Tangible results. A quality agency should be able to draw a line from their services to increased revenues in your bank account, and how they’ve done so for others in the past.

Experience in similar or adjacent industries is also important but not critical.

The difference between a freelancer and an agency is with a freelancer you’re usually only getting one individual, whereas with an agency you’re getting a team. Which to choose depends on what your needs are and how difficult your industry is from an SEO standpoint.

As a salesperson, it’s relatively straightforward to make SEO make sense – but as a consumer I suggest you try not to get too caught up in the buzzwords, terminology, etc. Focus on the questions they ask about your company and see if they can make suggestions that make sense.

Another thing to look for is if they come to the meeting prepared. Are they blasting you their standard pitch-deck? Or do they provide tailored information specific to your company?

If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot them here. Best of luck!