Now that the rosy-colored romance of Valentine’s Day has passed and we’re back to the gray days of February, it’s easy to get a little cynical. This isn’t just limited to how you feel about your personal life; it seems like this cynicism and mid-winter depression can leach into your professional world too.
January is when most businesses decide to try something new in their marketing. Budgets have reset, New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing, and everyone is ready to hit the ground running. Your marketing department has decided to go digital this year and you’ve fallen in love with this SEO company you found on the internet. The sales guy has big blue eyes, loves everything about SEO and is passionate about social media; you can’t wait to talk to him about your campaign each week. You sign the contract, pay the invoice and you’re on your way to better traffic, higher search results, and SEO heaven.
But wait…come February, Blue Eyes is not your campaign manager and there’s been no meeting scheduled to talk to someone about your campaign. You’re spending thousands of dollars, but it’s starting to feel like a one-way relationship. No calls about keyword performance, no updates about your on-page SEO, and not even an email about what’s happening on your social media. It suddenly starts to feel like you’re putting in all the effort and getting nothing in return.
SEO breakups are just as messy as real ones
If I had a nickel for every time a potential client came to Webspec to talk about SEO and said “Well, we want to do this but we’ve been burned by SEO companies in the past,” I could have bought myself a very nice bouquet of flowers on February 14. It seems as if every business has gone through at least one traumatic experience or dramatic break up with their former digital marketing company and it’s our job to help pick up the pieces, build up the trust, and make sure their web presence is in trusted hands. Thanks to search engine giants like Google constantly changing the game, the internet is littered with bad SEO companies who claim to know what they’re doing when it comes to your site’s search presence but who are really just trying to make a few dollars with their “knowledge.”
As hard as it might be to admit, sometimes the hardest choice and the right choice are the same when it comes to your website’s SEO or digital marketing efforts. Feeling like your SEO leaves a little bit to be desired? Worried that you aren’t getting the results you’re looking for? Wondering if you should break up with your current SEO company? Grab a box of chocolates and some wine and read on.
They seem too good to be true.
Promising you a number one ranking in three months or less should be a warning sign when it’s coming from your SEO company. SEOs have no idea what Google is going to do in the next three months, so if you’re promised these results, or even seeing them on your site, it’s usually due to some black hat, shady SEO tactics that might hurt your site later on.
They aren’t being exclusive.
A good SEO company never wants to compete with itself for the top spot in Google. If your SEO provider is promising to get you ranking better and then turns around and promises the same thing to a competitor, you’re not getting their best work. Your business deserves better, we promise!
They aren’t communicating with you.
Have you ever had a question about what’s happening on your site or with your campaign and you haven’t been able to get ahold of your campaign manager? Have you ever met with them face to face? Have they ever asked you about your business goals? If you feel like a lack of communication is leading to distrust between you and your SEO, it might be time to look elsewhere.
You give them your site and never hear from them again.
So you’ve signed up for digital marketing. You’ve signed the contract, gave them the logins to your site and social accounts, and paid the first invoice. You’re excited about the results to come. Six months go by and you don’t hear anything about the campaign. If you haven’t figured it out already, this should be a red flag.
They have no explanation for their bad behavior.
We hate to admit it, but Google sometimes drops a bomb on the SEO world that we just can’t predict. Algorithms do change, and sometimes your competitors start to hit their SEO hard. It’s the internet, sometimes crazy things happen. But if your SEO company has no explanation for what’s happening or if they aren’t keeping you in the loop when things get a little chaotic in your campaign, then you might need to reevaluate your relationship.
They aren’t helping you be a better business.
Look at what your campaign manager is doing to your site. Are they only optimizing external landing pages and not your actual domain? Do you get to take those with you when you leave? Are they working on keywords but never telling you what kind of leads those are getting you? If your SEO company isn’t helping your business, your website, and your brand be the best it can be in search results, then you’re not in the right place.
They aren’t thinking long term.
Is your digital marketing company only focusing on paid ads? Maybe they haven’t even thought about social media or organic search. Either way, if your SEO company isn’t taking an integrated approach and thinking about your business’s future, then you need to find a company who will.
You don’t 100% trust them.
Sometimes SEO companies promise you the world with no intention of actually delivering on their promise. Are you 100% certain where your budget is going each month? If you feel like you’ve been slighted by the sales guy and have nothing to show for it, or if you’re wary of them even touching your site, you’re not getting the most out of your digital marketing dollars.
If any of these sound familiar it might be time to face the facts and break up with your current SEO company. Take back control of your brand’s digital presence and find an SEO company you can trust!
So what can you do?
Leaving your SEO company can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re not an expert in the field or if you’ve been working with them for a long time. Here’s how to make the transition go more smoothly.
Ask questions.
The best thing you can do if you feel like your business isn’t seeing the results it wants or if you aren’t sure where your money is being spent is to ask questions and see what information you can get. There’s a chance they just didn’t know how much information you wanted when you started your campaign, but if you feel like they are hiding something from you then you’ll quickly be able to tell.
Figure out what assets you can take with you if/when you leave.
What do you have control of and what is considered proprietary? Ask if you can get data on your keywords or if you own your landing pages or domains they set up for you. The downside of leaving is that you might have to completely start over somewhere else, but knowing this up-front will help ease the budgetary burn to come. It also helps to better prepare your new SEO company for the task.
Look at your contract terms.
How much notice do you need to give them before you can leave? How long is your contract valid for? Do you have to pay a cancellation fee? Can you ever leave their services? That might be slightly dramatic, but having this knowledge prior to leaving will give you more confidence when you break up with your current provider.
Find a new SEO company.
Find a company where you get to meet your campaign manager, see reports on your progress, and where they are transparent with what they are doing. Find a campaign manager that cares about your business, asks questions, and gets to know your goals. Look for a provider who takes an integrated approach to your web presence and tailors your campaign to fit your specific needs and goals rather than following a cookie cutter plan. Your new SEO company should be inclusive, involving you in the conversation; after all, this is to benefit your business.
Not only that, but a new SEO company (if they’re a good one) can help you with the break up process by helping you transfer any assets you need to move and getting control of your accounts and website.
Rather than feeling down about your SEO company (if you aren’t 100% happy), realize that your business deserves the best! Find a relationship that is a better fit for your goals and you’ll be back in digital marketing bliss before spring.
