Over the past 22 years, I’ve had countless conversations with business owners who tell me the same story.
“We’ve been paying an SEO agency for months.”
“We get reports every month.”
“We’ve seen some rankings improve.”
“But we’re not actually getting more business.”
As somebody who has worked in SEO for more than two decades, I can tell you that this problem is far more common than most people realise.
The uncomfortable truth is that many SEO campaigns fail long before they ever begin.
Not because SEO doesn’t work.
But because businesses are often sold a service they don’t fully understand by people who focus on activity rather than outcomes.
The result is frustration, wasted budgets and a growing belief that SEO simply doesn’t work.
The reality is very different.
Good SEO can transform a business.
Bad SEO can drain both time and money.
The challenge is knowing the difference.
The Agency Usually Is
Whenever someone tells me SEO doesn’t work, my first question is usually:
“What exactly has your agency been doing?”
The answers are often revealing.
A monthly report.
A handful of backlinks.
A blog post.
Some keyword rankings.
A few technical changes.
None of these things are necessarily bad.
But they don’t automatically create business growth.
One of the biggest issues in the SEO industry is that many agencies focus on deliverables rather than commercial objectives.
They measure success by what they did.
I measure success by what happened.
Those are two very different things.
This is where many business owners get caught out.
They receive reports showing improvements in rankings and traffic.
Everything appears positive.
The graphs are heading in the right direction.
Yet enquiries remain flat.
Sales remain flat.
Revenue remains flat.
Why?
Because rankings are only one part of the equation.
The real questions are:
– Are the rankings commercially valuable?
– Are the visitors relevant?
– Are those visitors converting?
– Is the website generating enquiries?
– Is revenue increasing?
If the answer is no, then the campaign isn’t working regardless of what the report says.
A business cannot pay its bills with rankings.
Whenever I hear an agency guaranteeing rankings, alarms immediately start ringing.
No credible SEO professional can guarantee Google’s behaviour.
Nobody controls Google’s algorithm.
Nobody knows exactly how future updates will impact rankings.
What experienced SEO professionals can do is create a strategy based on proven principles, data and experience.
They can improve your chances of success.
They can identify opportunities.
They can execute best practice.
But guarantees?
Be very cautious.
In my experience, the louder the promise, the more questions you should ask.
This is perhaps the biggest red flag of all.
If an agency starts talking about SEO before they understand your business, they’re doing it backwards.
Before I discuss keywords, rankings or content, I want to understand:
– How the business generates revenue
– Which services are most profitable
– What the sales process looks like
– Who the ideal customer is
– What competitors are doing
– Which enquiries actually matter
Without that information, any SEO strategy is little more than guesswork.
SEO should support commercial objectives.
Not exist independently from them.
I understand why businesses are attracted to low cost SEO packages.
Marketing budgets aren’t unlimited.
Every investment matters.
However, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve reviewed campaigns where businesses spent years paying for cheap SEO only to discover very little meaningful work had been completed.
The issue isn’t necessarily the price.
The issue is the reality that effective SEO requires expertise, strategy, content, technical knowledge and ongoing effort.
That takes time.
And time costs money.
The cheapest option often becomes the most expensive because it delays growth and creates opportunity cost.
Before hiring any SEO agency, I would strongly recommend asking the following questions:
How will success be measured?
How does this strategy impact revenue?
What reporting will be provided?
Who will actually complete the work?
How do you prioritise opportunities?
What happens if rankings improve but enquiries don’t?
How do you adapt to algorithm updates?
Can you explain your strategy in plain English?
If you don’t receive clear answers, proceed with caution.
A good agency should make SEO easier to understand.
Not more confusing.
One area of my consultancy work that has grown significantly over recent years is SEO audits and second opinions.
Business owners frequently come to me because something doesn’t feel right.
They’re spending money.
They’re receiving reports.
But they’re unsure whether genuine progress is being made.
Sometimes the campaign is working well.
Sometimes it isn’t.
My role is simply to provide an honest assessment.
No sales pitch.
No hidden agenda.
Just a clear explanation of what’s happening, what’s working and where improvements could be made.
Sometimes that reassurance is all a business owner needs.
Sometimes it uncovers opportunities that have been missed for years.
The SEO landscape continues to evolve.
AI is changing search behaviour.
Google continues to develop.
Competition is increasing.
However, the fundamentals remain remarkably consistent.
The businesses that perform best are usually those that:
– Demonstrate expertise
– Build authority
– Create genuinely useful content
– Deliver excellent user experiences
– Earn trust
– Continuously improve
SEO is no longer about finding loopholes.
It’s about becoming the best answer.
Businesses that understand this are thriving.
Those looking for shortcuts are finding life increasingly difficult.
SEO remains one of the most powerful growth channels available to businesses.
When executed properly, it can generate enquiries, leads and sales for years.
The challenge is not whether SEO works.
The challenge is choosing the right people to help you implement it.
If you’re considering hiring an SEO agency, take your time.
Ask questions.
Challenge assumptions.
Demand transparency.
And remember that rankings alone are not the goal.
Business growth is.
After more than 22 years in digital marketing, I’ve learned that the best SEO campaigns are rarely the most complicated.
They’re usually the ones that stay relentlessly focused on helping the business achieve its commercial objectives.
Everything else is just noise.
Myk Baxter is an SEO consultant, digital marketing strategist and founder of Myk Baxter Marketing. With more than 22 years of experience helping businesses grow online, he works with organisations across the UK and internationally, providing strategic SEO consultancy, website development, eCommerce growth and digital marketing support.
If you’re currently investing in SEO and want an independent assessment of what’s working, what’s not and where opportunities exist, book a free consultation with Myk Baxter.
No jargon.
No sales pressure.
Just honest advice based on more than two decades of real world experience.
📞 01325 939 838
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