The biggest red flags when hiring an SEO agency are ranking guarantees, link schemes, lock-in contracts, no access to your data and vague reporting.
The biggest red flags when hiring an SEO agency are guaranteed rankings, cheap link packages, long lock-in contracts, keeping your data in their accounts and reports that never mention leads. Any one of these should make you ask harder questions. Two or more and it’s usually best to walk away.
Most businesses only hire an SEO agency a few times, so it’s hard to know what good looks like. Pitches tend to sound similar, and the damage from a poor choice often shows up months later as wasted budget, a penalty or a site you can’t easily move.
Here are the warning signs we’d look for, and what a sensible answer sounds like instead.
They guarantee rankings or a number one spot
Nobody can guarantee a position in Google. Google says as much in its own guidance, Do you need an SEO? Rankings depend on competitors, algorithm updates and how search results are laid out, none of which an agency controls.
A guarantee usually means one of two things. Either the agency is targeting terms nobody searches, so ranking is easy and worthless, or it plans to use tactics that can get your site penalised. A trustworthy agency talks about forecasts and ranges, explains the assumptions, and ties them to leads rather than positions.
They sell links by the bundle
“50 high-authority backlinks a month” is a red flag. Buying or swapping links to manipulate rankings breaks Google’s spam policies, and bundles are often made up of low-quality sites built to sell links.
Good links are earned because something on your site is worth citing: research, tools, expert comment or useful guides. If you want the background, our guides to what backlinks are and link building explain what earns a link that helps. Always ask to see examples of links an agency has earned for other clients, with the pages they sit on.
They lock you into a long contract
SEO takes months to show results, so a minimum term of three to six months is reasonable. Twelve or twenty-four months with no break clause is not. Long lock-ins protect the agency, not you.
Ask what happens if results don’t come, how much notice you need to give, and what you keep when you leave. You should keep all content, reports and anything built on your site.
They won’t give you access to your own data
Your Search Console, GA4, Google Business Profile and analytics accounts should be owned by your business, with the agency added as a user. If an agency sets these up in its own name and won’t hand them over, you lose your history when you leave.
The same goes for content and technical changes. You should always be able to see what’s been changed on your site and why.
Their reports never mention leads
Reports full of keyword counts, authority scores and traffic graphs can hide a lack of results. A useful report ties the work to enquiries, sales or pipeline and explains what changed. We cover this in detail in what a good SEO agency report should show you every month.
If an agency can’t tell you how it will measure success in terms your finance team would recognise, that’s a problem.
They can’t explain what they’ll actually do
“We’ll optimise your site” isn’t a plan. A good agency should be able to say, after an audit, which pages it will create or improve, which technical issues it will fix first and why, and roughly how long each part will take. Look for a clear first 90 days.
Be wary of secret methods too. Good SEO isn’t a trick. If an agency won’t explain its approach in plain English, it’s often because the approach wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny.
They pitch the same package to everyone
Fixed bronze, silver and gold bundles with a set number of blog posts and links rarely fit a business’s real situation. A software company selling to finance directors needs different work from a local trades firm. Ask how the plan would change based on your market, competitors and sales cycle.
This matters most for specialist sectors. If you sell to other businesses, it’s worth reading our view on when a specialist B2B SEO agency matters.
They ignore AI search
Buyers now research suppliers in AI Overviews, AI Mode and assistants like ChatGPT. An agency that hasn’t thought about how your brand appears there is planning for last year’s search results. Ask how they track AI visibility and what they’d change to get you cited. Our piece on whether you need a GEO agency and an SEO agency explains why one team should usually cover both.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Can you show me results for a business like mine, with real numbers?
- How will you measure success, and how will that show up in my monthly report?
- What will you do in the first 90 days, and why in that order?
- Can I see examples of links you’ve earned for clients?
- Who owns my accounts, content and data if we part ways?
- What’s the minimum term and notice period?
- How do you handle AI search and AI Overviews?
A good SEO agency will be happy to answer all of these. If you sell to other businesses, our B2B SEO agency team can show you how we’d approach your market. Book a free strategy session and ask us the same questions.
Related reading: our guides to in-house SEO versus an agency and how to do an SEO audit.
Common questions
Can an SEO agency guarantee first place on Google?
No. Nobody controls Google’s rankings, and Google itself warns against anyone who promises a top position. Treat a ranking guarantee as a warning sign.
How long should an SEO contract be?
A minimum of three to six months is reasonable because SEO takes time to show results. Be cautious of twelve or twenty-four month terms with no break clause.
Is it bad if an agency sells backlink packages?
Usually, yes. Buying links to influence rankings breaks Google’s spam policies, and bundled links are often from low-quality sites. Good links are earned through useful content and PR.
Who should own my Search Console and analytics accounts?
Your business should. The agency should be added as a user, so you keep all your data and history if you change agency.
