How to Choose an SEO Agency in Ghana: Questions to Ask Before You Pay

Choose an SEO agency in Ghana that can explain exactly what it will do in plain English, reports every month on enquiries and sales rather than just rankings, earns links honestly, and leaves you owning your website, domain and every account. Walk away from anyone who guarantees a #1 position, hides behind "secret methods" or sells link packages. Google's own advice on hiring an SEO is blunt: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google."

What should an SEO agency actually do for you?

An SEO agency should make your business easier to find, understand and choose, on Google and now in AI answers, and prove it with numbers you can check. The work usually covers six areas.

If an agency only talks about one of these, ask why. A plumber in Tema may mostly need local SEO. An online shop selling across Ghana needs strong product pages and technical work. A good agency starts from your business, not from a fixed package.

What questions should you ask before you pay?

Ask questions that force a specific answer. Google's Search Central guide on hiring an SEO suggests several of these, including asking for examples of past work, whether the agency follows Google Search Essentials, what results to expect and in what timeframe, and whether it will share every change it makes to your site.

1. What exactly will you do in the first 90 days? A good answer lists concrete tasks: an audit, fixes, specific pages, a review plan. "We'll optimise your site" is not an answer.
2. How will you measure success, and what should I expect by when? Look for leads, calls, WhatsApp clicks and sales, plus realistic timelines. Be wary of exact ranking promises.
3. Can you show me examples and let me speak to a past client? Real case studies with named businesses, or at least a reference call, beat screenshots of graphs with no context.
4. Do you follow Google Search Essentials? The answer should be an immediate yes, with an explanation of what they won't do.
5. How do you get backlinks? You want to hear about digital PR, partners, associations and useful content. If you hear "packages", "DA 50 links" or "guest post network", leave. See how to earn backlinks in Ghana without buying them.
6. Who writes the content, and who checks it? AI-assisted writing is fine if a person who knows your industry edits it and checks every fact.
7. What's your experience in my industry and in Ghana? Searching for "land for sale in Kasoa" behaves very differently from searching for "accounting software". Local knowledge of how Ghanaians search and buy matters.
8. Will I own everything? Your domain, website, content, Google Search Console, Google Analytics and Google Business Profile should be in your name.
9. Who will I deal with, and how often? Get a named contact, a reporting date and a response time.
10. How do you handle AI search? They should explain how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features find and cite businesses, without promising mentions.
11. What happens if we stop working together? You should keep all content, accounts and data, with a clean handover.

Also notice whether they ask you good questions. Google's guide says to see if the SEO is interested in you and your business. An agency that doesn't ask about your margins, your best customers or how you take orders can't prioritise properly. See questions to ask before hiring a marketing agency.

What are the red flags?

The biggest red flags are guarantees, secrecy, bought links, missing reports and any arrangement that leaves the agency in control of your accounts.

Google's guide adds one more: "You should never have to link to an SEO." A small credit in your footer is your choice, not a condition of the deal. For what a poor choice costs, see the real cost of a bad marketing agency.

What should good monthly SEO reporting look like?

Good monthly reporting tells you, in a page or two of plain English, what was done, what changed and what happens next, with numbers you can check yourself. It should include:

• A short summary at the top: the three things that matter this month, written for a business owner.
• Search Console data: clicks and impressions from Google, compared with last month and the same month last year where available.
• Enquiries from search: form submissions, calls, WhatsApp clicks and, where possible, sales. See how to track sales that close on WhatsApp.
• Google Business Profile activity: calls, direction requests and website clicks, plus new reviews.
• Positions for an agreed list of searches: chosen with you, based on what buyers actually type.
• AI search checks: whether you're mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for a fixed set of buyer questions, and how you're described.
• Work completed: pages published, fixes made, links earned, with URLs.
• Next month's plan: specific tasks and why they're the priority.

A report that is 30 pages of auto-generated charts with no explanation is a warning sign. So is a report that shows only the good numbers.

What should the contract say about ownership?

The contract should make clear that you own everything paid for and everything built for your business, and that the agency is a user on your accounts, not the owner. Get these points in writing:

• Scope and deliverables: what is done each month, in specifics.
• Fee: a fixed amount, what it includes and what costs extra.
• Term and notice: how long, and how either side can end it.
• Ownership: your domain, website, content, images and data belong to you.
• Account access: you are the owner of Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Business Profile, hosting and your domain registrar. In Search Console, for example, an owner has full control and can add or remove users, so the agency should be added as a full user, not made the only owner.
• Methods: a commitment to follow Google's guidelines and not buy links in your name.
• Handover: what you receive when the work ends, including logins, files and reports.

If an agency built your website on a platform only it can access, ask how you would move it to another provider before you sign.

How do SEO and AI search fit together now?

SEO and AI search are now one job, because AI answers draw on the same well-built, credible websites that rank in search. Google's Search Central documentation says SEO best practices remain relevant for AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that there are no additional requirements or special optimisations needed to appear in them. Other assistants rely on their own crawlers and search indexes. OpenAI's documentation, for example, says sites that opt out of its OAI-SearchBot crawler will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers.

So a modern SEO agency should check that your robots.txt doesn't block search and AI crawlers, write pages that answer questions directly, keep your business facts consistent everywhere and build the reviews and mentions that both Google and AI assistants trust. Be cautious of anyone selling "AI SEO" as a separate magic product with no connection to these basics. See SEO vs GEO vs AEO.

How much should SEO cost in Ghana?

SEO is usually priced as a monthly retainer, a one-off project such as an audit or site fix, or a mix of both. The right budget depends on how competitive your searches are and how much work your site needs. At MediaWura, we quote a fixed fee in writing after a free audit, so you know exactly what you're paying for before you commit. For wider context, see how much a marketing agency costs in Ghana.

Common questions

How long before an SEO agency shows results?

Technical fixes and Google Business Profile improvements can show changes within weeks. Competitive rankings usually take several months of steady work, so judge progress on leads and trends, not week-to-week positions.

Should I choose a local agency or an international one?

Choose the one that understands your buyers. A Ghana-based agency usually knows how people search, pay and decide here, from MoMo checkouts to WhatsApp enquiries, which shapes the content and pages that work.

Can I do SEO myself instead?

Yes, especially the basics: your Google Business Profile, reviews and clear service pages. An agency makes sense when you lack the time or skills for technical work, content and outreach together.

Is it a red flag if an agency asks for access to my website?

No. They need access to do the work. The red flag is if they want to own the accounts instead of being added as a user on accounts you control.

What if my current agency won't hand over my accounts?

Check which accounts are in your name, ask in writing for owner access, and reclaim your domain through your registrar if needed. Next time, put ownership in the contract before work starts.

If you'd like a clear plan before committing, see our SEO and content service or book a free audit. We'll show you what we'd fix and quote a fixed fee in writing.