How to Know If Your SEO Agency Is Working - or Draining Your Budget? Here’s How to Tell
Don't know if your SEO agency is working for you? Learn how to spot the good from the bad, with clear questions to ask & actions to take.
How to Know If Your SEO Agency Is Working - or Draining Your Budget? Here’s How to Tell
- Karin Cederskoog
- Jul 4
- 7 min read
SEO is a strange beast.
People know it works. They’ve seen it work.
A company writes content, Google displays that content at the top of Google search and more people buy products or services from that company.
Somehow, SEO agencies know the magic secrets to Google’s algorithm…right?
The problem is, when SEO is this nebulous black box - words in, rankings up - it’s hard to know if your SEO team is actually doing their job.
How do you know they’re doing anything at all?
How do you know one company is better than another?
While you probably don’t want to spend the time learning SEO (that’s why you’re hiring a team of specialists, after all!), there are a few, sure-fire ways to better assess your SEO company & their credibility.
How Reliable Is SEO?
To start off, let’s take a quick look at why SEO is such a challenging area to assess in the first place.
Google makes small changes to its search algorithms every day! Larger changes are made several times a year! (Here’s a link to see Google’s core changes.)
With the rules changing so fast, they are hard to predict and prepare for and different companies are adapting to these changes at different rates.
Much of Google’s algorithms are secret. Even during the massive leak of 2024, it was discovered that Google says one thing to SEO experts and “[does] another.”
Why Does SEO Take So Long to Work?
SEO takes time…
Time for Google to discover and trust your content
Time for people to decide to search (and discover your content)
Time for Google to understand that your content is relevant for people
Time for people to realize your website is valuable and link back to you from their websites (and for Google to discover that link…also known as backlinks)
Even beyond the discoverability side of the equation, your competitors are regularly updating their own content with a strong velocity…
…and there are enough credible websites out there that link back to this new content, which feeds back into their rankings.
Search engine optimization is about “compounding interest.” It’s not a lottery ticket.
Why Strategic Keywords Matter for Your SEO Strategy
This doesn’t mean that your SEO efforts are doomed! It simply means that SEO requires patience and a laser-focused strategy to stand out.
I experimented with this on my own website and found that, yes, my hyper-focused content ("Green SEO," 2k words) does indeed perform significantly better than broader topics (such as my Comprehensive Guide to small business marketing, 5700 words).
These highly competitive, broader keywords become buried underneath websites who have been ranking for these terms for years!
Seasonality Matters for SEO
Most of us work in seasonal industries - even in B2B work like SEO.
The fiscal year matters.
The vacation-fueled fluctuations of summer and winter matter. Vacation-goers simply aren’t searching Google according to their typical patterns.
This is why SEO metrics often include a 3 month or quarterly review of website performance. The KPIs balances out some of the fluctuations seen with holiday promotions and holidays in general.
This doesn’t mean your SEO agency gets a free pass just because certain types of search volumes are down during summer! Different types of strategizing become critical at different periods of the year and vary by industry.
What you do want to ensure with your SEO company is that your strategists understand your business…or learn enough about your business to market it effectively.
So what does seasonal planning for SEO strategy look like?
Example SEO Strategy: Wedding & Event Venues
Engagement season is typically from November - February and couples typically book a venue a year out, with wedding season spanning from May - October.
Engagement season (Nov - Feb): “just engaged checklist,” “winter engagement photographer ideas”
Booking rush (Jan - March): Couples book venues 1+ years out. “book wedding venue [for next year],” “fall wedding venue near me”
Wedding planning (April - June): “spring wedding color ideas,” “open house wedding venue April,” “weekday wedding discounts”
Fall bookings (July - October): “fall wedding venue PnW,” “rain plan vineyard wedding”
Venue deals (Nov): “Black Friday wedding venue deals,” “Black Friday photographer deals”
An SEO agency should tie in local keywords to capture high intent, low competition (“long-tail”) traffic as well, such as “Napa wellness retreat bridal shower” or “book bicycle winery bachelorette.”
Every quarter, your SEO agency should reevaluate your keyword strategy.
It’s a good idea to go over this keyword plan with your SEO representatives! You know your niche best and local factors that can make or break a digital marketing strategy.
Example SEO Strategy: Wineries
Wineries have seasonal surges and busy periods of the year (harvest time!). So, too, do peoples’ search traffic change.
Holidays: “wine club gift,” “luxury wine gift”
Spring: “Mother’s day winery getaway”
Summer: “vineyard picnic reservations,” “summer wine club deal,” “Walla Walla wine tasting tour,” “Central Coast winery trip”
Fall: “harvest dinner winery,” “Black Friday wine discount”
Some parts of your SEO strategy may include holidays (such as Mother’s Day and Black Friday).
However, if you are a luxury brand that maintains exclusive prices year-round, then holiday discounts should not be in your SEO plan.
SEO Strategy: Beware the DIYers!
Beware of certain industries - in some industries (interior design, landscaping, gardening), most people online are looking for DIY tips & tricks…not because they’re interested in paying for an interior designer or landscaper but because it’s a hobby.
In the “aspirational DIY” industries, it is crucial to plan around certain search terms.
There’s a time and a place to rank for “DIY tips [your industry here]” but if your goal is to land your dream client right now - do NOT fall into this trap!
Ask your SEO team about their plan to avoid low intent traffic.
Typically, SEO companies have a range of tools to ensure they’re targeting only high intent search terms, such as:
Running a competitor through an SEO tool (like SEMRush) to learn the keywords they’re targeting
Using AlsoAsked to uncover related search terms
Searching Google Trends to discover the latest trends
For example, Google Trends for "book wedding venue" search traffic over the past 12 months (relative search traffic, where 0 equals low search traffic and 100 equals high):
What Does Success Look Like? How Do I Know If My SEO Agency is Working?
The best thing you can do is to have an open and honest discussion with your SEO agency.
Typically, you’ll discuss success metrics up front. In some cases, SEO specialists will want to track metrics that you may not find meaningful.
I get it - it’s frustrating to spend money on SEO and not see increased bookings or sales for a few months!
Sometimes, it can seem like SEO consultants are speaking a different language. We can forget that important metrics can get lost in translation.
We get excited about metrics such as increased website impressions (more eyeballs on your website) and decreased bounce rates (less people returning to search after viewing a single webpage).
Just because we’ve spent years developing a deep understanding of this terminology, that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to talk about success criteria - especially when what matters most is increasing reservations or sales!
If you’re having a translation problem with your SEO company, it is possible you may want to consider another agency…but first, to know if your SEO agency is working for you:
Speak candidly with your SEO specialists about your concerns.
“How do I know my SEO is working?”
“Which metrics can we review to alleviate my concerns?”
“Let’s discuss metrics / KPIs going forward so I’m comfortable continuing this relationship.”
Set up those metrics & KPIs so you and your team are comfortable going forward.
If terms like click-through rates, organic traffic and conversion rates don’t work for you, discuss which terminology and metrics work for you (such as increased foot-traffic or phone calls rather than increased website impressions).
If you still feel like you and your SEO team aren’t speaking the same language, it’s probably time to evaluate alternative agencies.
When Should I Switch SEO Companies?
Unless the relationship has really gone south, give your SEO company a clear, time-boxed chance to course-correct.
Be upfront with your needs and your timeline.
A few red flags to look out for:
You are only told about positive metrics. (Increased impressions! Increased CTRs! Whoo!) Any good partner will speak candidly with you about what is working vs. what isn’t working and demonstrate an actionable plan to fix it.
There is no clear indication of a strong strategy, such as factoring in for seasonality or your industry. Your marketing dollars aren’t working for you if your plan looks the same across the board.
Your SEO company isn’t willing or able to adapt to your needs. This likely goes without saying but your SEO agency is there for you - whether that means giving you dedicated time to talk with your SEO specialist each month or providing customization options for monthly reporting. Some agencies treat clients the same but that doesn’t mean all clients are the same! You have unique needs and preferences and ways of running your business.
Ready for Next Steps?
Still on the fence?
-> Download my Free Decision Guide: (Coming soon - E-mail info@kcseoconsultingservices.com to be notified when the guide goes live)
“Should I Switch SEO Agencies or Stay the Course?” - a worksheet that scores your current partner on strategy, transparency and ROI.
-> Already leaning toward a change? Read my deep-dive: “How to Hire the Best SEO Agency for You” and walk into your next discovery call with a bullet-proof question list.
-> Need a second opinion? Schedule a free consultation with Karin Cederskoog, Founder & Senior SEO Strategist of KC SEO Consulting Services.