Have you ever paid for SEO or leads campaigns but didn't have the results you had hoped for? A common theme in conversations I've had with small business owners is that several have worked with 3rd parties promising to deliver results via leads or paid SEO programs.
Before diving into SEO or leads, make sure you have a robust online presence in place. Invest in quality content, engaging social media platforms, and a user-friendly website. Think of it like building a house. If you start with a solid foundation, you can build higher and higher with confidence.
Who else has encountered this issue in the past & what did you do to remedy it?
47 Comments
Comments (1-10)
Unfortunately this is a common story thanks to traditional agencies and local business marketing groups that notoriously over promise, over charge, and under deliver.
Did you:
- Look up their reviews on Google and other review websites (Yelp, Facebook, etc)? Simply google "{agency name} reviews" - ie. "Hibu reviews".
- Look at their office on Google Maps Street View? (ie. is it a real office, or a home, or a coffee shop?)
- Ask for references and vet them?
- Look on LinkedIn for the names of their employees (if they have any)?
- Do a WhoIs search on the domain to see when the domain was purchased? (often it's within the last few months)
It only takes a few minutes to do a quick online check. I do this all the time. 98% of the SEO and web design companies have a fake address and 0 employees.
Here's what happens when you hire these "companies":
- they have no insurance - which puts your business at risk for all sorts of liabilities when that company screws up. (trademark infringement cases cost $100,000s)
- no backup - what happens when that person gets hit by the proverbial bus (or gets a "real job" one day)? You have no access to anything and you risk losing access to everything. We've heard the horror stories before.
- limited knowledge - a larger agency with a good reputation hires people with experience and has training capabilities. Did the agency you just hire start in 2020? Someone probably lost their job during COVID and decided to start an SEO company one day. They're leaning on your account, at your expense, and probably don't bring much experience outside of their own, limited experience.
... OR did you get a fancy powerpoint presentation and took the bait hook, line and sinker?
There are a ton of rip-off artists in the digital marketing space. Buyer beware. Do yourself a favor and do at least a little due diligence before you hire anyone in the digital marketing space.
Yes! Even Google acknowledges their algorithms don't always work because it is skewed toward the type of searches one normally makes. I have partnered with a man who is beta-testing an alternative for Google and Bing. It has already proven successful, saving one company $500k in Google ads. Let me know if you would like some more info.
Not yet. Trying to learn more about SEO before investing in a 3rd party. 🙃
I spent close to $10,000 last year on marketing and it was very,very disappointing. Some people are not truthful. Many times the marketing just does not work.
I am a web designer and I find this happens a lot with my very own clients. I offer SEO services as part of the value I bring to my clients but there have been times that I get told by my clients that they went to 3rd party companies and paid BIG MONEY...and was left with nothing.
Yes, so very true and what most business owners don't know is it takes about🤔 90 days to really see the snowball of SEO ... and results are NOT just sales --- they are looks---👀🗣likes--- clicks --- and interaction with your media --- !
I have always done it myself. It is difficult to impossible to separate the scam SEO and leads generation from quality ones. I don't have the time or money to take the chance. So, I do it myself.
I hear lots of horror stories from my paid ads and SEO clients having spent thousands in the past with 3rd parties and getting no results. I love to help my clients get good results and I'm very transparent on how that happens.
As a co-founder of an online marketing business, we can't guarantee quick results, however we achieved 1st page ranking in 1 year for a construction company in a very competitive market area. It's possible. The trick is to find the right agency with the most skilled and experienced experts. SEO is very time consuming. I've never heard of a professional charging only hundreds per month.