Most businesses approach hiring an SEO provider like they’re buying a commodity service. They assume all SEO agencies essentially offer the same thing, with only minor differences in price and quality. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
After 16 years in SEO, I’ve seen this misconception cost small businesses thousands of dollars. The reality is that comparing 10 different SEO campaigns would reveal 10 completely different approaches – and that’s not because some agencies don’t know what they’re doing. There’s simply a wide array of SEO strategies, and it’s rarely obvious which one will work best for your specific situation.
The One Thing That Separates Good SEOs from Bad SEOs
While SEO practitioners vary widely in their approaches – some are highly technical, others are creative, some focus on off-page tactics while others emphasize on-page optimization – there’s one distinction that truly matters: reasoning from first principles.
The best SEOs have developed their own working theory of how Google’s algorithm functions. This allows them to analyze new information about algorithm updates or examine a specific website and confidently recommend strategies they know will have real impact. They don’t blindly follow a generic formula – they have a working theory of how search algorithms rank content, and they tailor their methods to each situation.
In contrast, many SEOs have simply learned the process of one successful practitioner. They were hired by an agency with limited knowledge and trained on a specific checklist: “This is how you do SEO.” While these process-driven SEOs can deliver good results initially, when all you understand is a process and you aren’t reasoning from first principles, you’re gonna end up doing a lot of things that just don’t make sense.
@tjrobertson52 16 years in SEO taught me: hire someone who reasons from first principles, not just follows processes. Ask WHY their strategy works! #SEO #DigitalMarketing #BusinessTips ♬ original sound – TJ Robertson
Why SEO Results Suddenly Stop Working
If your organic traffic plateaued or dropped after initial gains, it’s often because the SEO approach was too rigid or relied on outdated tactics. SEO strategies based on inflexible, cookie-cutter processes tend to become ineffective over time, because Google’s algorithm is constantly evolving.
Google’s algorithm is incredibly complex – there’s no human in the world who fully understands it, even the people working on it. The algorithm is kept in a black box and changes constantly. This means SEO will never be solved. No one will ever truly know the best thing to do to rank higher in search.
Because of this reality, SEO functions more like an art than a science. Successful SEOs approach the work as a craft: they formulate hypotheses, test changes, observe results, and refine their tactics. When an algorithm update occurs, they can adapt because they understand the underlying principles, not just the surface-level tactics.
Red Flags: Signs of a Bad SEO Provider
Cookie-Cutter Packages and Processes
Many SEO firms sell predefined packages (e.g. X backlinks + Y blog posts per month) – but effective SEO is “not a one-size-fits-all process”. If an agency just plows through the same checklist for every client, you’re likely to get lackluster results.
Guarantees of Specific Rankings
Be cautious of providers who guarantee specific rankings by a certain date. Nobody can guarantee a #1 rank on Google (Google even warns against those who do). The algorithm is too complex and competitive for absolute guarantees.
Focus on Vanity Metrics
Be wary if they only promise vanity metrics like “we’ll get you X number of backlinks” without context about quality or relevance. Good SEOs emphasize outcomes like traffic, leads, and revenue – not just volume of SEO activities.
Outdated or Black Hat Tactics
Bad SEOs often chase short-term wins through risky tactics like keyword stuffing, hidden text, or spammy link schemes. These might boost rankings temporarily, but search engines increasingly detect and penalize these tricks.
Agency vs. Consultant: Which is Right for Your Business?
SEO Agencies: Pros and Cons
Advantages:
- Team with diverse skills and capacity to execute many tasks simultaneously
- Can handle content writing, technical fixes, and outreach in parallel
- “Done-for-you” scale useful for comprehensive implementation
Disadvantages:
- Larger agencies sometimes rely on standardized operating procedures and junior staff, which can lead to a one-size-fits-all campaign
- Your project may be handled by lower-level employees following a narrow playbook that doesn’t account for your business’s unique nuances
- Assembly-line approach that might be slow to pivot from templates
SEO Consultants: Pros and Cons
Advantages:
- More hands-on, bespoke approach tailored to your specific situation
- Direct access to years of experience and expertise
- Higher adaptability: if Google’s landscape shifts or if your business has a unique obstacle, a consultant can adjust tactics quickly without needing bureaucratic approval
Disadvantages:
- Limited bandwidth – may handle only a few clients at a time
- You may need in-house resources to implement recommendations if the consultant focuses on strategy
Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring
1. “Can you explain your SEO philosophy for a project like mine?”
Listen for a custom approach grounded in understanding your business and Google’s current environment. You want to hear that they start with research and build a strategy around your specific goals. Top SEOs often have a clear theory of how Google works and will use that to guide your campaign.
2. “Do you offer fully custom strategies or standard packages?”
The best answer is that they will develop a strategy for you, not plug you into a pre-set package. A cookie-cutter SEO package applies the same steps for everyone, but effective SEO strategy is not one-size-fits-all.
3. “Who will be working on our account?”
You want to know if you’ll have access to someone with deep expertise, not just a newly hired trainee following an SEO checklist. While junior team members can handle routine tasks, overall strategy and critical decisions should be in expert hands.
4. “How do you stay current with algorithm changes?”
A good SEO will mention monitoring industry news, Google announcements, and continual learning. They should give examples of how they adapted strategies in response to major updates.
5. “Can you share a relevant case study?”
Real case studies should demonstrate their strategic thinking in action, showing how they identified specific issues and crafted solutions. Generic success stories without context are less convincing.
Technical SEO vs. Creative SEO: Finding the Right Balance
SEO encompasses both technical optimization (site speed, mobile-friendliness, proper HTML tags) and creative elements (content strategy, copywriting, link earning). Success requires balance – a site with brilliant content will still struggle if search engines can’t access it due to technical flaws.
The priority depends on your current situation:
- If your site has technical issues (slow load times, indexing problems), technical SEO is urgent
- If your site is technically sound but lacks quality content, creative strategy will yield more benefit
The best outcomes come when technical and creative efforts work hand-in-hand: solid site architecture and speedy pages to support excellent, user-centric content.
The Bottom Line: Look for First-Principles Thinking
The most important factor when hiring an SEO provider isn’t whether they’re an agency or consultant, technical or creative. It’s whether they can think strategically from first principles rather than just following a predetermined playbook.
Make sure whoever’s in charge of your strategy has their own theory on how Google works, and that’s where the strategy is coming from – not from some prebuilt standard operating procedure applied to every company. The right SEO provider should be able to explain why they recommend something for you, and that “why” should tie back to how search engines really work.
In an industry where the algorithm is constantly changing and no one has complete knowledge, you need someone who can adapt, strategize, and reason through new challenges – not just execute a checklist they learned from someone else.
Ready to work with an SEO provider who thinks strategically about your unique situation? Contact TJ Digital today for a free digital marketing audit and discover what a first-principles approach to SEO can do for your business.