The best way to compare SEO suppliers is to give them the same real problem and ask how they would approach it. You do not need to judge technical vocabulary. You need to understand the proposed work, the evidence behind it, the cost and who takes responsibility.
Start with a short brief everyone can answer
Write down the service you want to grow, the area you serve and the obstacle you can see. Include available appointment capacity and a realistic budget range. A useful brief might say: our private assessment page gets visits, but many callers expect a service we do not provide. We need clearer information and more suitable enquiries.
Give each supplier the same page and context. Ask for their first three priorities, what they need to investigate and what would change their recommendation. You are comparing how they think about your practice, not who gives away the longest audit.
Ask for evidence you can inspect
| Ask the supplier | A useful answer shows |
|---|---|
| What would you change on this page? | A specific reader problem, a proposed correction and a reason it matters. |
| Who makes the changes? | Named responsibilities for writing, website work and your approvals. |
| How is clinical wording checked? | An appropriate reviewer and a description of what they check, rather than a generic badge. |
| Can I see a relevant example? | The original problem, dated work, measured results and limitations. Client permission should be respected. |
| What will your report tell me? | The work completed, relevant search activity, enquiry evidence where available and the next decision. |
A case study with traffic growth alone does not prove more suitable appointments. Ask which pages grew, what else changed during the period and whether enquiries were measured. A supplier should be able to explain uncertainty without turning every chart into a success claim.
Settle the working arrangement before signing
- Who owns the domain, website, Google Business Profile and reporting accounts?
- Are implementation, clinical review and revisions included in the fee?
- What does the practice need to provide, and when?
- Who can approve changes to service details or clinical statements?
- What is the notice period, and what files and access are handed over at the end?
- Which extra costs need approval before they are incurred?
Keep the answers in the proposal. If the work depends on your existing web supplier, confirm their availability and charges too. An inexpensive SEO retainer can become expensive when every recommendation needs separately charged implementation.
If you are unsure whether you need more enquiries or a better booking journey, the free Enquiry & Booking Planner can help you prepare the brief using anonymous practice totals.
Compare the whole cost, not just the monthly fee
Put each quote against the same scope. Separate investigation, page changes, ongoing content, implementation, reporting and maintenance. Show any minimum term, tax treatment and third-party costs. A project quote and a monthly service are not directly comparable until you define what each delivers.
Illustrative comparison: one quote includes a monthly report and recommendations. Another includes those plus rewriting two agreed service pages and implementing the approved changes. The second is not automatically better value, but the headline prices describe different work. Ask each supplier to price the same priority before choosing.
Choose the kind of help you can actually use
A consultant may be a good fit when you have people who can implement advice. An agency may supply several of the skills needed to deliver it. Neither label guarantees that writing, development or clinical checking is included. Ask who will do the work and how much time they can provide.
If you have nobody available to change the website or approve drafts, resolve that capacity gap first. A plan that your team cannot act on is unlikely to become useful work.
Be careful with promises about AI answers
Some suppliers call AI search work GEO or AEO. Ask what changes they would make and how they will evaluate them. Google states that its AI features use the core search foundations and do not need special optimisation. A test showing your practice in one answer does not establish consistent visibility or patient enquiries. Read Google's AI feature guidance.
Reasons to pause a decision
Pause if a supplier promises a particular Google position, guarantees AI citations, will not explain its methods, wants control of your core accounts or recommends large volumes of content without a reader purpose. A proposal should also allow for the possibility that enquiry handling or service clarity needs work before more promotion.
Google's advice on hiring an SEO recommends checking references, asking about methods and giving read-only Search Console access for an initial audit. It also warns that nobody can guarantee first place.
Use the same questions when speaking to us
Kay & Co. works with healthcare businesses. Our SEO service page explains how we scope work and review progress. Bring one service page and describe the problem you want to solve. We should be able to make our recommendation understandable and say what evidence is still missing.
