Free tool · 32 evidence checks · no signup
Compare SEO agencies on evidence—not sales calls.
Score up to three agencies side by side across verified results, diagnosis, technical control, authority, measurement, Los Angeles local SEO, ownership, and communication. Any dangerous promise or contract term overrides the number.
Published July 23, 2026. Entries stay on your device. A score improves consistency; it does not guarantee rankings, leads, or revenue.
Evidence-weighted comparison
Score the proof, not the pitch.
Compare up to three agencies across 32 checks. Your entries stay in this browser; nothing is submitted to Spec Social.
0.0/100
0/32
evidenced
Insufficient evidence
The current record does not justify confidence or a signed engagement.
0.0/100
0/32
evidenced
Insufficient evidence
The current record does not justify confidence or a signed engagement.
0 · No evidence
Missing, avoided, or contradicted.
1 · Claimed
Said in a pitch or proposal, but not documented.
2 · Documented
Supported by a specific artifact, contract term, or account view.
3 · Independently verified
Checkable outside the agency's own sales material.
Weighted 20/100
Verified proof
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Named cases match the service being proposedVerify: Open the case URL and confirm the client, engagement, and agency relationship. | ||
| Cases include a baseline, date range, and work performedVerify: Require the starting measure, comparison period, scope, and material changes. | ||
| Results reach qualified leads, pipeline, or revenueVerify: Trace at least one result beyond rankings or aggregate traffic. | ||
| A relevant client reference can verify the workVerify: Speak with a client whose market, constraints, or engagement resembles yours. |
Weighted 15/100
Market and page-level diagnosis
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Priority query groups map to specific destination URLsVerify: Inspect a query-to-page map with one intended owner for every important intent. | ||
| The diagnosis names current search-result competitorsVerify: Confirm the named domains and page types in live results, not a generic competitor list. | ||
| Priorities reflect intent, economics, and current positionVerify: Ask why the first three opportunities deserve resources before the rest. | ||
| Cannibalization, constraints, and assumptions are explicitVerify: Require pages to consolidate, preserve, redirect, or avoid—and the reason for each. |
Weighted 15/100
Technical SEO control
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Crawl, indexation, canonical, and redirect issues are diagnosedVerify: Require affected URLs, observed behavior, intended behavior, and severity. | ||
| Rendering, performance, and template behavior are understoodVerify: Ask how server output, JavaScript, templates, and field performance will be checked. | ||
| Internal links, structured data, and architecture have a planVerify: Inspect the proposed crawl paths and confirm markup matches visible facts. | ||
| Every release has a validation and rollback methodVerify: Require build, crawl, rendered-page, analytics, and post-release checks. |
Weighted 15/100
Authority and off-site plan
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| The plan names specific source types and prospectsVerify: Inspect a prospect queue tied to clients, partners, associations, research, or media. | ||
| Relevance, editorial quality, and rejection rules are writtenVerify: Ask which placements the agency will reject even when they are easy to obtain. | ||
| Acquisition methods exclude bulk links, PBNs, and hidden sponsorshipVerify: Require disclosure of outreach, payment, ownership, and editorial control. | ||
| The strategy creates assets worth citingVerify: Look for original data, useful tools, expert contributions, or source-worthy references. |
Weighted 10/100
Measurement and commercial accountability
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified and disqualified leads are definedVerify: Approve definitions for qualified, duplicate, spam, existing-customer, and wrong-fit activity. | ||
| The tracking chain reaches calls, forms, CRM, and revenueVerify: Follow one test conversion from landing page through the customer record. | ||
| Search Console, analytics, and conversion data stay client-ownedVerify: Confirm access in the real production accounts and the written ownership terms. | ||
| Reports connect shipped work to commercial movementVerify: Inspect a sample that shows changes, queries, landing pages, qualified outcomes, and next decisions. |
Weighted 10/100
Los Angeles local and entity signals
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Business Profile ownership, eligibility, and categories are handled firstVerify: Confirm the owner-controlled profile, location type, primary category, and duplicate status. | ||
| Name, phone, address or service area, hours, and URL reconcileVerify: Compare the website, maps, major profiles, and existing legacy records field by field. | ||
| Authentic review requests and responses have an operating cadenceVerify: Inspect the compliant request process, response owner, and escalation rules. | ||
| Local pages contain distinct proof and useful market contextVerify: Look for actual local relationships, logistics, examples, data, or participation—not city swaps. |
Weighted 10/100
Ownership, access, and contract terms
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| The client owns every production account and datasetVerify: Confirm primary ownership for domain, site, Search Console, analytics, listings, ads, CRM, and call tracking. | ||
| The contract transfers paid-for content, code, and creativeVerify: Read the intellectual-property, licensing, and third-party asset clauses. | ||
| Access is least-privilege, named, logged, and removableVerify: Inspect the access matrix and verify shared passwords are not the operating model. | ||
| Cancellation, export, handoff, and deletion are documentedVerify: Require timelines, formats, responsibilities, final access, and data-retention terms. |
Weighted 5/100
Communication and operating cadence
| Verification check | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| A named senior operator owns decisions and deliveryVerify: Meet the person who will actually diagnose, approve, and explain the work. | ||
| Review rhythm, response expectations, and escalation are writtenVerify: Confirm meeting cadence, response windows, urgent contacts, and decision owners. | ||
| Changes, assumptions, blockers, and decisions stay inspectableVerify: Inspect the release log, issue register, or equivalent operating record. | ||
| Capacity, fit limits, and dependency risks are disclosedVerify: Ask what would delay the plan, change the price, or make the agency decline the work. |
Hard-stop review
A high score does not cancel a dangerous term.
Check every red flag that is present or unresolved. Any checked item overrides the numeric verdict until it is corrected in writing.
| Red flag | Agency 1 | Agency 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Guarantees a number-one or fixed ranking | ||
| Will not disclose where or how links are obtained | ||
| Keeps ownership of the site, accounts, listings, or data | ||
| Uses work or results that cannot be tied to its actual role | ||
| Will not identify who owns strategy and delivery after the sale |
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How the 100 points work
Capability matters. Verifiability decides the score.
Each category contains four checks. A sales claim earns one level, a specific artifact earns two, and independently checkable evidence earns three. Missing or contradicted evidence stays at zero.
20/100
Verified proof
Named, client-approved SEO cases show the starting point, work performed, date range, business outcome, and a contactable reference.
15/100
Market and page-level diagnosis
The proposal maps priority query groups to specific URLs, names the current winners, explains the gap, and separates commercial from informational intent.
15/100
Technical SEO control
The team can diagnose indexation, canonicals, redirects, rendering, internal links, structured data, sitemaps, performance, and release validation.
15/100
Authority and off-site plan
The proposal names realistic sources of relevant mentions and links—clients, partners, associations, directories, research, experts, and publications.
10/100
Measurement and commercial accountability
Reporting connects landing pages and queries to qualified calls, forms, bookings, pipeline, or revenue, with a documented baseline.
10/100
Los Angeles local and entity signals
The plan covers Business Profile ownership, category and service accuracy, review operations, citation consistency, service areas, and locally relevant proof.
10/100
Ownership, access, and contract terms
The client owns the site, content, analytics, Search Console, Business Profile, call tracking, and ad accounts, with exit terms in writing.
5/100
Communication and operating cadence
A named senior owner explains decisions, records shipped changes, reports blockers, and sets a predictable review cadence.
Interpretation
The verdict is a gate, not a prediction.
80–100
Shortlist
The evidence is strong enough for references, legal review, and a final fit decision—provided no hard-stop flag exists.
65–79
Consider with conditions
Write the missing evidence, access, ownership, measurement, or delivery conditions into the decision process.
0–64
Insufficient evidence
The current record does not justify confidence. A better sales presentation is not the missing evidence.
Any score
Hard stop present
Do not sign until the guarantee, secret link method, asset ownership, misrepresented proof, or delivery-owner problem is resolved in writing.
Questions
Using the scorecard.
What is a good score for an SEO agency?
A score of 80 or more is shortlist quality only when the points are supported by real evidence and no hard-stop flag is present. A lower score can improve when missing cases, access, ownership terms, measurement, or references are documented. The score is a decision aid, not a ranking guarantee.
Why does independently verified evidence score higher?
An agency controls its own proposal, website, and sales presentation. Client references, live accounts, public cases, contracts, independent reviews, and checkable third-party records reduce the risk that a persuasive claim is mistaken for demonstrated capability.
Does the tool send my agency comparison to Spec Social?
No. Names, scores, notes, and red flags are saved in your browser's local storage. The comparison is only transmitted if you choose to send or upload the exported file somewhere yourself.
Can an agency with a high score still be the wrong choice?
Yes. Budget, capacity, industry constraints, communication fit, conflicts, timelines, and your internal ability to approve work still matter. The hard-stop review also overrides the numeric verdict when a dangerous promise or ownership term remains unresolved.
Should an SEO agency guarantee a number-one ranking?
No. No agency controls Google, competitors, search-result formats, or customer behavior. Require commitments about work, evidence, access, validation, and reporting—not a fixed position the provider cannot control.
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