What does an SEO company do? It works on your website so more of the right people find it in unpaid search results, then turn into customers. In practice, the work is eight jobs: an audit, technical fixes, keyword research, content, on-page optimization, link building, local SEO where it applies, and reporting. Google’s own page on hiring an SEO lists similar services, from reviewing site content or structure to keyword research, content development and, now, optimizing for generative AI.
What changes from company to company is the mix. A new local site and a 5,000-product store need very different months.
I run an SEO company, so I’ll describe the work as it actually happens, including the parts we can’t do. If you’re still deciding who to hire, my posts on SEO agency vs freelancer and how to choose an SEO agency cover that decision. This one is about the work itself.
The Eight Jobs Inside an SEO Retainer
Most retainers bundle the same eight jobs. Here’s what each one means in plain English.
1. Audit
We go through the site the way Google and a customer would. Slowly. Crawl errors, pages that aren’t indexed, slow templates, thin or duplicate pages, broken internal links, and what competitors rank for that you don’t. The output is a prioritized list, not a 90-page PDF, and you can run a first pass yourself with my 50-point SEO audit checklist.
2. Technical Fixes
This is the plumbing: indexing problems, redirects, canonical tags, sitemaps, site speed and Core Web Vitals (INP, not the old FID), and mobile layout. Some fixes we make directly. Others go to your developer as tickets with exact instructions.
3. Keyword Research
We find the searches your customers actually type, group them by intent, and map each group to one page. One page per topic avoids two of your own pages competing for the same query.
4. Content
New pages and posts for gaps in the map, plus refreshes of pages that are slipping. Good SEO content needs your expertise in it, so expect us to ask you questions, not just write in isolation.
5. On-Page Optimization
Titles, meta descriptions, headings, internal links, image alt text and structured data on the pages that matter. It’s small, unglamorous work. It often moves faster than anything else on this list.
6. Link Building
Earning mentions and links from relevant sites: business listings, partners, digital PR, and content people want to cite. A legitimate company follows Google’s spam policies and won’t sell you link schemes or private blog networks.
7. Local SEO
For businesses with a storefront or a service area: the Google Business Profile, reviews, citations and location pages. If you sell only online, this job drops out.
8. Reporting
Once a month, what moved, why, and what’s next. I’ve written separately about what a monthly SEO report should include, so I’ll just say this: a good report leads with leads or sales, not with a pile of charts.
What Happens in the First 90 Days?
The first three months look different from every month after. Most of the heavy lifting happens up front, and the results mostly come later.
Month 1: find and fix. The audit, access to Search Console and analytics, tracking checks, and the urgent technical fixes. If the audit finds indexing or tracking problems, then those come before any new content, because publishing into a broken site wastes the budget.
Month 2: map and optimize. Keyword research turns into a page-by-page plan. Existing pages get on-page fixes first, because improving a page Google already knows is usually faster than ranking a new one.
Month 3: build and measure. New content, link outreach, local work if it applies, and the first proper report against a baseline.
Why so much groundwork? Because a site with broken tracking, orphaned pages or a sitemap full of redirects quietly wastes every article and link you add later, and nobody notices until month six, when the numbers refuse to budge and the owner starts wondering what they paid for. Fixing foundations first is dull. It pays.
That’s the outline. My 3 month SEO plan breaks it into weeks, with branches for new and established sites.
What Does an SEO Company Do After the First 90 Days?
After the first quarter, the work settles into a rhythm. Each month usually includes a Search Console check for new errors and drops, a few content pieces or refreshes, on-page tweaks on pages close to page one, some link work, and the report.
The split shifts with the site. If you’re a local service business, then more hours go to the Business Profile, reviews and location pages. If you’re an ecommerce store, then more go to category pages, product templates and crawl efficiency. If traffic is already strong, then the focus moves to refreshing pages that are slowly decaying.
My monthly SEO checklist lists the recurring tasks if you’d like to see the full routine or run parts of it yourself.
Which Jobs Matter Most for Your Site?
Not every site needs all eight jobs at the same weight. This is roughly how I’d shift the effort.
| If your site is | Then the biggest share of work goes to | And you can go lighter on |
|---|---|---|
| Brand new, under 6 months | Keyword research, content, technical setup | Link building at scale |
| Established but traffic is falling | Audit, technical fixes, content refreshes | New content volume |
| A local service business | Local SEO, on-page for service and city pages | Long blog content |
| An ecommerce store | Technical SEO, category and product pages | Thought-leadership posts |
| A SaaS product | Content for problem and comparison queries, on-page | Local SEO |
| Recovering from a penalty or update | Audit, cleanup, content quality | Anything new until the cause is clear |
What Can’t an SEO Company Do?
This is the part most sales pages skip, and it’s the part I’d want to know as a buyer.
Guarantee rankings. Google’s page on whether you need an SEO says it directly: “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.” Any company that guarantees a position is either guessing or planning something risky.
Control the timeline. Google’s SEO Starter Guide says some changes take effect in a few hours, while others could take several months. It suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change helped. An honest company can tell you what to watch in the meantime, but not the exact week results arrive.
Control Google. Core updates, spam updates and AI Overviews can all move traffic without anyone touching your site. We can respond to them. We can’t stop them.
Fix the business behind the site. If the product, pricing or reviews are weak, SEO brings more people to a page that won’t convert. I’d rather tell a client that early than take a retainer for traffic that won’t pay.
Promise anything about AI answers. Nobody outside Google decides which sources an AI Overview cites on a given afternoon. A company can structure pages so they’re easy to quote and then watch the numbers. That’s it.
Work without you. We need access, approvals and your knowledge of your customers. Projects move fastest when the owner answers questions within a day or two.
What Deliverables Should You Expect?
Ask for these by name. If a company can’t tell you when each one arrives, that’s useful information.
| Deliverable | When | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Audit with priorities | Month 1 | A ranked list of fixes, each with an owner and reason |
| Tracking check | Month 1 | Key events in GA4 confirmed working, Search Console verified |
| Keyword map | Month 1 to 2 | Each target query group assigned to one page |
| Technical fix log | Ongoing | What changed, on which URL, on what date |
| Content plan and drafts | Monthly | Topics tied to the keyword map, not a random list |
| Link activity log | Monthly | Named sites and placements, never “50 backlinks” |
| Monthly report | Monthly | Results first, then what moved, then next steps |
| Agreed KPIs | Before work starts | Three to five numbers you both signed off on |
That last row matters more than people expect. If nobody agrees on what success means before month one, every report becomes a debate. My guide to SEO KPIs explains how to pick them for your business model.
What Do You Need to Give an SEO Company?
In my experience, the projects that stall usually stall on access, not on SEO. So before you sign, expect to hand over:
- Owner or full access to Google Search Console, and access to Google Analytics.
- Access to the CMS, or a developer who can apply fixes within a week.
- Google Business Profile access if you’re a local business.
- One person who can approve content and answer product questions.
- Your sales data or lead quality, so we optimize for customers, not just clicks.
Keep ownership of every account in your name. A good company asks to be added as a user, never to own your property. When a vendor sets up the Search Console property under its own login and later disappears, the history and the verification can disappear with it, and you start again from zero. Don’t let that happen.
How Do You Spot a Bad SEO Company Fast?
Guaranteed rankings, secret methods and cheap bulk links are the classic warning signs. I keep the full list, with Google’s own warnings and the questions to ask, in my guide on how to choose an SEO agency.
How I Run This at Skyranko
I’ve done SEO for 8+ years, since 2018, and my team has delivered 348 projects. The eight jobs above are honestly what our months look like: the audit and tracking first, then fixes, mapping, content, links and a plain report.
Our complete SEO service starts from $999/month. If you’d like to see what month one would find on your own site first, start with the free SEO audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does an SEO Agency Do for a Small Business?
The same eight jobs, scaled down. For a small local business, most of the effort usually goes to the Google Business Profile, service and city pages, reviews, on-page fixes and a short monthly report. Large content programs and heavy technical work matter less at that size.
Can an SEO Company Guarantee First Page Rankings?
No. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. A company can commit to the work, the deliverables and the timeline for that work. It can’t commit to where Google ranks you.
Do SEO Companies Write Content?
Most do, either in-house or with specialist writers. The best content still needs your input, because Google’s guidance rewards content with real experience and expertise. Expect interviews or question lists, not just finished drafts appearing in your inbox.
Do SEO Companies Handle AI Search Too?
Many now do. Google’s own list of what SEOs offer includes optimizing for generative AI. In practice, that means clear answers on key pages, structured content, and tracking visibility in AI Overviews and AI Mode through Search Console’s Generative AI report.
Last updated: October 2026 by Mizanur Rahman
