Nobody likes admitting a supplier relationship isn’t working.

Especially after months of invoices.

Maybe you tell yourself SEO takes time.

Maybe next month will be better.

Sometimes that’s true.

SEO genuinely does require patience.

But patience shouldn’t mean blindness.

Here are seven warning signs worth paying attention to.

1. You Don’t Know What They’re Doing

Ask:

“What did my SEO agency do last month?”

If you genuinely don’t know, that’s a problem.

You don’t need every technical detail.

But you should understand the work.

“We did SEO.”

Doesn’t count.

2. Every Report Is About Rankings

Rankings matter.

We’ve said that throughout this series.

But if the entire conversation revolves around moving keyword number 47 from position nine to position seven, something is missing.

What about enquiries?

Conversions?

High-value services?

Revenue?

SEO should eventually connect with the business.

3. Traffic Is Rising, But It’s Useless

This one catches people.

Your organic traffic graph is beautiful.

Up and to the right.

Lovely.

But sales haven’t changed.

Dig deeper.

Perhaps the agency is generating traffic from broad informational articles that have little relationship with your customers.

More isn’t always better.

Relevant is better.

4. They Publish Content Nobody Would Read

You know the type.

“What Is Marketing?”

“Ten Benefits of Having a Website.”

“The Ultimate Guide to Business Success.”

Generic content doesn’t become valuable because it’s 2,000 words long.

Ask who the page is for.

Ask what search intent it targets.

Ask what role it plays in the wider strategy.

If nobody can answer, why publish it?

5. They Never Challenge You

You ask for something.

They do it.

Every time.

That sounds like excellent service.

It might not be.

Sometimes you need an expert to say:

“I don’t think that’s the best use of budget.”

Good consultancy includes judgement.

6. You Can’t Access Anything

Red flag.

You should have appropriate access to your:

website,

analytics,

Search Console,

Google Business Profile,

advertising accounts,

and other important marketing assets.

Don’t allow your entire digital presence to become hostage to one supplier relationship.

7. There’s No Plan

Ask what happens during the next quarter.

If the answer is vague, dig deeper.

SEO work changes, yes.

But there should still be a strategic direction.

Which topics matter?

Which pages?

Which technical issues?

Which markets?

Which commercial objectives?

Activity without direction is just activity.

Before You Fire Anyone…

Talk to them.

Seriously.

There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for disappointing results.

Maybe development changes were never implemented.

Maybe your internal team hasn’t approved content.

Maybe the market changed.

Maybe a competitor increased investment.

Supplier relationships need two-way communication.

Get a Second Opinion

If you’re still unsure, ask another consultant to review the work.

Not to create a hit piece.

To provide an independent assessment.

Sometimes they’ll confirm the strategy is sound and simply needs more time.

Sometimes they won’t.

Either answer is useful.

And Then There’s AI

Another warning sign is an agency pretending nothing has changed in search for ten years.

Search behaviour is changing.

AI is now part of the picture.

But equally, you shouldn’t abandon every proven SEO principle because someone put “AI” in a sales presentation.

So what actually changes?

That’s where we’ll finish this series.

Next in the series

Read: Local SEO, Google and AI Search: What Changes Now?