An SEO company is a business you pay to help your website show up higher on Google, and now in AI answers such as Google’s AI Overviews, so more of the right customers find you. It can be a large agency, a small team or a freelance consultant. The work usually covers a website audit, keyword research, fixing pages, writing content, local SEO for your Google Business Profile, earning links and a monthly report. No honest SEO company can guarantee you the number one spot on Google.
If you’re asking “what is an SEO company?”, you’ve probably had a cold email promising page one, or a competitor has started beating you on Google. I’m a freelance SEO consultant in Clapham, London, so I’m one of the people this article is about. That’s exactly why I’ve checked everything below against Google’s own advice on hiring an SEO, which Google rewrote on 5 June 2026, and its new page on third-party SEO tools and services (PPC Land, June 2026). Most guides on this topic were written by agencies selling to you. This one tells you what Google itself says to look out for.
Key takeaways
- An SEO company improves your website and online profiles so you appear higher on Google and in AI answers. “SEO agency”, “SEO firm” and “SEO consultant” all mean the same job at different sizes.
- The core work is an audit, keyword research, technical fixes, content, local SEO, links and reporting.
- Google says results usually take four months to a year, and nobody can guarantee a number one ranking.
- Since June 2026, Google tells you to check whether an SEO backs its advice with Google’s own documentation, including any “AI SEO”, “GEO” or “AEO” it sells.
- During an audit, give an SEO company read-only access to Search Console, and keep every account in your business’s name.
What is an SEO company?
An SEO company is a specialist you hire to do search engine optimisation for you: the work that helps Google find your website, understand what you do and show you to people searching for it. SEO is the name of the job and of the person doing it, so an “SEO” can be a one-person consultant like me or a 200-person agency. “SEO company”, “SEO agency” and “SEO firm” are used to mean the same thing.
What they’re really selling is visibility. When someone in your area types “emergency plumber Clapham” or “accountant for landlords”, an SEO company’s job is to make your business one of the answers they see, whether that’s in the normal results, the map listings or an AI Overview at the top of the page. For most small businesses, that means more calls and enquiries without paying for every click like you do with Google Ads.
What does an SEO company actually do?
An SEO company reviews your website, finds the searches your customers make, fixes what stops Google ranking you, and builds content and reputation over time. Google’s own “Do you need an SEO?” guide lists the services a legitimate SEO offers, and in June 2026 it added “optimizing for generative AI” to that list (Google Search Central). Here’s what each one means in plain English:
| Service | What it means | What you should get |
|---|---|---|
| Website audit | Checking how your site is built and what stops it ranking | A written list of problems, in order of importance |
| Keyword research | Finding the exact words your customers type into Google | A list of searches matched to the page that should rank for each |
| Technical advice | Hosting, redirects, error pages, page speed and how the site is coded, so Google can crawl every page | Fixes done, or a clear brief for your web designer |
| Content | New or improved pages and articles that answer what customers search for | Pages written or briefed and published on your site |
| Local SEO | Your Google Business Profile, reviews and local listings | A stronger profile in the Google Maps results |
| Links and mentions | Getting other real, relevant websites to mention and link to you | A list of links earned, never bought |
| Optimising for generative AI | Making your business easy for AI Overviews and AI Mode to understand and cite | Clear, accurate pages and profiles AI tools can quote |
| Reporting | Showing what was done and what changed | A monthly report using Google Search Console data |
Not every SEO company does all of these. Some only write content, some only build links, and some are really web designers who add a plugin and call it SEO. Before you sign anything, ask which of these rows are included in the price.
What does an SEO company do each month?
Month one is usually an audit and the urgent fixes; after that, an SEO company should do steady, visible work every month and show you the results. You should never be paying a monthly fee and hearing nothing. To make that concrete, here’s what my own local SEO plans for small businesses include:
| Plan | Monthly price | What’s done every month |
|---|---|---|
| Local Starter SEO | £495 | Google Business Profile managed, a system for getting more reviews, UK directory listings and a monthly report |
| Local Growth SEO | £795 | Everything in Starter, plus 2 new service or area pages a month, local links and call tracking |
| Dominate SEO | £1,195+ | Everything in Growth, plus more areas and services, and work on your visibility in ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews |
Whoever you hire, the monthly report should answer three plain questions: what did you do, what changed in Google Search Console, and how many calls or enquiries came from it. If the report is 20 pages of charts and none of them show enquiries, ask why.
SEO agency vs freelancer: what’s the difference?
An SEO agency is a team with account managers and specialists, while a freelance SEO consultant is one person who does the work and talks to you directly. Both do the same job. The difference is who you deal with, how much you pay for overheads and how big a project they can take on.
| SEO agency | Freelance SEO consultant | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | A team, sometimes junior staff or outsourced | One person, the one you speak to |
| Who you talk to | Usually an account manager | The consultant directly |
| Range of services | Often wider: Google Ads, social media, PR | Usually SEO and closely related work |
| Price | Usually higher, because of office and staff costs | Usually lower for the same hours |
| Capacity | Can handle very large sites and many locations | Limited number of clients at once |
| Best for | Big websites, national brands, big budgets | Small and local businesses that want one contact |
I’m obviously biased, so here’s the fair version. If you run an online shop with thousands of products or 30 branches across the country, a good agency has the people to cover it. If you’re a plumber, a salon, an accountant or a tutor, you’ll usually get more attention from one specialist who knows your business than from an agency where you’re one of hundreds of accounts.
How much does an SEO company cost in the UK?
An SEO company in the UK usually charges a monthly fee, and for a small local business that’s typically a few hundred pounds to over a thousand pounds a month, depending on how much work is included and how competitive your area is. My own monthly plans run from £495 to £1,195+. The price only means something when you know what’s done for it, so always ask for the list of monthly tasks.
I’ve written a full breakdown of how much SEO costs in London, including one-off audits and what cheap packages usually leave out. If you’re weighing up whether it pays for itself at all, read is SEO worth it for a small business first.
How long does an SEO company take to get results?
Expect four months to a year before an SEO company’s work shows its full benefit. That’s Google’s own estimate: in its video on hiring an SEO, Google’s Maile Ohye said an SEO will usually need “four months to a year” to implement improvements and then see the potential benefit (Search Engine Land).
Some things move faster. A Google Business Profile that was set up badly can improve within weeks once it’s fixed. A new article can take a couple of weeks just to be indexed, and longer to climb. My guide to how long SEO takes breaks this down by type of work.
Want a straight answer about your own website? I’m a freelance SEO consultant, not an agency, so you deal with me from the first call. I’ll check where you stand on Google against your local competitors and tell you honestly what’s worth doing, even if that’s “you can do this yourself”. See my SEO consultant services in London or book a free consultation.
How do you choose a good SEO company?
Choose an SEO company by asking direct questions, checking their answers against Google’s guidance and keeping control of your own accounts. These are the questions I’d ask, based on Google’s interview checklist and the new points it added in June 2026:
- Can you show me examples of past work and results? Ideally for a business like mine.
- Do you follow Google Search Essentials? That’s Google’s own rulebook. A good SEO will know it by name.
- What results do you expect, and by when? Listen for realistic ranges, not promises.
- How will you measure success? Calls, enquiries and sales matter more than rankings for words nobody searches.
- What’s your experience in my industry and my area? Local SEO in London is not the same as selling online across Europe.
- Will you tell me every change you make, and why? You should never have to guess what was done to your website.
- Do you back your recommendations with Google’s own documentation? This is one of Google’s new 2026 questions.
- If you sell “AI SEO”, “GEO” or “AEO”, does it match Google’s guidance on generative AI? Also new in 2026.
- Who owns the work and the accounts? Your website, domain, Google Business Profile and Search Console should all stay in your business’s name.
One practical tip straight from Google: if an SEO company is doing an audit before you’ve agreed to work together, give them read-only access to Google Search Console. Google’s guide says plainly, “At this stage, don’t grant them write access.” If you’re not sure how Search Console works, my guide to what Google Search Console is shows you how to add someone as a restricted user.
What are the red flags of a bad SEO company?
The biggest red flag is a guarantee: Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking on Google. Walk away from an SEO company if you see any of these:
- “Guaranteed page one” or “guaranteed number one”. Nobody controls Google’s results.
- A “special relationship with Google” or a “Google-approved” tool. Google’s new guidance says: “Google doesn’t evaluate third-party services, so be wary of such claims and those making them” (Google Search Central).
- Data presented as if it came from Google. Google is clear: “Third-party tools don’t have access to our internal ranking data. They can’t guarantee performance.”
- A scary audit full of hundreds of “errors”. Automated tools flag lots of things that don’t matter. Google says to check recommendations against its own guidance before making big changes.
- Cold emails offering SEO. Google compares unsolicited SEO emails to spam, and notes that it gets them too.
- Submitting your site to “thousands of search engines” or link packages. Google calls these useless for ranking, and bought links can get you penalised.
- Secrecy about what they changed. If they won’t tell you, assume the worst.
- Accounts in their name. Your domain or Google Business Profile should never belong to the company you hired.
This matters because you carry the risk, not them. Google’s guide makes the point that you’re responsible for what the companies you hire do to your site, even if you didn’t know about it.
Do you need an SEO company, or can you do SEO yourself?
You can do basic SEO yourself, and many small businesses should start there; you need an SEO company when you don’t have the time, you’re up against strong competitors or your own efforts have stopped working. Find your situation in this table:
| Your situation | What I’d do |
|---|---|
| New local business with a simple website | Do the basics yourself: Google Business Profile, Search Console, asking every happy customer for a review |
| Busy tradesperson with no time for marketing | Hire someone for local SEO, so the work actually gets done |
| Your website doesn’t appear on Google at all | Check it’s indexed first: why a website isn’t showing on Google |
| Competing for busy London searches | Hire an SEO company or consultant with local results to show |
| Online shop or many locations | Hire a specialist or agency with that experience |
| Already paying for SEO but can’t see results | Ask for a Search Console report and check the red flags above |
| Building or redesigning your website | Bring SEO in now, before the site is built, not after |
That last row is the one I see go wrong most. Fixing SEO after a new site is live usually means paying twice, once for the build and again for the repairs. It’s why I build SEO into every website I make, which I explain in should your web designer also do your SEO.
Is “AI SEO” or GEO different from what an SEO company does?
No. Google’s position is that optimising for AI search is still SEO. In its May 2026 guide on generative AI features, Google said optimising for generative AI search “is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO” (PPC Land).
So be careful with anyone selling “GEO” or “AEO” as a separate, secret service. A good SEO company already works on what helps AI tools pick you: clear pages, accurate business details, real reviews and a trusted Google Business Profile. If you want to see what that looks like in practice, read my guides on ranking in Google AI Overviews and getting your business recommended by ChatGPT.
What is an SEO company: frequently asked questions
What is an SEO company in simple terms?
An SEO company is a business you pay to get your website seen by more of the right people on Google and in AI answers. It improves your website, content and online profiles so you rank higher for the searches your customers make.
Is an SEO company the same as an SEO agency?
Yes. SEO company, SEO agency and SEO firm all describe the same service. The real difference is size: an agency is a team, while a freelance SEO consultant is one specialist you deal with directly.
What do SEO companies charge in the UK?
Most charge a monthly fee. For a small local business that is typically a few hundred pounds to over a thousand pounds a month, depending on the work included. My own local SEO plans run from £495 to £1,195+ a month.
Can an SEO company guarantee first place on Google?
No. Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking, and third-party tools have no access to its internal ranking data. Treat any guarantee as a red flag.
How long does an SEO company take to get results?
Usually four months to a year for the full benefit, which is Google’s own estimate. Fixes to a Google Business Profile can show results sooner, while new pages take longer to climb.
Can I do SEO myself instead of hiring an SEO company?
Yes, especially the basics: set up your Google Business Profile and Search Console, ask customers for reviews and make sure each service has its own clear page. Hire help when you lack the time or face strong competition.
If you are comparing companies, my guide to the SEO small business package price bands shows what each one covers.
Looking for an SEO company you can actually talk to?
Now you know what an SEO company is, what it should do every month and which warning signs to walk away from. If you’d like a freelance SEO consultant who does the work himself, explains every change and keeps everything in your name, tell me about your business. I’ll look at where you stand on Google and give you an honest answer, even if it’s “you can do this yourself”. You can also see my local SEO services in London.
Book a free consultation, or call or WhatsApp me on 07404 145722. No guarantees of number one, just honest, visible work.
Freelance web designer and SEO in Clapham, London, and two-time Prestige Awards Web Designer of the Year. I design, build and rank websites for small businesses. More about me
