Warning Signs Your Local SEO Company Is Failing You
Let’s not beat around the bush; let’s keep it 100% real. In every industry, there are good eggs and bad ones. And choosing the wrong SEO company can feel like a movie named
“Exorcism of SEO horror stories.”
Here’s how the script usually plays out:
Businesses invest thousands of dollars in hiring an SEO company. After a few months, they start seeing some results: more calls, more bookings, more visibility. Then suddenly, poof, it all vanishes. Every resource, your time, money, and effort, goes straight down the drain.
What did you leave with? Barely any chance of ranking again in the near future.
So today, we’re diving deep into the red flags. How do you know if your SEO company is helping you or hurting you? What are the warning signs that they’re just draining your money without delivering real value?
Later on, we’ll also walk you through what a reputable SEO agency in Australia should be doing for your business, so you can tell who’s worth the hype and who’s just churning and burning your budget.
Yes, the SEO industry is evolving, and thankfully, the number of fly-by-night operators is on the decline. Google’s algorithms are becoming increasingly adept at exposing shady SEO tactics and self-serving consultants who prioritize profit over client satisfaction.
Today, there are numerous trustworthy SEO agencies across Australia, such as SEOBookLab, that help businesses achieve genuine, consistent, and game-changing results.
So, How Do You Ensure That You’re Not Getting Scammed by an SEO Company?
The good part is, avoiding an SEO scam is easy if you know what to look for. Here’s how you can spot the major warning signs before hiring.
Warning Signs of a Bad SEO Company
01 Poor Communication
This is undeniable that effective communication is the lifeblood of any healthy client relationship. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a partnership where you’re left guessing what’s going on. If you constantly feel ignored or unsure, that’s a major red flag.
Poor communication gives rise to all sorts of problems lack of confidence, broken trust, and eventually, a lot of unnecessary conflict.
A legit SEO consultant should proactively keep you in the loop. They should update you on how the strategy is performing, alert you to any spikes or drops in organic traffic, and share how well your backlinks are doing.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
Yes, they’ve got other clients. But that doesn’t mean you should be left on read. A good SEO partner knows how to juggle priorities and still show up for you. Regular check-ins, timely updates, and honest reporting aren’t perks; they’re basic deliverables. If you’re made to feel like chasing your agency is normal, it’s not. Cut ties and move on because communication should never be optional.
02 Always in a Hurry with Technical SEO Fixes
Technical SEO is important, in fact, very important. But how long should it take to fix? Two months? Four? Six? You get the point.
The size and age of your website decide how much technical work is needed. There’s no fixed timeline, but if your SEO company in Australia is always working on major fixes, that’s a big red flag.
Scammy agencies love hiding behind the term “technical SEO fixes” just to show they’re doing something. The truth is, they don’t have real results to back it up, so they keep feeding you empty updates.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
A good agency doesn’t get stuck in technical mode forever. They know when to stop tweaking and start growing. They balance things out, focusing not just on technical SEO but also on on-page and off-page strategies that increase ROI.
Because a smart strategy isn’t just about fixing all the time, but also progressing.
03 Unrealistic Claims and Empty Promises
Someone once said it right: the loudest voice in the room usually takes the least action. That’s your cue to take a step back. No honest relationship starts with wild promises, and SEO is no different.
Be cautious of agencies that promise the world but have nothing solid to back it up. If someone says they’ll build hundreds of links every month or get you to rank number one overnight, run.
There are no shortcuts in SEO. Building quality backlinks takes time, effort, and strategy. Agencies that over-promise usually end up spamming bad links, which can seriously hurt your site. These “fly-by-night” operators are not thinking long term. They’re just chasing a quick buck.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
A trustworthy agency knows what’s at stake. They understand the impact of Google’s Penguin update that cracked down on low-quality link-building practices. Instead of overloading your site with junk links, they focus on building real authority through relevant, high-quality backlinks, slow, steady, and sustainable.
04 Always Find A Scapegoat
When things start to go south, shady SEO companies suddenly become great at storytelling.. The phrase “blame it on the alcohol” might as well have been made for them; they always find a reason, an excuse, or someone else to blame.
A bad SEO agency will never take ownership. We pray God never makes you hear statements such as
“Google keeps changing their algorithms, it’s not our fault your rankings tanked.”
“Your backlinks were likely impacted by Google’s SpamBrain system, which is beyond our control.”
These companies do not care about your growth. They only care about getting that invoice paid on time. If your site fails, it’s not their problem, and that right there is the real problem.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
A good agency owns the outcome, whether it’s good or bad. A proactive team creates a clear roadmap and adjusts fast because they care about the results as much as you do. They hold themselves accountable for any failure. They try to stay ahead of search updates and build strategies that reduce risk.
05 Don’t Have A Solid Strategy
If your SEO agency cannot give you a clear monthly breakdown of what they’re doing and why, it’s time to raise the red flag. Ask them about their strategy, and if their response sounds anything like this, you’re already halfway into a trap:
“Our strategy is our secret ingredient, and we can’t reveal it.”
“We’ve spent years perfecting it, so we prefer to keep it to ourselves.”
“Our industry doesn’t allow us to share it, or competitors will copy it.”
They are scammers and only confusing you.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
Crafting the right strategy takes time, research, and testing. It varies from niche to niche, but there is no top-secret formula. A legit SEO agency should be able to walk you through their process, explain their approach, and show how it aligns with your goals.
And if they’re speaking in overly technical jargon just to confuse you, ask them to break it down in simple terms. If they still can’t RUN and RUN FAST.
06 They Are Not Asking For Access To Anything
Before starting any serious SEO work, a genuine agency will ask for access to the essentials:
Google Search Console
Google Analytics
Your CMS login
Google Business Profile
Website hosting details
If the agency you’re considering hasn’t asked for any of these, it’s time to question what they’re doing. And if they say they don’t need access, they are fooling you. There’s no way anyone can perform effective SEO without touching the core of your site.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
A real agency will request full access and explain why each login matters. Without it, they’re just scratching the surface. Anyone who skips this step is either inexperienced or not serious about helping your business grow. Either way, it’s your site that pays the price in the long run.
07 They Rank You For The Wrong Keywords
You already know that you need to rank if you want your site to grow. The goal of SEO is to bring targeted traffic to your site, especially by using low-volume, high-value keywords. Go into your Google Analytics and check which keywords you’re currently ranking for. Use keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner to dig deeper and see what’s actually coming in.
If you’re ranking for high-volume keywords that are totally unrelated to your site, that’s a big problem. It could be a sign of incompetence on the part of your SEO provider, or it might be due to poorly optimized content. Either way, it’s a red flag you shouldn’t ignore.
What a Reputable SEO Agency Should Do
A good SEO agency will start by identifying the right keywords and tell you what you can expect to rank for before kicking off the campaign. Ranking for the right keywords boosts your conversion rate, simple as that.
Closing Thoughts
The major thumb rule is simple: if you feel your SEO company is holding your website back, chances are they are. After all, you wouldn’t be reading this article unless you were planning to hire an SEO company in Australia or already had one that’s not delivering as expected.
But now you know exactly how to spot the red flags.
If you’re stuck with an agency that isn’t delivering results, it’s time to make a change. At SEOBookLab – a trusted SEO agency based in Sydney – we go beyond surface-level fixes to uncover the real challenges holding your site back. Let us help you take control of your rankings and gain the competitive edge you deserve.