A business owner who says “I want to get SEO done” usually has the same questions in mind: Who will I get it done by? How much will it cost? When will results appear? What should be promised to me and what should I not trust? SEO projects started without clear answers to these questions often end in disappointment or unmet expectations. Yet search engine optimization, when set up correctly, is an investment that can bring customers without depending on an ad budget and that builds value over time.
In this guide we explain the questions to ask yourself before getting SEO done, what is actually done in an SEO service, the agency, freelancer and in-house options, how price is formed, what a contract should include and how the first 90 days should go. We keep one principle throughout the article: we do not give guarantees of exact rankings, traffic or sales, and we suggest you treat anyone who promises them with caution; because only the search engine determines the order of search results.
What Does It Mean to Get SEO Done?
SEO (search engine optimization) is the whole of the technical, content and reputation work done to make your website more visible in search engines such as Google on the topics your customers search for. “Getting SEO done” means handing this work over to an expert, an agency or a team rather than running it yourself. If you would like to read the basic logic of SEO in more detail, see our what is SEO post.
What Does SEO Bring to Your Business?
The contribution of SEO to a business can be gathered under three headings. First, reaching users with purchase intent: a person searching for “accounting office in Istanbul” or “ergonomic chair for the office” is a customer who knows their need. Second, reducing dependence on advertising: when you stop ads, traffic stops; the visibility won through SEO is more lasting. Third, credibility: a brand that appears regularly in search results becomes more familiar and trustworthy in the user’s eyes. We covered the balance between ads and SEO in our Google Ads vs SEO post.
What Does SEO Not Guarantee?
SEO is not a sales machine but a visibility and conversion infrastructure. The following cannot be guaranteed by any agency: a specific rank for a specific keyword on Google, a specific amount of traffic in a specific period, a specific number of sales or enquiries. The reason is simple: Google’s systems determine rankings, these systems change constantly and competitors work too. An honest service offers measurable improvements, transparent reporting and realistic expectations. Sentences such as “first page guaranteed” or “first place in 30 days” are a sign of an untrustworthy offer.
What You Should Clarify Before Getting SEO Done
A good SEO project starts before the contract: knowing what, for whom and why you are getting it done helps you choose the right agency and start with the right expectation.
Write Down Your Goal
“I want to appear on Google” is not a goal. More concrete goals are: increasing monthly form or phone enquiries, raising the visibility of specific service pages, getting sales from category pages in e-commerce, standing out in local searches (city + service). When the goal is clear, keyword selection, the content plan and reporting also become clear.
Understand the Current State of Your Site
Before starting work, look at the state of your site: how many of your pages are in the index? Are there issue notifications in Search Console? How are site speed and mobile compatibility? Which pages already get traffic? Google Search Console provides this data free of charge. A good agency also examines this as the first step; but if you know roughly too, you evaluate offers more accurately. We described what an audit should cover in our how to do an SEO analysis post.
Set Your Budget and Time Expectation
SEO is not a one-off job but a process. On most sites the first meaningful movement is seen in weeks and lasting gains in months; the time varies with the sector, the competition and the current state of the site. So it is necessary to think of the budget for a process of at least 6-12 months. We explained what the time depends on in our how long does SEO take post.
Think About Your Internal Resources
SEO work is not only the agency’s job; input from you is needed: correct information about your services, customer questions, photos, references, sometimes the authority to make changes on the site. Appoint a person who will provide this input (and who is also the agency’s contact). SEO projects without a contact person stand still for weeks waiting for content and approval.
What Is Done in an SEO Service?
The scope of an SEO service varies by agency; but a solid service covers several main areas. Look at which of these areas are in the offer. We described what an agency does in general in our what does an SEO agency do post.
Technical SEO
This is the work done so that your site is crawled, understood and indexed correctly by the search engine: robots.txt and sitemap checks, index and crawl problems, redirects, duplicate content and canonical management, site speed and Core Web Vitals, mobile compatibility, HTTPS and structured data. If the technical foundation is not sound, even the best content does not get the visibility it deserves. You can look at the scope of our service on our technical SEO service page.
Keywords and On-Page SEO
Finding what your customer really searches for (keyword and search intent research) and arranging pages accordingly: title tag, meta description, heading hierarchy, on-page text, images and internal links. Assigning the right keyword to the right page prevents pages from competing with each other (keyword cannibalization).
Content Production and Updating
Service pages, category pages and informational content (blog, guides, FAQ) are the fuel of SEO. Good content is content that answers the user’s question completely and reliably; not word count or keyword repetition. Updating content that ages over time is also part of the work. For the method to follow when writing content see our SEO-friendly article post.
Local SEO
For businesses with a physical location or a service area, the Google Business Profile, business information consistency, review management and local pages are at the center of the work. We described our local visibility service on our local SEO service page.
Authority and Link Work
Quality links from other sites can contribute to your site’s credibility. But purchased, artificial or irrelevant link packages can both violate Google’s guidelines and harm the site. A reliable agency runs link work in a natural way, with verifiable sources and explained risks. We covered the topic in our post on whether buying backlinks is safe.
Measurement and Reporting
The effect of everything done must be measured: index status, impressions and clicks by query and page, conversions on target pages, the number of enquiries. A report should show what your site has gained rather than a list of what the agency did. For report content see our SEO reporting post.
Who Should Do It: An Agency, a Freelancer or In-House?
There are three main ways of getting SEO done; none is best for every business.
An SEO Agency
An agency can offer different expertise in technical, content, design and reporting areas together; the process and reporting routine are established. It generally suits medium and large-scope jobs and sites where several areas must be run together (corporate, e-commerce, multilingual). Its disadvantages are that the budget can be higher than a freelancer’s and that the attention you get may vary by agency.
A Freelance SEO Specialist
Working with a single specialist can be flexible and economical for small, focused jobs. If the specialist is good, direct communication is fast. The disadvantage is that one person cannot be deep in every area (technical, content, design, software) and continuity can be interrupted when the person is unavailable.
In-House SEO
For large sites that produce continuous, high-volume content, setting up an in-house SEO specialist can make sense. Its cost and management load are high; it is rarely the first choice for small businesses.
Which Should You Choose?
The decision depends on the scope of the work and your resources. A small package may be enough for a simple local business site; a multi-page e-commerce site may need a larger team. Whichever you choose, put in writing who will do the work and who is responsible.
Things to Watch for When Choosing an SEO Agency
Choosing the agency is the most critical decision in getting SEO done. For a detailed guide see our what to watch for when choosing an SEO agency post; here we summarize.
Red Flags
These signs do not inspire trust: a promise of a ranking, traffic or sales guarantee; saying “our special method” without explaining what will be done; only a fast-result and “first page in 30 days” message; a standard price given without examining your site; a suggestion to buy links or artificial reviews; reports with only a list of “work done” and no results; vague exit terms in the contract; making your site’s admin access and data dependent on the agency.
8 Questions to Ask the Agency
- Can you examine my site and show its concrete problems?
- Exactly what work will you do in the first 3 months?
- Which keywords will you target for which pages, and why?
- How do you run link work and what are its risks?
- Which metrics will you report, and how often?
- If you do not give a result guarantee, how do you define expectation?
- How do I end the contract, and do the site and data stay with me?
- Do you have a work example from a similar sector or size?
The clarity of the answers shows how the agency works. Setting out with an agency that leaves the answer vague or brushes the question aside is risky.
SEO Prices and the Contract
An SEO price is not a single figure; it varies with scope, competition and the state of the site. We give no specific price here, because the real price comes only after the site is examined.
Factors That Determine the Price
The main factors affecting price are: the size and number of pages of the site, the competition in the sector, the extent of existing technical problems, the amount of content to be produced, local or national targeting, whether it is multilingual, the frequency of reporting and the agency’s experience. Very low prices often mean limited work or risky methods; a very high price is not a guarantee of a good result either. For details see our what determines SEO prices post; you can see our package options on our SEO packages page.
What Should the Contract Include?
A contract protects both sides. What it should contain: the scope of work and deliverables, duration and payment plan, reporting format and frequency, the definition of goals (goals, not guarantees), site access and who owns the data, confidentiality, the conditions for ending the contract and the state of the site afterward, and the limit of the methods used in link work. For a detailed checklist see our what an SEO contract should include post.
What Should Happen in the First 90 Days?
In a healthy SEO project the first three months are usually the foundation-laying period. The flow below is a typical example; it varies with your site.
Month 1: Audit and Basic Fixes
A technical audit, detection of index and crawl problems, analysis of current keyword and page data, competitor review, ranking of priority fixes. Critical technical problems (pages not entering the index, faulty redirects, slow pages) are fixed. Measurement infrastructure (Search Console, analytics, conversion tracking) is verified.
Month 2: Page and Content Work
Improving the title, content and internal links of main service and category pages according to target keywords; planning missing pages; Business Profile arrangement for local businesses; publishing the first new content.
Month 3: Scaling and First Review
Continuing new content and link work, reading the first data: which pages gained impressions and clicks, in which queries is there movement? The plan for the second quarter is made according to the results. By the third month “we reached the first page” is not expected; the realistic goal is to see measurable movement in the right direction. You can find how the work proceeds in detail in our how is SEO work done post.
When Are Results Seen, and How Are They Measured?
The timing of SEO results is not fixed. On a brand-new site the first meaningful movement usually takes months; on an established site whose technical problems are fixed, improvement may be seen in a shorter time. The factors that determine time: the age and history of the site, the competition, the difficulty of target keywords, the scope of the work done and the speed at which Google crawls and evaluates.
When measuring, look at these indicators: the number of pages added to the index, impressions and clicks on target queries, average position (as a trend), organic traffic, the number of enquiries and sales from organic sources, and the increase in the share coming from non-brand searches. Being stuck on the position of a single keyword is misleading; position changes by person, location and time. What matters is that real customer enquiries rise.
Fluctuation is normal during Google updates; decide with data without panicking. We explained how to behave in update periods in our core update guide. For preparing for AI searches you can also see our 2027 SEO preparation checklist.
Common Mistakes When Getting SEO Done
Knowing the mistakes businesses that get SEO done often make protects you from expensive errors. For a broader list see our common SEO mistakes post.
Believing a guarantee. An offer that gives a ranking guarantee is not trustworthy from the start.
Going only for the cheapest. A very low price often means limited or risky work.
Ignoring the site’s basic problems. Writing content for a slow, mobile-incompatible or non-indexed site is inefficient.
Not assigning a contact person. Extending the time the agency waits for input stops the work.
Giving up early. SEO is not a job of a few weeks; leaving after seeing no results in the first months wastes the investment.
Setting ads and SEO against each other. The two complement each other; balance the budget according to your goal.
Not reading the report. The report shows the direction of the work; questions you do not ask do not get answers.
Handing over ownership of the site and data. Access to the domain, hosting, Search Console and analytics should always stay with you.
How Does Soft Ajans Run SEO Work?
At Soft Ajans we start SEO work by examining the site: a technical audit, index and crawl status, current keyword and page data, competitor review. Then we turn the priority fixes and the content plan into a roadmap, provide implementation support and do regular, transparent reporting. For local businesses we can include Business Profile and local page work, for e-commerce sites category and product page structure, and for multilingual sites target-market SEO in the work.
We do not give ranking, traffic or sales guarantees; because nobody can honestly give them. We take care to explain the site, the scope and the process clearly and to set up an arrangement that does not make you dependent on the agency. You can look at our services on our SEO consulting page, the package options on our SEO packages page and work based in Istanbul on our Istanbul SEO agency page. To see the current state of your site you can request a free preliminary analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my website have to be ready before getting SEO done?
You need to have a site; but it does not have to be “perfect”. Depending on the current state of the site, technical and structural fixes are made first. If the site has not been built yet, thinking of SEO at the design stage is far more economical than fixing it later.
How long does it take to get SEO done?
The time is not fixed; it varies by sector, competition and the state of the site. In most projects the first meaningful movement is seen within months and lasting gains in a longer time. So plan the budget and expectation for a process of at least 6-12 months.
How much is the monthly SEO fee?
There is no single figure; it varies with scope, competition and the state of the site. A clear offer comes after the site is examined. We explained the factors that determine price in the article and in our SEO prices post.
Is there a guarantee of reaching the first page?
No. Nobody can give a ranking guarantee; only the search engine determines ranking. Offers that promise a guarantee are not reliable. An honest service offers measurable improvement and transparent reporting.
Can I do SEO myself?
You can do the basics (titles, content, Business Profile) yourself; to learn you can look at our I want to learn SEO post. Technical problems, large-scale content and measurement need more expertise and time; getting support makes sense at that point.
Can SEO and Google Ads be done together?
Yes, for most businesses running both together is healthiest. Ads capture demand quickly, SEO builds long-term visibility. Balance the budget according to your goal and season.
