Most people know they ought to do something about their SEO. Fewer know what an SEO agency actually does all day, and even fewer know how to tell one that works from one that sends reports.

I've done redesigns of 57 Danish websites in 34 days. Here is what the work consists of.

The short answer

An SEO agency makes sure your site can be found by the people searching for what you do. Not by everyone. By the people who are in the middle of choosing.

It's four things: finding out what people search for, cleaning up the technical things that block you, writing content that matches the search, and making your data readable for machines.

What happens in practice

Keyword research

The first and most important step. Not a brainstorm about what you usually call your services, but real numbers on what people type into the search box, how many do it, and how tough the competition is.

This often reveals something uncomfortable. I've seen businesses build ten pages around a term nobody searches for, because it's the word the industry uses internally. Customers used a different one.

Technical clean-up

The boring part that decides everything. Speed, mobile view, language attribute, canonical, sitemap, dead links.

On the 57 sites the same thing kept coming up: the language attribute said English on a Danish site, so the site was filtered out of Danish searches. The meta description was missing, so Google chose for itself what the search result said about the business. Half the images had no alt text.

None of those errors are about how pretty the site is. They're about it being invisible.

Content

Pages and articles that answer what people actually ask. Not more words, but the right words, on the right pages.

A good test: can the first sentence of your answer stand alone as the answer? If it can't, it won't be lifted into an AI answer either.

Structured data

What makes your business machine-readable. Address, opening hours, services, prices, reviews, written in a format Google and language models can understand without guessing.

It's becoming the most important part, and it's the one most people skip.

Agency, consultant or freelancer

An agency has a team and several disciplines. Most expensive, and you rarely talk to the person doing the work.

A consultant advises but often doesn't do the work. Good if you have people who can.

One person who both advises and builds is usually right for smaller businesses. Fewer links in the chain, no translation between strategy and execution.

The price range in Denmark: agency 750 to 3,750 USD a month, consultant 105 to 180 USD an hour. I charge 75 USD a month for ongoing SEO, and basic SEO is included in the price if the site is built with me.

How to tell work from reporting

Ask four things before you sign:

1. Can you show a before-and-after number on a site you've done? Not a case study with nice words. A number
2. What are the first three things you'd fix for us? If they can't answer, they haven't looked
3. Who writes the copy, and do they understand my industry?
4. What happens if I cancel after three months? Do I keep the work?

If the answers get vague, it isn't your agency.

When you don't need an agency

If you have fewer than ten pages and sell locally, a one-off clean-up is often enough. The foundation in place, a proper Google Business Profile and five good pages beat a monthly bill you can't see the result of.

Ongoing SEO makes sense when there's something to build on, and when there's competition for the keywords that bring you customers.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an SEO agency cost in Denmark?

Typically 750 to 3,750 USD a month depending on scope. Consultants charge 105 to 180 USD an hour.

How long does it take before SEO works?

Technical improvements kick in within days to weeks. Rankings take three to six months.

What's the difference between SEO and AEO?

SEO is about being found in the search results. AEO is about being cited in the AI answer that now sits above the search results. The foundation is the same, but AEO requires your data to be machine-readable.

Should I choose a local SEO agency?

Geography matters less than skill. A good agency far away beats a mediocre one nearby. What matters is whether they understand your market.

Can an SEO agency guarantee a ranking on Google?

No. If anyone promises you that, walk away. Nobody can guarantee a specific ranking, and those who claim to are selling you something other than SEO.

Finally

I don't do brand awareness. I do revenue, rankings and websites that sell. Ask for the first three things they'd fix for you. The answer tells you everything you need to know.