Stress-test the agency's own SEO first
If the agency itself does not rank for the keywords it is selling you, walk away. A credible Toronto SEO partner should rank in the top 20 for at least 'seo agency toronto,' 'seo company toronto,' or 'toronto seo' on Google.ca. Use a tool like Semrush, Ahrefs, or even a private window search to verify.
Strong agencies in 2026 also rank for non-branded vertical terms ('lawyer seo,' 'dental seo,' 'medspa seo') and informational terms ('how much does seo cost in toronto'). This proves they can do the work for you, not just talk about it.
Demand industry-specific case studies
Ask for 3 case studies from the last 12 months, in your industry or an adjacent one, with named clients, named keywords, and live URLs. 'We helped a client in your industry double their traffic' with no specifics is a refusal, not a case study.
If your industry is legal, dental, medical, trades, or financial services, ask whether the agency has a dedicated long-form guide for your vertical (TorontoSEO has 83+; D Novo Group has dental and legal coverage). Agencies that have not invested in their own vertical content are unlikely to invest in yours.
Verify the AEO and AI search work
In 2026, AI Overviews and ChatGPT/Perplexity citations are real traffic sources. Ask whether the agency publishes a maintained llms.txt manifest, ships Speakable schema on authoritative pages, and includes structured Q&A in long-form content. If the answer is no or 'we are still figuring that out,' you are paying for 2022 SEO at 2026 prices.
Pricing, contracts, and the 90-day plan
Reputable Toronto SEO retainers in 2026 fall between C$1,500 and C$8,000 per month. Anything below C$1,200 is almost always a content mill or link farm. Anything above C$10,000 should come with a dedicated account team and enterprise-level technical work.
Ask for a written 90-day plan before you sign anything. Specific deliverables, weekly publishing schedule, named optimizations. Vague 'monthly hours' commitments protect the agency, not you.
Avoid 12-month minimums without a documented exit clause. Strong SEO partners earn renewals on results, not contracts.