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Choosing a partner: guides to hiring an SEO, AI search or growth agency

Guides written for the buyer's side of the table: what to ask, what the work should contain, how to compare named agencies, and what the first three months should look like.

Start here

Know what the work is before you compare who does it.

Agency comparisons are easier once you can describe the deliverables you expect. The first group of guides sets out what AEO, technical SEO and SaaS SEO engagements consist of week by week, and the questions that separate a considered answer from a sales script.

The comparison guides name agencies and explain the selection rule used, so you can disagree with it. The last group covers the working relationship itself: what a good first 90 days looks like, and the practical points of hiring a team based in India for US or UK work.

  1. What does an AEO agency do? The work, deliverables and timeline of a GEO or AEO agency, week by weekThe work, deliverables and timeline of an AI search engagement, week by week.
  2. What to expect from an SEO agency in the first 90 days, month by monthWhat should happen in months one to three, so you can tell early whether it is working.
Before you shortlist

What the work should contain.

Questions to ask and plain descriptions of what each type of engagement delivers.

Agency comparisons

Named shortlists for the US and UK, with the selection rule shown.

Five agencies per list, compared on published evidence, with how to run your own comparison.

Working together

The first 90 days and the practical questions.

What to expect month by month, and an honest account of hiring an India-based team for US or UK work.

Related service

If you are considering us.

Apply the same questions to Prolinkage as to anyone else. The services overview lists each service with its scope, so you can check our answers against the guides above before a first conversation.

Your next step

Comparing proposals right now?

Send us the brief you gave the agencies you are considering. We will tell you which guide's scorecard fits it and what we would want to see in any proposal, including our own.