CAUTION: Your current SEO Agency could be causing you more harm than good.
A lot of small businesses today enlist the help of an SEO agency to help drive more traffic to their websites. You may even have an outside agency helping you grow your site. If you know nothing about search engine optimization and have no desire to learn, then hiring an expert is a wise choice. Unfortunately, not all agencies are created equal. Is your agency helping your business grow? Here are three signs that you may not be getting the most bang for your buck.
Three Warning Signs of a Job NOT Well Done
1. Their Process Is A Secret
While SEO is a long-term investment, that doesn’t mean a company can’t show you what they’re doing to increase traffic and ranking upfront. If they refuse to show you their plan and techniques, it could signify that they don’t do any work at all or that they use black hat tactics that Google can penalize you for. Either way, you should stop working with them as soon as possible.
2. They Don’t Ask You For Input or Admin Information
If your agency has never asked you for access to your content management system, your Google Analytics, or your Google Search Console account, there exists a strong possibility their only means of driving more traffic are through spammy backlinks. Not only does this not work—you also run the risk of being penalized by Google.
You also should feel like a part of the team. After all, it is your website and your business. If they don’t seek out your input, or worse yet, ignore everything you try to tell them, they may not have your best interest in mind.
3. Your Traffic or Rankings Start to Drop
It can take a couple of months for you to start seeing significant gains resulting from your SEO efforts, so you shouldn’t expect a huge increase in traffic overnight. You shouldn’t experience a large drop in ranking or traffic overnight either though. If this happens, your agency might be performing actions that cause your site to get penalized, which is why you need to know what course of action they’ve been taking. It could also just be a change in Google’s algorithm, in which case they should work with you to find a solution.
Most SEO agencies do want to help you and will share with you everything they do. If you are suspicious of your SEO agency though, you might need to seek out a new partner. At Valorous Circle, we lay out our exact plan for how we plan to help grow your traffic. Give us a call today to find out more about our process and how we can help you.
