Hiring an SEO agency is a trust purchase. You cannot see the work being done, results take months, and every provider promises the same thing. The good news: dodgy agencies recycle the same false promises, and once you know them, they are easy to spot. Here are the ten we hear most from businesses who come to us after being burned, and the counter-question that exposes each one.
1. “Guaranteed rankings”
Nobody controls Google except Google, and reputable firms do not guarantee rankings. Google’s own guidance warns against agencies that do. A guarantee either hinges on keywords so obscure nobody searches them, or on tactics that put your site at risk. An honest agency guarantees its work and its transparency, never a position.
Ask: “Which exact keywords is the guarantee for, and what is their monthly search volume?”
2. “We have a special relationship with Google”
No agency has insider access to Google’s organic results. Not a former employee, not a “certified partner”, nobody. Google Partner badges relate to Google Ads, the paid channel, and say nothing about SEO ability. Anyone implying they can pull strings is telling you exactly how honest the rest of their pitch is.
Ask: “Can you show me where Google describes this relationship?”
3. “You’ll be number one in weeks”
Meaningful SEO results take months, because content needs to be built, technical work needs to be crawled and re-evaluated, and trust accumulates slowly. Quick jumps are possible when a site has obvious technical problems holding it back, but a blanket promise of fast first positions is either a lie or a plan to chase worthless keywords.
Ask: “What specifically about my site makes fast results possible?”
4. The suspiciously cheap package
Real SEO is senior human work: research, writing, technical fixes, outreach. It cannot be done well for $99 a month, and providers at that price are running software and templates across hundreds of clients. What that money actually buys is covered in our guide to the cost of SEO. Cheap SEO is the most expensive kind, because you eventually pay twice: once for the package, and again for the cleanup.
Ask: “How many hours of work does this price include, and whose hours are they?”
5. “We’ll build you thousands of links”
Link volume is not the goal; link quality is. Thousands of cheap links means link farms and networks that Google identifies and discounts at best, and penalises at worst. We have seen businesses attacked by exactly this kind of link spam without even paying for it. A real link strategy earns fewer, better links from relevant sites, and can show you where every one came from.
Ask: “Show me five links you built for another client, on the actual pages.”
6. Vague or missing reporting
If an agency cannot tell you plainly what it did last month, assume the answer is “not much”. A proper report covers the work performed, the movement in rankings, traffic and enquiries, and the plan for next month, written by the person doing the work. “Trust us, it’s working” is not a report.
Ask: “Can I see a real (anonymised) monthly report from a current client?”
7. Long lock-in contracts with no deliverables
Twelve-month lock-ins with vague scopes exist to protect the agency’s revenue, not your results. Some commitment is fair, since SEO needs time to work. But the contract should state what is delivered each month, and an agency confident in its work does not need handcuffs to keep clients.
Ask: “What exactly does the contract commit you to deliver each month?”
8. They keep ownership of your website or content
A nasty one that still happens: the agency builds pages, content or even your whole site on assets they control, and when you leave, it all disappears. Everything built with your money should live on your domain, in accounts you own. Ask directly before signing.
Ask: “If we part ways in a year, what do I keep, and in whose accounts does it live?”
9. “Set and forget” SEO
Search changes constantly. Competitors publish, Google updates its systems, and AI search is rewriting how results appear. Any agency that treats SEO as a one-time setup, or the same fixed checklist every month regardless of results, is selling maintenance-level effort at campaign prices.
Ask: “How did your approach change after Google’s last major update?”
10. Rankings for keywords nobody searches
The oldest trick in the book: report first positions for keywords with zero search volume, or for your own business name. It looks great in a report and brings not a single customer. Judge a campaign on the keywords that bring enquiries, and on the enquiries themselves.
Ask: “What is the monthly search volume of each keyword you plan to target?”
The quick reference: red flag to counter-question
| The promise | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed rankings | Worthless keywords or risky tactics |
| Special Google relationship | A lie; no such thing exists for organic results |
| Number one in weeks | Chasing keywords nobody searches |
| $99 per month | Software and templates, no human hours |
| Thousands of links | Link farms that risk penalties |
| No clear reporting | No clear work being done |
| Long lock-in, vague scope | Protecting their revenue, not your results |
| They own your content | Hostage-taking dressed as a service |
| Set and forget | Maintenance effort at campaign prices |
| Rankings with no volume | Vanity metrics, zero customers |
Frequently asked questions
How do I check an SEO agency before signing?
Three checks take twenty minutes: search their own name and services and see how they rank, ask to speak to a current client in a business like yours, and ask who exactly will work on your account each month. An agency that cannot rank itself, produce a reference, or name the humans is answering your real question already.
Is a Google Partner badge proof an agency is good at SEO?
No. Google Partner status relates to Google Ads spend and certification, the paid channel. It says nothing about organic SEO capability. It is a fine credential for ads management and irrelevant as SEO proof.
What is a fair contract length for SEO?
Enough time for the work to show, which usually means an initial three to six month commitment, then month to month or a renewal on evidence. Whatever the length, the contract should specify monthly deliverables. Twelve-month lock-ins with vague scopes favour the agency, not you.
What should an SEO report actually contain?
Four things: the work completed that month, the movement it produced (rankings, traffic, enquiries), what is planned next, and any problems found, stated plainly. If a report is only graphs going up and to the right with no work listed, ask what was actually done.
Heard one of these promises recently? Get a second opinion from our Brisbane SEO experts before you sign anything.
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