Is your current social, SEO or PPC marketing agency letting you down? Do you not feel like you’re getting the results or benefits you were promised, like local SEO services? Well have no fear, we’ve compiled 6 red flags to watch out for when dealing with any marketing agency. Read on, and know the signs to watch out for!
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You Don’t Have a dedicated Account Manager
A big red flag for any agency is if you are lacking a dedicated account manager for the services you’re being charged for. It doesn’t matter if you’re just there for PPC marketing management, ensuring you have a main point of contact within the agency is essential. There is nothing more frustrating than being passed around a multitude of team members who you may feel lack the understanding of your business.
That said, there may be times when you’re directed to other members of the team to ensure you talk with the expert on the subject. For example, if you discuss conversion rate optimisation services with your account manager, and they recommend their colleague with decades of website experience, that’s not a red flag. If anything, that’s proof you’re getting the best experience from your agency.
But having an account manager who understands your business deeply, is ready and available if any issues arise, and is leading the charge for your marketing activities can make the difference between effective marketing and your efforts falling flat. After all, communication matters. If you’re paying dividends for a UK SEO agency but lack a dedicated account manager, perhaps it is time to consider looking elsewhere for your marketing.
Limited Access To Your Own Data
Data is everything when it comes to understanding the fundamentals of what is making your business work and where is best to invest your time and money. Your PPC marketing agency gatekeeping or allowing limited access to your own analytics and advert accounts is a MASSIVE red flag. It is crucial you always have ownership and access to your data to get the best scope of the overall performance of your marketing activities. It’s their way of keeping you hooked on their service and makes leaving them an absolute nightmare.
A UK SEO agency may use premium specialist software, for which there is no access once you part ways. But for tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads, Search Console or Meta Ads Manager, you should always have administrative access.
Clients under our packages at InSynch always remain under control of their analytics and advertising accounts, as well as being provided with detailed monthly reports that explain the data and where improvements can be made. We believe measuring and reporting all marketing successes as well as failures is essential to developing an effective digital marketing strategy that works for your business.
Costly Annual Packages with Cancellation Fees
Ever felt pressured by the agency of your choice to sign lengthy contracts with expensive opt out clauses or cancellation fees? This is another red flag to be wary of, especially with SEO and PPC marketing. If their method of working isn’t producing results, congratulations, you are stuck with that agency for another 11 months.
Short term contracts that become rolling with no cancellation fees are just one of many benefits of working alongside InSynch. We never tie you in for long term contracts that bind you or charge extortionate rates to cancel. They’re fully flexible, so you can opt in for local SEO services for a few months, then scale back down once the bulk of the work is done. All our Total Digital Marketing packages have a minimum term of 3 months to offer you the flexibility you deserve from a UK SEO agency!
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Lack of Detailed Reporting
Lack of reporting or unspecific reporting without details of actions is an immediate call for worry. This is especially important if you signed up for local SEO services or conversion rate optimisation services. Without this information, that should be provided on a regular basis, you will struggle to understand the impact and results that are being generated.
This is perhaps the biggest red flag of all. If your agency isn’t reporting their actions each month, then what oversight do they have? Agencies with no oversight can easily laugh their way to the bank while you have no idea what’s going on.
Having this level of communication should be an absolute minimum when looking for any SEO or PPC marketing agency. Reporting with justifiable actions and clear suggestions based on measured data is the only way to prove their efforts and results objectively.
Poor Performance Without Solid Justification
There is nothing more frustrating as a business then seeing poor results without any justification as to why. Has the market slowed down? Were there technical issues preventing your PPC marketing from getting off the ground? You don’t want to feel like you are throwing money down the drain and not receiving the results you were promised when initially partnering with your agency.
Of course, sometimes things don’t work when strategising and trialling new marketing activities, and this is all part of finding effective methods and channels to focus your marketing. However, if you are not receiving transparency around poorer performing channels from your agency, and you feel that this isn’t justified based off the work promised, then this is a clear sign that something isn’t right. Your UK SEO agency should always give clarification and justification around poor performance and explain how they plan to improve this or where else they are going to focus their efforts to drive results.
Reactive To Work Instead Of Pro-Active
The best sign of a great marketing agency is how they strategies and action your marketing activities. A red flag we warn everyone to look out for is if your UK SEO agency is not proactively suggesting plans of action, strategies, and ways to further improve your business. A reactive marketing agency can be a sign of how they are prioritising you as a client, and after all, they should be the experts proposing work and methods to improve your business!
Looking for an agency that prioritises you as a client and provides the most up-to-date strategies to improve your business? Book a free 1-2-1 with one of our digital marketing experts below.
