About the guide
An independent reference for SEO buyers.
Bay Area SEO is a published guide, not an agency. We do not sell SEO services, take on retainers, or run campaigns.
Most businesses buy SEO once every few years, from providers who talk about it every day. That asymmetry is the reason proposals are hard to compare, contracts contain surprises, and reporting rarely answers the one question that matters: is this producing customers.
This guide exists to close that gap. It explains what each service is, what a reasonable engagement includes, what changes the price, and what a provider should be accountable for. Everything is written so you can take it into a conversation and use it the same day.
The guide is published from San Francisco and focuses on the Bay Area, because local market context matters for local search. The buying advice applies anywhere.
How we write
Explain before recommending
Every page starts by describing how something actually works. Recommendations come after, and they are framed as questions you should ask rather than answers we can give for your business.
Label every number
Where figures appear, they are illustrative planning examples, clearly marked as invented. We do not publish market averages, survey data, or provider quotes we have not verified.
No guarantees, anywhere
Nobody can guarantee a ranking, and any provider who does is selling you something else. We keep that standard on our own pages too.
Say who pays
Provider introductions are free to you. Some participating providers may compensate us. That arrangement never changes what a guide says.
What we do not do
- We do not sell SEO services or compete with the providers we describe.
- We do not rank providers in a public league table or publish paid reviews.
- We do not publish client case studies, testimonials, or performance claims we cannot show you the evidence for.
- We do not sell your contact details as a lead list.
Corrections and questions
If something here is wrong, out of date, or unclear, tell us and we will fix it. Email hello@bayareaseoagency.com.
Start here
The three pages most people read first
If you are early in a search, these cover the scope, the money, and the questions.
A faster way to compare
Tell us what your business needs.
Share your location, company size, and priorities to request a provider introduction. Availability and fit are confirmed before any introduction is made.