sales tactic. The call is designed to build rapport and overcome your price objection before you have had a chance to think about it.
Good agencies publish their pricing because they are confident in their value. Hidden pricing almost always means the price is negotiable — which means the agency is not operating from a place of consistent, process-driven delivery. They are sizing you up.
What to look for instead
Published tier pricing with clear inclusions at each level. If pricing is on the page, the agency has committed to a consistent service model — not custom quotes designed around what they think you will pay.
⚠ Red Flag: Lock-In Contracts of 6 or 12 Months
SEO takes time — that part is true. But it does not take 12 months before you can see whether an agency is actually doing the work. A credible agency should be able to show you movement in rankings and traffic within 90 days of consistent effort.
Long lock-in contracts protect the agency, not you. They are used by agencies that know their clients would leave if they could — not by agencies confident enough in their results to offer month-to-month terms.
What to look for instead
Month-to-month contracts with a reasonable notice period (30 days is standard). The best agencies retain clients through results, not paperwork.
⚠ Red Flag: They Report on Rankings for Keywords Nobody Searches
Ranking number one for "best affordable quality web solutions Sydney" sounds impressive on a report. It means nothing if nobody searches that phrase. Unscrupulous agencies target low-competition long-tail terms they can rank easily, then use those rankings as evidence of success.
Vanity metrics are easy to manufacture. The only metrics that matter are ones tied to real business outcomes: traffic from search, leads generated, calls attributed to organic search.
What to look for instead
Reporting that shows organic traffic trends in Google Search Console, keyword rankings for terms with verified search volume, and ideally some form of lead or enquiry attribution. Ask specifically: what are the search volumes on the keywords you are targeting for us?
⚠ Red Flag: No Audit Before They Start
A legitimate SEO agency does not know what your site needs until they have looked at it. If an agency is ready to quote you a retainer and start work without conducting an audit first, they are selling you a generic service — not a strategy built around your actual situation.
Every site is different. Technical issues, existing keyword rankings, competitor landscape, and content gaps vary enormously between businesses. An audit is not optional — it is the foundation the strategy sits on.
What to look for instead
An agency that requires (or at minimum strongly recommends) an audit before beginning retainer work. The audit should produce a specific, prioritised action plan for your site — not a generic SEO checklist.
What a Good SEO Agency Actually Looks Like
- ✓ Published pricing with clear inclusions at each tier
- ✓ Month-to-month contracts — no penalties for leaving
- ✓ Audit before retainer — strategy before execution
- ✓ Reporting on traffic, rankings with real search volume, and enquiries
- ✓ Clear communication about what was done each month and why
- ✓ Technical SEO capability — not just content and links
- ✓ Willingness to explain their process and answer direct questions
Five Questions to Ask Any SEO Agency Before You Sign
Can you show me examples of rankings you have achieved for businesses in my industry?
Why ask: Industry-specific experience matters. Local SEO for a tradie is different from SEO for a finance broker.
What are the actual search volumes on the keywords you plan to target?
Why ask: Forces them to show their keyword strategy rather than targeting vanity terms.
How will you report on results and how often?
Why ask: Monthly reporting at minimum. Ask to see a sample report before you engage.
What happens if I want to cancel?
Why ask: The answer tells you everything about how confident they are in their work.
Do you conduct a site audit before starting retainer work?
Why ask: No audit means no strategy — just generic activity.
Proto SEO publishes its pricing, runs month-to-month contracts, and starts every engagement with an audit. If that sounds like what you have been looking for, the audit is the lowest-risk way to start.