Red Flags in SEO Marketing Site Visits, Search Engine Optimization Marketing Agency
For Now, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most crucial aspect of digital marketing in today's online world of services and products. SEO involves adding keywords and creating new content when we blend in the new keyword rich content it optimizes our client's website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPS), driving organic traffic.
This is just one of the many Google Ranking Factors, we use to deliver for our client's. This blog will explain the latest red flag tactics and strategies SEO agencies are still using in 2024-25.
SEO Marketing Red Flags to Watch Closely For?
Before diving into the latest SEO strategies, you must be aware of some red flags to watch out for when working on your SEO marketing plan. These red flags indicate that your current SEO tactics may not be practical or could even be harmful to your website's rankings.
They Don't Have a Contract
Everyone knows you have to get things in writing! When considering a marketing agency, pay attention to whether they have a contract ready for you once the statement of work details are ironed out.
Why are contracts important? Contracts protect both parties and having one is a sign of a solid business. When you have a contract with a marketing agency make sure it includes information about the services you'll receive, the time frame in which the services will be completed, the total costs, and contact information for both parties.
Always remember to ask any questions you have about the contract before you sign.
They Don't Communicate Clearly or Thoroughly
Communication is the best way to have a solid relationship in any area of your life. There is no reason as a business owner you should accept working with a marketing agency that doesn't have effective communication with you as a potential or existing client.
It's important to know you can share feedback openly with your marketing agency, which is why open and honest communication is critical. How do you know if your communication is in the toilet with your agency?
Great communication looks similar to the following things:
- Use of consistent methods of communication — at Mobile OPZ we use email and phone with our clients.
- Respect of client working hours and personal time — you're not paying your agency to take more time away from you. Mobile OPZ we will never be contacting you during your off hours unless we have previously agreed upon it.
- Provide clear expectations of feedback timelines ahead of time so you never feel surprised by a deadline. This is another sign that they respect you and your time — and know how to keep a project moving and on time.
- Offer detailed instructional videos in addition to written communication for those who process information better in that format. Not everyone processes information the same way and accessibility matters.
If you feel like you're being disrespected by your agency, we want you to feel empowered to speak up! You always deserve to be treated with respect, especially by the people you hire to help grow your business.
They Don't Have SEO or Website Processes In Place
Trust the process is a popular saying for a reason! You have processes for your small business, so too should the marketing agency you decide to work with for your brand's needs.
Working with an experienced agency means that you gain the benefits of everything they've learned from past clients and projects. With clear processes in place it signifies that your chosen agency is an experienced agency.
If they don't have a process in place for the services you want to hire them for, it's possible that they haven't taken on a project like that before. Please know that doesn't mean that they can't do a great job, but beware if they market themselves as being a pro at that specific thing.
A great agency looks at every pain point in a project as an opportunity to create new processes to ensure that things go smoothly next time. When you see a healthy balance of this with an agency you've hired then you can rest assured they care about growing and scaling just as much as you do with your own business.
They Promise You, You'll go viral, you will be on the first page of google by?
We cannot stress enough how much "going viral" is not the key to success — so much so that this fourth item about agency red flags deserves a special call out.
While it's possible to see trends and methods for reaching social media success, it's simply not possible to promise specific results such as going viral overnight or having products sell out in 30 minutes.
Instead, work with an agency that has proven success with their clients and can share a quality case study of that success.
Even better, if that agency has repeat clients who returned for other services that complemented their previous projects, you know you're working with one that has hit metrics the client wanted.
Additionally, it's important to work with an agency that focuses on content strategy, because having one viral video likely won't lead to followers and conversion if there isn't a strong strategy already in place.
SEO-Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is simply overloading your content with keywords to manipulate search engine rankings. This outdated black hat tactic can result in search engine penalties and harm your website's credibility. Instead, focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that naturally incorporates keywords.
SEO-Low-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are important in SEO, but not all backlinks are created equal. Low-quality backlinks from spammy or irrelevant websites can hurt your SEO efforts. To boost your website's credibility, focus on building high-quality, authoritative backlinks from reputable sources.
SEO- Ignoring Mobile Friendly Optimization
Since 2018 the vast majority of internet users are accessing websites, tv, music, videos on mobile devices, optimizing your website and being mobile friendy is essential for SEO success. Ignoring mobile optimization will result in bad to a poor website user experience and lower rankings in mobile search results for your website (google bots crawl the mobile device). Make sure your business website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly on all devices.
Years of experience in the industry doesn't always mean you can trust your gut when making decisions. As a small business owner this is likely not news to you, and so it shouldn't be to the SEO marketing agency you're working with either.
Instead of relying solely on gut instinct and experience, it's important to make sure decisions are backed up and informed by real data. Data points that inform the decisions made by your marketing team might include your engagement rate on your website and social media channels, the most popular content on your website, or where site traffic is being sourced from — such as from a different website or from search engines like Google, go duck go, Bing or Yahoo.
As people connected to our devices 24/7, we often get into the habit of creating a certain type of content, but as trends change those old methods might become less effective. In this case, data allows us to pivot quickly and to see which other types of content are performing better.
A quality agency will understand this and know how to test new approaches for you because they've made data-based decisions with other clients.
Something we unfortunately see quite often is web and marketing agencies that create websites, but don't allow the client to make updates to the website on their own. This is a way to hold you hostage to working only with them again and we feel that's manipulative, especially if you're someone with the interest and skills to do it yourself.
Websites are meant to be updated on a regular basis. We provide instructional videos for our clients on how to make updates to their website in the hopes that this will empower them to keep their site current.
Mobile OPZ is always happy to make updates if clients need help, but we know not every client has the money to invest into ongoing site maintenance. That's why we feel this is a critical thing to offer to small business clients.
A mindful agency will recognize there is no reason to try to milk a client for every penny when that client is a small business owner just like them.
There is a reason why it's called a profession — marketers should know what the latest trends are as well as the technical products and platforms that help make those trends possible.
The world of digital marketing is changing every day, and in the last few years we've seen a major shift to video content to market your business on social media. Mobile OPZ expects trends to continue to shift in the next few years, and we'd be doing our clients a disservice if we didn't stay on top of those trends and shifts.
An agency that can't tell you about a trend you raised to them or have more knowledge about than they do is likely not the right agency for your business. We hope these 9 red flags are helpful and useful for you as you consider new marketing agencies or re-evaluate your current agency partner.
Digital Marketing Managers play a crucial role in implementing SEO strategies for their organizations. To stay ahead in 2025, here are some key tactics to consider: We will be Blogging on the below topics, as they are all important to Good SEO.
Voice Search Optimization
With the rise of voice search technology, optimizing your website for voice search Siri, Alexa, Toyota, GM, Cadillac, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Tesla, Ford, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, queries will help you reach a wider audience. Focus on creating conversational content and incorporating long-tail keywords that align with how people speak.
Featured Snippets Optimization
Featured snippets are selected search results at the top of Google's search results page. Optimizing your content to be featured in snippets can increase visibility and drive more organic traffic to your site. Focus on providing concise, informative answers to common questions in your industry
Featured AI Snippets Optimization
Google uses well written articles that solves problems when AI is used in a way it assists the writers message and enhances the readability.
For Small Business Owners
Small business owners can benefit significantly from implementing and continuing effective SEO strategies to improve their online presence and attract more customers. Here are some key tactics to consider:
Local SEO Optimization
For brick-and-mortar businesses, optimizing their websites for local search is essential. Make sure their business information is consistent across online directories and create localized content to attract customers in their area.
Content Marketing Strategy
Creating high-quality, relevant content is the main key to attracting and engaging your target audience. Develop a content marketing strategy focusing on providing value to your customers and incorporating SEO best practices to improve your website's visibility.
For Content Writers and Bloggers
At Mobile OPZ we are content writers and bloggers rely on SEO to increase the visibility of their content and attract more readers. Here are some new strategies to help you stay ahead of the competition:
Topic Clusters and Pillar Pages
Organize your content into topic clusters and pillar pages to improve your website's structure and break it down making it easier for search engines to understand your content. This can help boost your rankings for related keywords and increase organic traffic to your site.
Video SEO Optimization
Video content for products and services is becoming increasingly popular online, and optimizing your videos for search engines can help improve your website's visibility. Focus on creating high-quality, engaging videos and optimizing titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords.
Search Engine Optimization is an ever-evolving field, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends, tactics and strategies is crucial for success in 2025 and beyond. By avoiding SEO marketing red flags, implementing effective tactics, and providing value to your audience, you can improve your website's visibility, attract more traffic, and achieve your digital marketing goals.
At Mobile OPZ, we stand out in the field of Local SEO. We have handpicked by many companies to develop a functional website and a comprehensive seo strategies for local search wherever they may be located.
Our expertise lies in organic local SEO. We are proud to say we have many clients, including sewer repair experts, plumbers & electricians, that have surpassed every competitor in Denver & are ranking on a national level with organic SEO, no PPC ADWORDS. We continue to push the limits of what is possible with organic SEO and the user experience.
Tired of Paying and Not Getting Results? To find out more about the Google-verified local SEO for contractors, contact us at 720-492-9625 today!
