The biggest SEO agency red flags are a guaranteed ranking, a contract you cannot leave, no access to your own accounts, bought links, and reports that show activity instead of results. Any one should make you pause. Two should make you walk away.
A Wakefield tradesman we will not name, because he is hypothetical, pays £250 a month to an agency that emails a PDF every month with a green arrow on it. A year in, his phone has not rung once more. The arrow was real. It was just measuring something that does not pay. These signs help you avoid being him.
Each warning below comes with a question to ask and what a clean answer sounds like.
Which SEO agency red flags show up in the sales call?
1. Do they guarantee rankings or page one?
Run. Google’s own guidance says no one can guarantee a number one position, and that anyone claiming a special relationship with Google is misleading you. Rankings depend on competitors, algorithm changes and your site.
Ask: “What exactly are you committing to?” A good answer commits to work and reporting, such as audits completed, pages improved and measurements agreed, and is honest about outcomes. Watch for the loophole too: “guaranteed” rankings for obscure phrases nobody searches.
Which warning signs hide in the price and the promises?
4. Is the price too cheap to be real?
£99 a month cannot fund meaningful work, because meaningful work takes hours. At that price, you usually get automated submissions and recycled templates. For realistic figures, see our guides to SEO costs in Leeds and what an SEO agency costs.
Ask: “How many hours a month does this price include?” A decent agency can answer. Very expensive is not automatically safe either, so judge on transparency, not size of fee.
5. Do they overpromise on timing or on AI?
Results in 30 days is nonsense for most sites, with few exceptions. And the newest pitch is promising guaranteed recommendations in ChatGPT. Nobody can promise that, because AI answers change by user, day and prompt.
Ask: “When should I expect first movement, and what would worry you?” Honest agencies give a range and name risks. Overpromisers give a date.
What should you check in the contract and account access?
6. Is the contract hard to leave?
Read the term. Twelve months minimum with auto-renewal and a long notice window is a classic trap, especially when the first months are mostly set-up. Some agencies also tie you in by holding your content hostage.
Ask: “What happens if I want to stop after three months?” A fair answer is a short notice period, such as 30 days, and you keep everything created for you. It is perfectly reasonable for a project to have a minimum while work is front-loaded, as long as it is clear and fair.
7. Will you have access to your own accounts?
You should own your Google Search Console, Google Analytics and Google Business Profile, with the agency added as a user. If they insist on setting everything up under their login, you may lose your data the day you leave.
Ask: “Who will be the owner of each account?” The answer must be you. The same goes for your domain and website. No agency needs ownership to do the work.
Which warning signs appear in the work and the reports?
8. Are they buying or building links?
Paid links, link networks and “guaranteed 50 backlinks a month” are against Google’s spam policies. They can work briefly, then end in a manual action or a sudden drop. Recovery takes months.
Ask: “Where will the links come from, and can I see examples?” A clean answer talks about earning mentions through content, PR, local partnerships and directories, and shows real sites. A dirty answer talks about “our network” and avoids names.
9. Is the reporting vague or full of vanity numbers?
Impressions, “domain authority” scores and keyword counts look impressive and prove little. What matters is organic enquiries, calls, form submissions and revenue, tied to the pages doing the work.
Ask: “Show me a sample report.” You want one that includes leads from organic search, which pages drive them and what was done last month. If conversions are missing, the agency is not measuring the thing you pay for.
2. Do they refuse to explain what they do?
“Proprietary methods” is usually cover for either nothing or something you would not like. SEO is not secret. The techniques are well documented, so a good agency can explain its plan in plain English.
Ask: “What will you do in the first 90 days?” Expect specifics: a technical audit, fixes, keyword mapping, page improvements. If the answer is mushy, so is the work.
3. Did they cold-call or email you out of nowhere?
The “we noticed your site has problems” message, often claiming you are missing from Google, is the typical shape of SEO scams in the UK. Many send automated reports that exaggerate faults, then push a quick sale.
Ask yourself whether you invited the conversation. Reputable agencies mostly get work from referrals and their own content. If one does pitch you, verify them: a real address, named people, reviews from verifiable clients and a business registered at Companies House.
A word on proportion. Most agencies are not scammers. Many are just overstretched or sloppy, and the same questions expose both. Asking them is not rude, and a good agency will respect you more for it.
What does a good SEO agency look like?
It explains the plan in plain words, gives you ownership of everything, reports on enquiries, offers a fair contract, and is happy to be questioned. It will also say no when your goals do not fit SEO. Many things in this list are simply good manners, which is partly why bad agencies skip them.
Before you speak to anyone, check the basics yourself. Our guide to local SEO in Leeds gives you a benchmark of what good work looks like, so you can judge a proposal. Our own approach is on the SEO service page.
Frequently asked questions
Are all SEO guarantees a red flag?
Ranking guarantees, yes. Guarantees about work done, or a money-back clause if agreed deliverables are missed, are fine.
What should I do if I am already stuck with a bad agency?
Start by getting access. Check you are the owner of Search Console, Analytics and your domain, and ask for copies of everything. Then read the contract for the notice period and cancel in writing. If links were bought, get an independent audit, because those may need disavowing or removing. Do not wait out the contract hoping it improves.
Is a long contract always bad?
No. Fair terms are fine, hidden ones are not.
How can I check an agency’s claims?
Ask for two client references you can phone, and look the company up on Companies House. Search their name with “reviews” and read the bad ones.
Can I report an SEO scam in the UK?
Yes. Report misleading sales practices to Citizens Advice, which passes them to Trading Standards. Action Fraud handles outright fraud.
Holding a proposal you are not sure about? Send it over and we will mark up anything that looks off and tell you what to ask next. Free, within one working day.
