The SEO industry has a reputation problem - and unfortunately, it's often deserved. Alongside genuinely skilled professionals, there are plenty of agencies making promises they can't keep and using tactics that can actively harm your business.
Here's how to tell the difference.
The Major Red Flags
"We Guarantee #1 Rankings"
This is the biggest red flag in SEO. No one can guarantee rankings because:
- Google's algorithm uses hundreds of factors no one fully understands
- Rankings depend on what competitors do
- Google explicitly warns against agencies making guarantees
Anyone making this promise is either lying or planning to use risky tactics that might work temporarily before getting you penalised.
What good agencies say: "We'll work to improve your visibility using proven, ethical methods. Here's what we've achieved for similar clients."
"We Have a Special Relationship with Google"
Google doesn't have special relationships with SEO agencies. The same guidelines are public for everyone. There's no secret back door.
Some agencies are Google Partners - but this relates to Google Ads, not organic SEO. It doesn't give them ranking advantages.
What good agencies say: "We follow Google's published guidelines and stay current with best practices."
"We Can't Tell You What We Do (It's Proprietary)"
Legitimate SEO isn't secret. The fundamentals are well-known: quality content, technical optimisation, building authority, good user experience.
If an agency won't explain their methods, they're either:
- Doing nothing
- Doing something they know you wouldn't approve of
- Trying to make simple things sound complex to justify fees
What good agencies say: "Here's exactly what we'll do in month one, and here's our ongoing strategy. We'll send monthly reports showing the work completed."
"Results in 2-4 Weeks"
SEO is slow. It takes time for Google to crawl your site, assess changes, and adjust rankings. Competitive terms take even longer.
Promises of rapid results usually mean:
- Targeting terms no one searches for
- Tactics that work briefly then backfire
- Simply lying
What good agencies say: "SEO is a 6-12 month investment. Here's a realistic timeline for when you can expect to see different types of results."
Suspiciously Low Prices
SEO requires skilled work and time. At £99/month, there's simply not enough budget to do anything meaningful.
Cheap SEO often means:
- Automated spam techniques
- Overseas teams churning out template work
- Doing virtually nothing while sending impressive-looking reports
- Building links from spammy sites that can harm you
What good agencies say: "Here's what our pricing includes, and here's why meaningful SEO costs what it does."
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
"Can you show me case studies or results from similar businesses?"
Good agencies have examples they can share. Look for:
- Businesses similar to yours (size, industry, location)
- Specific metrics, not just vague claims
- Willingness to provide references you can contact
"What exactly will you do in the first 3 months?"
You should get a clear answer covering:
- Initial audit and analysis
- Specific actions they'll take
- Deliverables you can expect
- How progress will be measured
Vague answers like "optimise your site" aren't sufficient.
"How do you build links?"
Link building is where agencies often cut corners. Good answers involve:
- Content that earns natural links
- Genuine outreach and relationship building
- Local directories and citations
- Digital PR
Concerning answers include:
- "We have a network of sites"
- "We buy links" (even if phrased differently)
- "We can't disclose our methods"
"What happens if this doesn't work?"
Understand the contract terms:
- Can you exit if results don't materialise?
- Is there a minimum commitment?
- What counts as "not working"?
Agencies confident in their work don't need to lock you into long contracts.
"How will you report on progress?"
Expect:
- Regular reports (monthly minimum)
- Metrics that actually matter (traffic, rankings, leads)
- Explanation of what's changing and why
- Clear connection between work done and results
What Good SEO Actually Looks Like
Technical Foundation
- Site audit to identify issues
- Fixing crawlability, speed, mobile experience
- Proper structure and markup
Content Strategy
- Researching what your customers search for
- Creating/improving content that serves those needs
- Optimising existing pages
Authority Building
- Legitimate link building through content and outreach
- Local citations and directories
- PR and relationship building
Ongoing Optimisation
- Monitoring rankings and traffic
- Adjusting strategy based on results
- Staying current with algorithm changes
Transparent Reporting
- Clear metrics on what's improving
- Honest assessment of progress
- Recommendations for continued improvement
Questions They Should Ask You
A good agency will want to understand your business before proposing work:
- What are your business goals?
- Who are your ideal customers?
- What makes you different from competitors?
- What's your budget and timeline expectations?
- Have you done SEO before? What happened?
- What does success look like for you?
If they're proposing packages without understanding your situation, that's a red flag.
The Contract Conversation
Reasonable Terms
- Month-to-month after initial period
- 30-60 day notice to cancel
- Clear deliverables each month
- Ownership of all work produced
- Access to all accounts and data
Warning Signs
- Long initial contracts (12+ months)
- Large upfront payments
- You don't own the content they create
- They control your website access exclusively
- Penalties for early termination
Alternative Approaches
If you're uncertain about agencies, consider:
Project-Based Work
One-time audit and recommendations you implement yourself or with a developer.
Consulting/Coaching
An expert advises while you or your team does the work.
Hybrid Approach
Training plus ongoing support, building internal capability.
DIY for Local
For local businesses, doing the basics yourself (GBP, reviews, NAP consistency) gets you surprisingly far.
The Bottom Line
Good SEO agencies:
- Set realistic expectations
- Explain what they do in plain English
- Show evidence of past success
- Charge enough to actually do the work
- Don't lock you into long contracts
- Report honestly on progress
Bad agencies:
- Promise guaranteed rankings
- Keep methods secret
- Charge suspiciously little
- Lock you into long contracts
- Send impressive reports about meaningless metrics
Trust your instincts. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is. If an agency won't clearly explain what they're doing, that's a problem.
The best protection is education - which is why you're reading this. An informed client is much harder to mislead.