We live in a digital world where millions of people make online searches to find information, and to purchase products and services daily. Taking advantage of this growing trend, several businesses, both small and large, have started investing thousands of dollars in digital marketing to get a higher ranking on the search engines.
According to a recent survey by Tech Behemoths, nearly 90% of digital marketing agencies utilize SEO for their own marketing, 79.3% for content marketing and 76.8% for social media marketing. We can find similar numbers/percentages when it comes to businesses engaging digital marketing services for a website.
In some cases, most business owners entirely leave digital marketing to their SEO service providers. It’s because they either don’t have time or lack the expertise to understand and know online marketing. Thus, they keep investing their hard-earned money to skyrocket their position on Google and other search engines without realizing whether they are benefiting or harming their business.
Of course, we are not discouraging you about hiring digital marketers for business. You need these professionals to stay ahead of your competitors in the digital space. But we want to make you aware of the fact that some fraudsters might take advantage of your money. Moreover, further, hurt your business.
There are many reasons why you should hire a digital marketing agency to run your campaigns but also why you shouldn't even they're not up to Growth Hackers' standards. Therefore, to help you understand whether your digital marketing agency is benefiting or harming your business, we have explained some alarming signs.
The warning signs that your digital marketing company is doing more harm to your business than good:
1. They don’t show you anything
Here, we are not talking about a rise in rankings on search engines or results because we know it takes time. However, the digital marketing agency that you have hired can at least show you what practices or SEO strategies they are currently using or planning to use.
On the other hand, you need to keep patience to see your company on the first page of search engines, as three or four months are not enough for significant digital marketing results. But, if your SEO agency has never shown you any plan or strategy for your business, then something fishy is going on.
2. They never ask you anything
Any professional you hire for your business will need your assistance, and the same goes with SEO professionals. Since they will make a marketing strategy for your online business, they do need your help. They might ask you for:
• Access to your CMS
• Admin credentials for Google Analytics
• Keywords that you want to target
• Access to your social media accounts
• Previous work/penalties/audits
If they haven’t asked you any of these things, then they might be just adding linkbacks from spammy sites, which might harm your business.
3. They don’t suggest anything for improving your business ranking
Usually, SEO specialists have tons of ideas and strategies on how to improve business visibility on search engines. But if your SEO agency is neither suggesting nor asking for advice for any improvements, then there could be two possibilities. First, they are up to something suspicious. Second, they are not doing anything.
Keep in mind that a reliable SEO company works in partnership with the business owner. So, they do need time-to-time advice and make frequent suggestions to improve business rankings on the search engines.
4. You often receive manual penalties
A manual penalty is Google’s way of removing any web pages or even websites from the search engines. It is one of the worst things that happen to your website, as it can negatively impact your website’s ranking.
When you receive a manual penalty, you’ll get to know through an email message or a GWT notification. If you get a manual penalty once, find out the exact reason why your website got penalized by talking to your SEO company. But if it happens frequently, then you have to be suspicious.
5. They keep their digital marketing strategies confidential
As a business owner, you have all the rights to ask your SEO agency about the techniques or strategies they are using to improve your online visibility. After all, you’re investing a lot of money on digital marketing. But if the SEO professionals hesitate to share all this information with you, then it’s not a good sign.
A reputed SEO agency uses White Hat Practices, which are not only legitimate but also offer desirable results. If your agency follows the same SEO practices, they should not have any problem explaining them to you.
6. Your search engine ranking is dropping
Each day, search engine algorithms are changing, so you don’t have to be obsessive about your website’s rankings. You may expect some ups and downs in your site rankings.
There are a variety of reasons that cause rankings to drop, so it is crucial to monitor your rankings regularly. But if your rankings are dropping steadily, then your SEO agency might be performing penalized actions that may impact your site rankings.
7. Your website is getting ranking from the wrong keywords
Being a website owner, you need to be aware of your target keywords. Plus, based on Google Analytics, you should have an idea of how your long tail keywords attract traffic in the SERPS.
However, if you notice a sudden change in your organic keywords, and start gaining traffic from the wrong keywords, then it is problematic.
8. Your traffic suddenly drops
Similar to a ranking drop, a sudden drop in website’s traffic could also result from an algorithmic penalty.
Although it may or may not be the fault of your SEO agency, in any case, it is not a good thing. Thus, you need to take immediate action and start asking questions from your SEO specialist to find the exact reason for traffic decline.
9. Your website gets optimized anchors from backlinks
Today, optimized anchor texts are the biggest no-no in digital marketing. In 2012, the updated Google’s Penguin penalized nearly 3.1% of websites with anchor optimization signs and the same trend we follow even today.
When it comes to optimized anchors, they are anchor text made up of your target keywords. If your site is receiving plenty of optimized links that are based on your link profile research, then could result from dishonest work of your SEO Agency.
10. There is an increase in toxic backlinks on your website
When it comes to getting a desirable ranking on Google, your link profile plays a crucial role. However, certain unethical SEO practices or other factors can mess up your link profile, which eventually causes problems for your website.
If you’re wondering how your link profile gets messed up, then we are here to help you. It happens when your site receives toxic or suspicious linkbacks from spammy websites. If you notice only a few linkbacks, then it is not a problem. But, if you get a long list of linkbacks, it can kill your search engine rankings.
Based on the above discussion, it is clear that the success or failure of your online business entirely depends on the choice of your SEO agency. However, whenever you choose a digital marketing provider for your business, make sure you make a mindful decision.
We understand with numerous digital marketing providers in the market, choosing the right option can become an overwhelming task. Therefore, to help you improve your site’s already suffering Google rankings due to unethical SEO practices, we have given tips on choosing the best fit for your business.
Tips for choosing the best digital marketing agency
Now that you know the digital marketing company you're working with isn't delivering the right results, you probably wonder how to choose the right marketing agency for your business. Here are a few tips to help you decide:
They do market research
When it comes to the digital marketing industry, one-size-fits-all doesn’t work. Therefore, before outsourcing a digital marketing agency that offers custom solutions for your business, you need to know your target audience and market. If your preferred agency provides you with a strategy without understanding your market and target audience, it’s a big no-no.They have a prominent online presence
Your potential online marketing agency should have an active online presence. If their current online presence is not active, it is a clear indication that they are unlikely to achieve optimal results.They create achievable goals
Choose a digital marketing agency that helps you create achievable, long-term goals for your business, and discuss with you before implementing any plan or strategy.They have years of experience in the field
Another vital consideration, to ensure that your preferred digital marketing agency is suited for your business, is their experience in offering effective SEO solutions. It is advisable to choose an agency that has a record of improving online rankings of companies using result-driven digital marketing strategy. With these tips, you can find the best marketing agency for your business that meets your budget and business needs.Is your digital marketing company hurting your business?
We want to tell you that never underestimate the power of digital marketing. It can make or break your business’ online reputation. Therefore, you need to be very cautious when handing over your online marketing to anyone. Hopefully, now you’ll give the much-needed attention and investment to your online marketing. With Growth Hackers, we make sure your business goes to the right path. As a digital marketing agency, we implement Content Marketing, E-mail Marketing, Search Engine Optimizations and other marketing strategies that is run through and approved by you. Contact Growth Hackers now to ensure the growth and success of your business.
Soumyajit Chakraborty
I am the CEO at SoftProdigy. I have more than a decade of experience in the IT sector. I am focused, goal-oriented person and I am passionate about blogging.
