The SEO Works

The SEO Works is a well-established, well-regarded agency in the UK, with solid capabilities and a wide service offering. For clients ready to invest properly and work collaboratively, they can deliver meaningful growth in visibility and often in traffic. But as with all agencies in this space, there are trade-offs: cost, timeline, and expectations. If you engage them, do so with clarity, good measurement metrics, and realistic timelines.

What Looks Good:

• Reputation & Track Record
  They are award-winning; have received multiple industry awards (e.g., “Global Search Agency of the Year”, “Integrated Search Agency of the Year”,) which signals peer recognition. On Trustpilot: generally strong reviews, many clients report improvements in rankings, traffic, and that the team is professional, communicative,and responsive. 
• Breadth of Services
  They cover many parts of digital marketing, not just SEO: PPC, Web design, Digital PR, Content, and Social. For clients wanting a partner that handles multiple fronts, this is good. Also, “AI SEO” is part of their messaging, which suggests some investment in newer/forward-looking methods. 
• Ownership / Culture
  Recently transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) model. This can be positive in terms of staff motivation, stability, lower risk of culture drift, possibly better retention, which could benefit clients through consistency. 
• Transparency & Learning: They offer free audits, detailed reporting, commitment to being data-led. They also seem relatively open about their methodologies, their values, etc.

Risks to Be Aware Of:

• Cost vs ROI Concerns

There are customer reviews (on Trustpilot) expressing dissatisfaction: some clients feel they paid significant amounts (thousands/month) and didn’t see meaningful progress in rankings or conversions. When hiring such agencies, there is always a risk that the results may lag or not move the needle enough, depending on competition, budget, and strategy. The cost may be high relative to what some clients experienced.

• Dependence on Communication & Client Cooperation

SEO / PPC / Digital Marketing outcomes often depend a lot on the client’s side content approval, technical changes, responsiveness, etc. Some reviews imply delays or friction when the client side is not fully engaged. While this is common in the industry, it can exacerbate frustrations. 

Fit from Client’s Perspective:

• If you are a medium to large business with a reasonable budget and need a one-stop agency that can handle SEO, PPC, content, and web development, The SEO Works could be a strong candidate. Their breadth, awards, and experience are compelling.
• If your priority is fast ROI and minimal spend, or you operate in a highly competitive niche, you will want to be sure about what commitment (time, budget, cooperation) is needed, and get clear on how they measure success (beyond rankings).
• The transition to employee ownership may be a plus for stability and internal alignment; it is useful if you plan for a long-term relationship.
• Transparency in reporting and agreement on what metrics matter to you (leads, sales, cost per acquisition, etc.) will be crucial to avoid a mismatch in expectations.

Sources:
trustpilot.com
documents and information submitted to ITProfiles
company website and other online references