When you partner with an SEO agency, you’re investing in the future of your online presence. As a new SEO services client, your expectations during the first 90 days are pivotal—not just for short-term gains but also for setting the tone for long-term success. These initial three months form a foundation upon which visibility, traffic, and ultimately conversions are built.
In this guide, you’ll discover what to expect as an SEO services client, how to gauge your agency’s performance, and what milestones should be achieved in the crucial first 90 days. If you’re preparing to begin your SEO journey or considering hiring an agency, find out more about what to anticipate and how to ensure your investment delivers results.
Phase 1: The Onboarding Process (Week 1–2)
The very first stage is all about understanding your business, target audience, and current website performance. A reputable agency will take time to conduct a comprehensive onboarding process that includes:
- Discovery Sessions: Expect detailed conversations where your goals, target keywords, competitors, and unique selling points are discussed.
- Website Audit: A full analysis of your website’s current SEO health, including technical issues, on-page SEO, backlink profile, and content quality.
- Access Setup: The agency will request access to your website’s backend, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and any other relevant tools.
This initial groundwork is essential. It’s where the strategy begins to take shape. If your SEO provider is skipping these steps or offering cookie-cutter solutions, it’s a red flag. You can always check over here to compare how top-tier agencies handle onboarding.
Phase 2: Strategy Development and Planning (Week 3–4)
Now that the agency understands your business and website’s condition, they will begin crafting a tailored SEO strategy. This involves:
- Keyword Research: Identifying short-tail and long-tail keywords relevant to your industry and audience intent.
- Competitor Analysis: Reviewing what your competitors are doing well—and where you can outperform them.
- Content Strategy: Planning which content needs improvement, what should be added, and how to better align with search intent.
- Technical SEO Plan: Addressing issues such as site speed, mobile optimization, crawlability, and indexing.
By the end of this phase, you should have a clear roadmap. The best SEO services clients expect transparency, so don’t hesitate to ask for documentation or a presentation of your SEO plan. And if you’re still in the research phase, go right here to explore how leading agencies map out strategic SEO efforts.
Phase 3: Implementation and Optimization (Week 5–8)
This is where things start moving. Action is taken based on the strategies developed, and the results of these efforts will begin to show (even if only slightly) during this period.
What Happens During Implementation?
- Technical Fixes: Solving issues like broken links, slow-loading pages, or improper redirects.
- On-Page Optimization: Optimizing metadata, header tags, image alt texts, and internal linking.
- Content Refresh: Updating existing pages to improve readability, keyword usage, and engagement.
- New Content Creation: Publishing blog posts, landing pages, or FAQs targeting high-value keywords.
- Backlink Acquisition: Beginning outreach campaigns to earn quality backlinks from reputable sites.
This phase requires collaboration. As a client, be prepared to approve content, respond to feedback, and provide insights into your brand voice and customer personas. If you’ve been promised quick wins, remember that SEO is a long-term strategy. However, some small victories—like increased crawl activity or better keyword ranking positions—can become visible now.
Phase 4: Reporting and Refinement (Week 9–12)
As the 90-day milestone approaches, you’ll want to start seeing tangible data. A professional SEO agency will provide detailed reporting that includes:
- Keyword Rankings: Tracking where you stand for the most important search terms.
- Traffic Analysis: Reviewing organic traffic improvements via Google Analytics.
- Technical Progress: Showing resolved errors and overall website health.
- Content Performance: Evaluating how new or updated pages are performing.
- Backlink Updates: Sharing links earned, their sources, and impact.
Expect the agency to refine their approach based on what the data reveals. SEO is an evolving practice; strategies must be adjusted in real time to keep pace with algorithm changes, user behavior, and competitive shifts.
If your reports are vague or not helping you understand progress, it’s okay to ask for clarification. Communication is key, and if you’re unsure whether your current agency is hitting the mark, contact us for a second opinion or in-depth audit.
What SEO Clients Should Really Expect
Let’s be real—SEO is not magic. It doesn’t deliver overnight results, but in the first 90 days, you should expect:
- A customized, transparent strategy tailored to your business
- Fixes to major technical issues holding your site back
- Initial improvements in keyword rankings and traffic
- Regular, clear communication and performance reporting
- Content updates and link-building activity in progress
If any of these areas are missing, your agency may not be holding up their end of the bargain. SEO services clients expect not just effort but measurable progress—and rightly so.
Looking Ahead: Beyond the First 90 Days
Once the groundwork is laid and early results are analyzed, the next phase is about scaling. From expanding content to enhancing your authority through link-building, ongoing SEO builds on the foundation set in the first three months.
Consistency and continuous improvement are the name of the game. To find out more about how long-term SEO strategies evolve or what a year of SEO could look like for your business, check out some of our in-depth guides or contact us for a personalized walkthrough.
Final Thoughts
The first 90 days of SEO are crucial. They set the stage for sustainable success, helping your website grow in visibility, authority, and conversions. As a new SEO services client, your role is just as important as the agency’s. Stay engaged, ask questions, review reports, and offer input when needed.
If you’re not yet working with an agency and want to know how your site can benefit from professional SEO, go right here to learn more about what makes a great partnership and how to get started. The journey is just beginning—and it’s full of growth potential.
Ready to get the SEO results you expect—and deserve?
Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how a well-executed SEO strategy can transform your digital presence.
