What services does a typical SEO company offer?
The core services are technical work on the site, improvements to individual pages, content, links from other sites, and measurement and reporting. Local search work is core for businesses that serve a specific area. Around that core, companies add services such as site migrations, digital PR, conversion work, and paid search, and the mix varies from one company to the next. Reading a service menu well means knowing which items belong to the core, which are add-ons, and which are labels for ideas rather than services you can check.
The core
Technical work makes sure Google can reach, load, and index your pages: crawling and indexing problems, broken links and redirects, duplicate pages, structured data, page speed, and how the site works on a phone.
Page improvements make each important page answer its search clearly: titles and descriptions, headings, internal links between related pages, and images.
Content covers planning which pages and articles the site needs, writing or briefing them, and revising pages that already exist.
Links cover earning mentions and links from relevant sites, and reviewing the links already pointing at yours.
Measurement covers setting up Search Console and analytics correctly, defining which actions count as conversions, and reporting results against a baseline.
For a business that serves a particular area, local search work belongs to the core: the Google Business Profile, consistent business details across directories, location pages, and reviews.
Add-ons
Beyond the core, companies offer services that some clients need and others do not: managing a site migration, digital PR campaigns, conversion rate work on landing pages, paid search management, training your team, and consulting on international or multilingual sites. Each is a separate skill, so ask whether a company does it in-house or through a partner.
Labels to read with care
Some menu items name a concept rather than a deliverable. “E-E-A-T optimization” is one. Google’s guidance on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content explains: “While E-E-A-T itself isn’t a specific ranking factor, using a mix of factors that can identify content with good E-E-A-T is useful.” It adds: “Of these aspects, trust is most important.” A service sold under that label should therefore describe concrete work, such as clear authorship, accurate and sourced content, and information about who stands behind the business, rather than promising to raise E-E-A-T as if it were a ranking score.
The same test applies to any label you do not recognize. Ask what the company will actually do, what you will receive, and how you will know it was done.
Checking a menu against a proposal
A service menu tells you what a company can do; the proposal tells you what it will do for you. Compare the two. For each core area, the proposal should say what will be delivered and when. For each add-on, it should say whether it is included, priced separately, or not offered. An area missing from the proposal is a question to ask before you sign.