Why choose Boltly? Interview us first.
Google publishes ten questions it suggests owners ask before hiring anyone to do SEO. We answer all ten below, show you how to check each answer yourself, and say where we stand on the warning signs Google lists on the same page. The short version: a Melbourne-based business with 10 people, almost 15 years in business, published prices, no lock-in and five named case studies.
Updated
The interview, measured outAnswered on this pageCheck off-site too
- Q1Examples of your previous work?Check off-site too
- Q2Do you follow Search Essentials?Answered below
- Q3What results, and by when?Answered below
- Q4How do you measure success?Answered below
- Q5Experience in my industry?Answered below
- Q6Experience in my country or city?Answered below
- Q7International sites?Answered below
- Q8How long in business?Check off-site too
- Q9How will we communicate?Answered below
- Q10Will you share every change?Answered below
Questions paraphrased from Google Search Central, "Do you need an SEO?"
Slogans are cheap. Answers can be checked.
"Experienced team. Proven results. Transparent reporting." You could paste those lines onto any agency's website, which is why they tell you nothing. A specific answer is harder to fake, especially one you can test yourself.
Google's page on hiring an SEO, last updated in June 2026, explains what a good SEO can do, lists the questions to ask and names the tactics that should end the conversation. It's short, it's written for owners and it sells nothing, which makes it a fair yardstick. We've used it as ours.
One part of that page cuts against our own interest. Google says a small local business can probably handle much of its SEO in-house, and it points owners to its free starter guide first. If you have the time, start there. If you don't, or the site is about to be rebuilt, read on.
No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Google Search Central, "Do you need an SEO?", read 3 October 2026
- Hire earlyGoogle suggests the best time to bring in an SEO is before a redesign or a new site launch, so the build is search friendly from the start.
- Hire laterA good SEO can still lift an existing site, which is where most of our work begins.
- Don't hireIf the business is small, local and you have a few hours a week, the starter guide may be all you need for now.
Google's ten questions, answered by Boltly
Each card has Google's question, our answer and a way to verify it. The two tan cards are answers you shouldn't take from any website, ours included: check them by phoning a client and on the public business register.
Can you show me examples of your previous work?
Yes. Our case studies name five clients and their numbers. Portable Pods logged 45 leads in 30 days. Symes SA had 46 enquiries in its first 30 days after launch. Belvedere Building and Electrical, a client for 3 years, had 27 leads in 30 days.
Do you follow the Google Search Essentials?
Yes. The work we do sits inside Google's spam policies: no bought links, no hidden text, no pages that only exist to swap a suburb name. When we recommend a change, we can name the Google document that supports it.
What kind of results should I expect, and when?
Google's own starter guide says some changes show within hours and others can take several months. We plan around that range: the first month goes on fixes and setup, and we judge progress over quarters, not weeks.
How do you measure your success?
By enquiries first: calls, forms and bookings that came from search. Rankings and traffic come next, because they explain why the enquiries moved. Every month's report sets those numbers against the month before.
What's your experience in my industry?
We've published 25 industry guides, from accountants to roofers, that set out how search works in each field. They aren't a client list, and we won't pretend they are.
What's your experience in my country or city?
Australia is the only market we work in. We're based in Melbourne and take on businesses anywhere in the country, writing in Australian English and working with Australian directories, review habits and Google Business Profile listings.
What's your experience developing international sites?
When an Australian business sells into New Zealand, the UK or the US, the hard part is telling Google which page belongs to which country. That's hreflang work, and it's a service of its own. If you only sell here, you don't need it, and we won't add it to your bill.
How long have you been in business?
Almost 15 years. The founder, Muhammad Majid Akram, still runs Boltly, which is now a Melbourne-based business with a team of 10. Don't take any agency's word on who you'd be dealing with, though. Australia has a free public register for that.
How can I expect to communicate with you?
One lead consultant runs your account and is the person you talk to. Email hello@boltly.com.au or call 0468 147 271, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Melbourne time. Every plan has a written monthly report; Growth adds a call and Performance adds a strategy call.
Will you share every change you make to my site?
Yes. The monthly report lists what changed on the site, page by page, and the reason for each change. If something we try doesn't work, the report says so too, along with what we'll do instead.
Questions paraphrased from Google Search Central, "Do you need an SEO? Tips for hiring an SEO", last updated 5 June 2026 and read 3 October 2026.
Eight red flags from Google's own pages, and where we stand
Google's hiring page, with its Business Profile and Ads help, lists behaviour that should make an owner walk away. Here's each one with our position next to it. If you ever see us doing any of these, leave.
"Guaranteed first place"
Google says no one can promise a top ranking. We give you a plan, a price and a monthly report, never a guaranteed position.
A "special relationship" with Google
No agency has one, and there's no paid "priority submit". Google doesn't take money to rank anyone in its organic results.
Secret methods
If an SEO won't explain what it's doing to your site, Google says be careful. Every change we make is written up in your report.
Link schemes and mass submissions
Submitting a site to thousands of directories or trading links does nothing good. Our link building earns mentions from real, relevant sites.
Write access for an audit
Google advises giving an auditor read access to Search Console, nothing more. Our free audit asks for view-only access, and only if you choose to give it.
AI search tricks
Google says work for its AI features is still SEO and needs no special file or markup. We follow that guidance rather than selling a separate "GEO" package of shortcuts.
A call "from Google" selling rankings
Google's Business Profile help says its staff will never ask for payment over the phone or guarantee a special spot in its products. Hang up, then check your profile yourself.
A Partner badge as proof of SEO
Google Partner status is about managing Google Ads campaigns. It says nothing about organic rankings, so ask what the SEO work itself will be.
Everything stays in your name from day one
Every account, page and report sits in your name from day one, so leaving Boltly is undramatic. Plans run month to month, with no term to buy your way out of.
Some agencies set up Search Console, Analytics or the Business Profile under their own login, then hold them when a client leaves. We do the opposite. If you don't have an account yet, we create it in your name and add ourselves as a user. When the work ends, you remove us and carry on with all the history intact.
Nothing is locked inside a dashboard that disappears with the subscription: the pages we write, the keyword research and past reports are all yours. The pricing page sets out the plans, none with a setup fee.
Handover trayYours to keep
- Google Search ConsoleCheck under Settings, then Users and permissions, that you're listed as Owner.
- Google Analytics 4Check under Admin, then Property access management, that your email holds the Administrator role.
- Google Business ProfileCheck under Business Profile settings, then People and access, that you're the primary owner.
- Domain nameLook up your .au name at whois.auda.org.au. The registrant should be your business, not a designer or agency.
- Pages and contentEverything we publish lives on your website, under your hosting account.
- Research and reportsThe keyword research and every monthly report are yours to keep.
When Boltly is the right call, and when it isn't
Google's hiring page suggests looking for an SEO that's interested in your business and asks about your customers and competitors. That works both ways. We'd rather tell you early that we're the wrong fit than take a fee for work that won't pay off.
A good fit if you
- Want enquiries from search to grow steadily over a year, not spike for a month.
- Would rather read a short plain report than log into a dashboard.
- Are happy to answer questions about your customers, your margins and what sells.
- Sell to Australians, in one suburb or across every state.
Probably not a fit if you
- Need leads this week. Paid ads are faster, and our Google Ads page explains how they pair with SEO.
- Want a promised ranking by a set date. Nobody honest can give you one.
- Are about to pause the business or sell the domain within months.
- Want someone else to make every decision without being asked a single question.
Google's SEO starter guide covers most of what a small site needs, and it's free. Read it before you talk to any agency. Even if you end up hiring help, you'll spot a bad recommendation faster.
Three plans, priced in public
Our three plans are $500, $900 and $1,500 a month, billed monthly, with no lock-in and no setup fee. You shouldn't need a sales call to find that out. The free audit tells us which one fits, and if none does, we say so.
For one local business working on one priority area.
Written monthly reportFor businesses competing across a city, with content every month.
Monthly report and a callFor several locations, online stores or crowded markets.
Monthly report and a strategy callThe full breakdown of what each plan includes is on the pricing page, and the order the work is done in is on our process page.
Questions owners ask before hiring
Why choose Boltly for SEO?
Choose Boltly if you want SEO from a Melbourne-based business with almost 15 years behind it, published prices, month-to-month terms, a plain monthly report and every account kept in your name. We answer Google's ten hiring questions on this page so you can judge us on specifics rather than slogans.
How do I go about choosing an SEO agency?
Shortlist two or three, ask each one Google's interview questions, and compare the answers side by side. Then check what you can: ABN Lookup for age, a client you can phone for track record, and the contract for lock-in terms. Our guide on how to choose an SEO agency goes further.
What questions should I ask before hiring an SEO agency?
Start with Google's list: examples of past work, whether they follow Search Essentials, what results to expect and when, how they measure success, their experience in your industry and city, how long they've been trading, how you'll communicate, and whether they'll share every change. Add one of your own: who owns the accounts if you leave?
What are the red flags of an SEO agency?
Guaranteed rankings, claims of a special link to Google, secrecy about methods, link schemes, cold emails promising page one, and requests for write access before any work is agreed. Long lock-in contracts and accounts held in the agency's name are two more worth adding.
Is SEO really worth it for a small business?
It is when customers search for what you sell and your margins can carry a few months of work before enquiries grow. It isn't when the business needs leads immediately. Our article is SEO worth it walks through the maths.
Should I hire an SEO agency or do it myself?
Google itself says a small local business can probably do much of the work. Hire help when you don't have the hours, when the site is being rebuilt, or when competitors are well ahead. Many owners do the basics themselves first and then hire, which makes them sharper buyers.
Can an SEO agency guarantee first place on Google?
No. Google states plainly that no one can guarantee first place, and it advises owners to look elsewhere if an SEO makes that promise. An honest agency can commit to the work, the reporting and the price, not to a position.
What access does an SEO agency need to my accounts?
For an audit, read-only access to Search Console is enough, and Google recommends not granting write access at that stage. Once work starts, the agency needs a user role on your accounts, added by you, never accounts set up in its own name.
Is a call from Google about my listing or rankings real?
Treat it with suspicion. Google's Business Profile help says it may call businesses but will never ask for payment over the phone or guarantee a special spot. A caller selling rankings is selling something else, and a Google Partner badge only covers Google Ads. Never hand over account access on a cold call.
Who actually does the SEO work on my account?
Ask every agency on your shortlist that question, plus where the people are and how many accounts each one handles. Outsourcing isn't automatically bad; keeping it hidden is. At Boltly, the lead consultant who runs your account is the person you talk to and the person answerable for every line in your monthly report.
Google's autocomplete suggested "choosing an seo agency", "questions to ask before hiring an seo agency", "seo agency red flags", "is seo really worth it" and "why choose our seo services" when we searched on 3 October 2026.
Put us through the interview
Start with a free audit, then ask us anything on this page.