Have your organic rankings taken a hit despite investing heavily in SEO? Are you concerned that you’ve been overcharged for services that aren’t delivering results? Then it might be time to get a second opinion on your SEO strategy.
While search engine optimisation can seem to be sorcery, plenty of it is measurable. If your SEO vendor tells you otherwise or refuses to explain what you’ve paid for and how to track its success, it’s probably time for outside counsel.
But remember, even completely well-intentioned strategies will eventually become outdated. SEO is a dynamic discipline—what worked a few years ago may not be effective today.
There’s nothing wrong with validating your current approach and making sure you’re not leaving any money on the table.
Uncovering missed opportunities and receiving a fresh perspective from a seasoned professional will allow you to identify gaps, correct mistakes, and ensure the best possible use of your resources.
I’ve had the privilege of working with a diverse set of clients globally, from publicly traded enterprises, founder owned businesses, local businesses, and just about everything in between.
Moreover, I’ve performed due diligence on more than my fair share of websites over the last decade. This has helped me to learn about the strategies that other SEOs are employing, as well as their effectiveness and associated risks.
Combined with my expertise in technical SEO and web development, I’m able to sniff out anything that might be hurting your organic rankings, no matter how complex your site is.
Reasons to Reevaluate Your SEO Strategy
One of the biggest challenges with SEO is that it’s always changing. This is by design—search engines constantly update their algorithms to correct any issues and loopholes that spammers thrive on.
They’re also making the changes required to deliver great profits to their investors in the next quarter. But more importantly, they’re trying to deliver the most relevant results while ensuring that high-quality websites get the attention they deserve.
Your strategy may be near perfect, only held back by a few minor adjustments that were overlooked. In other cases, it may have been a complete misfit from the get-go, like the use of link building strategies that haven’t worked for over a decade.
Reevaluating your approach will help you to recover from past SEO tactics that may have hurt your site, as well as improve the ROI of your in-house team’s efforts.
With an expert review, you can fine-tune your approach to better target your audience, improve rankings, and increase your revenue.
SEO Red Flags: Avoid These Like the Plague
There are many ways to weed out problematic SEO agencies or freelancers, but some risk indicators are simply too alarming to warrant any further investigation.
For instance, they may be too pushy on additional products and may prioritise personal gain over what your site really needs. During the sales call, they’ll tell you exactly what you want to hear before even auditing your website.
Here are some more obvious problem signs to look out for.
Lack of Transparency
Trade secrets aren’t really a thing in this business. It’s a matter of identifying the best strategy and doing the work. Any self-respecting SEO knows that it’s a grind and will go the extra mile to get results the right way.
Sure, experience plays a huge role in how efficiently things are done, but with enough dedication, anyone can gain basic knowledge of what works in SEO and what doesn’t. Google publicises this information for a reason.
If your vendor refuses to explain their methods, processes, or progress reports, it’s likely that they’re using questionable tactics. In other words, they’re jeopardising your website without your consent.
Getting the cold shoulder when you ask your SEO consultant questions about their strategy is a clear indicator of risk. Either that or they’re bad communicators.
Too Good To Be True Pricing
When buying SEO services, you get what you pay for. Good deals exist, but some quite literally promise the moon and deliver trash.
Cheap SEO services rely on spammy, automated link building methods, sneaky redirects, cloaking, and other blackhat tactics straight out of 2010.
That said, if you’re receiving 6 reports that are all 20+ pages with swathes of deliverables, chances are, the reports are the main thing you’re paying for.
Do a quick check on the reviews of your agency. Do they have hundreds of 5 star ratings, all from people in a questionable geographic region, or a handful of detailed reviews from actual clients who can be found on LinkedIn?
Guaranteed Rankings
Any company that guarantees rankings within a short time frame is likely not being honest. SEO is a complex, ongoing process, and no one can guarantee top rankings unless they can see into the future—search engine algorithms are unpredictable.
SEO can also be painfully slow, which is why I personally point to leading indicators instead of lagging indicators in the short-medium term.
Reputable SEOs will always focus on long-term growth strategies. In this business, short-term tactics might give you a quick boost this month, but will almost certainly hurt your website over the long term.
Fake “Google Partner” Claims
Some companies falsely claim to be Google Partners or that they have insider knowledge of the search algorithm, which gives them an edge in ranking sites.
While the tech giant does have a partnership program, Google Premium Partners are certified for paid ads, not organic search rankings.
Google doesn’t certify anyone for SEO, and being a partner doesn’t imply any special ability to influence search rankings. The real lessons in SEO are made by executing on a plan, evaluating results, adjusting course, and repeating over and over again.
I’ve never taken an SEO course.
Replicating someone else’s strategy yields mediocre results—mastery comes from owning your own sites and using organic search as a traffic source on them. When you have skin in the game, you’ll no longer waste budget on things that don’t work.
FAQs
As you seek a second opinion on your SEO strategy, you’re likely going to have questions about the process and duration.
To give you better insight, I’ve put together answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I receive from clients.
How Long Does the Process Take?
The time required to audit your website and make recommendations can vary depending on the size and complexity of your website. However, most reviews can be completed within a month.
This time frame allows me to thoroughly evaluate the key aspects of your strategy, including site structure, content, backlink profile, technical setup, and your competitors.
What Do I Need to Provide for the Review?
To get started, I’ll need access to Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and ideally an admin login to your site, so I can take a look at things behind the scenes.
Additionally, I’ll require an overview of your current SEO strategy, including targeted keywords, content maps, and any specific challenges you’re facing.
Having this information upfront allows me to conduct a more thorough and accurate review, ensuring that the insights and recommendations I provide are tailored to your specific needs.
I fully understand that you may want my opinion on your SEO strategy to be kept between us in the short-term, so as to not undermine confidence in your current team. If it’s not possible to arrange access for me, I can do a full external review of your site using my own third-party SEO tools.
Can You Work With My Current SEO Team?
Absolutely. I’m happy to collaborate with your existing SEO and content teams. This is typically how I operate.
My goal is to complement their efforts and offer additional insights that can help to improve your current approach.
Don’t Settle—Refine Your SEO Strategy Today
Your SEO strategy is too important to leave to chance. By getting a second opinion, you can ensure that your efforts are on the right track and that you’re making the most of your marketing budget.
Don’t settle for mediocre results. Your business deserves the best, and I’m here to help you achieve that. Reach out today to schedule a call.