Key points
- Check that SEO is aligned with your goals: a good SEO agency makes sure its strategy targets the right keywords and the right audience for your business objectives.
- Transparency matters: look for clear reports, realistic targets and open communication.
- Results take time: visible SEO improvements usually arrive within 3-6 months, with growth continuing after that.
- Measure performance: track organic traffic, keyword rankings and conversions to judge effectiveness.
- Think beyond traffic: SEO increases visibility, but conversions depend on user experience, CTAs and your overall sales strategy.
If you are wondering how to tell whether your SEO agency is working, there are clear indicators that show whether its tactics are improving your rankings, especially if you have been working with it for a while and have not yet seen results.
In this guide:
- Good signs in an SEO agency
- Warning signs in an SEO agency
- SEO FAQs
- Is SEO dead?
Good signs in an SEO agency
The first thing is to look for an SEO agency with case studies and positive reviews. That gives you an idea of how reliable it is.
A reliable SEO agency will also be transparent about its strategies, the processes it applies and the results you can expect. It will give you access to a dashboard or reports that let you follow how your business is doing, and which campaigns are running and when.
The most telling sign of all is the people inside the agency. You can check their LinkedIn profiles and ask about the team's skills. Ideally you will find a team with a mix of SEO skills, such as a content creator, a link building specialist and an analytics expert.
Good signs to look for:
- Clear, realistic promises: they set achievable goals and timelines instead of guaranteeing quick results such as "reaching number one on Google".
- Transparent reporting: they provide regular, detailed reports on key metrics such as keyword rankings, traffic growth, conversions and backlinks.
- Tailored strategies: no off-the-shelf packages. A good SEO agency knows that strategies need to be specific to each client.
- White-hat practices: they follow Google's guidelines strictly and avoid "black-hat" tactics such as keyword stuffing or cloaking.
- A solid portfolio and case studies: they have shown success with previous clients through case studies, testimonials and examples of improved metrics.
- A focus on content quality: they treat content as the cornerstone of the SEO strategy, knowing that relevant, high-quality content is central to effective SEO.
- A proactive, analytical approach: they regularly analyse and adjust strategies based on data and changes to search algorithms, and can adapt their plans as needed to improve your site's performance.
Warning signs in an SEO agency
A few red flags can tell you whether the agency you work with will only deliver results in the short term.
The main thing to remember is that SEO is a gradual process and nobody can guarantee a specific ranking, because search engine algorithms change all the time.
Black-hat SEO tactics are techniques, such as keyword stuffing and fake backlinks, designed to trick search engines into scoring a website higher. That rarely ends well for the client, because the website risks being penalised and its rankings will drop, along with traffic and visibility.
Here are some warning signs that your SEO agency may be using these methods:
- They give "guarantees" on rankings within a short time
- They promise thousands of backlinks or instant increases in traffic
- They are not open about their techniques or strategies.
SEO FAQs
Here are some common questions about SEO.
How long does SEO take to work?
You will only start to see a difference from SEO after three to six months. Even then the numbers will be modest. Between six and twelve months, things should start to pick up and the work will flow more steadily. It usually takes two years for a website to reach its full potential and start ranking at the top.
Getting there takes steady attention to content and optimisation. The good news is that, once established, your site becomes a reliable ongoing source of traffic.
A reliable SEO agency should give you regular updates and keep communication clear throughout. Even so, results can sometimes feel as if they are taking forever.
SEO is a long-term strategy that often needs a lot of work, with results that only show later. It works like a snowball. You start today and get a small result, but over time the results add up and it turns into an avalanche.
Online marketing takes patience. If you have doubts or feel things are not going the way you want, talk to your agency. It may suggest other online marketing strategies, such as paid advertising, that you can run alongside SEO to speed up results.
Is SEO dead?
SEO is not dead. It is dead according to the agencies that made promises, failed to keep them and then announced the death of SEO.
Why does "is SEO dead" keep being searched on Google, around 170 times a month in the UK alone (DataForSEO, Google UK, September 2026)? Many companies thought they would make millions selling services to businesses without having the specific skills to do so. They fed unrealistic expectations and overblown promises, then failed to deliver: that is what happens when SEO goals are not written down with a number and a date. Most of those companies no longer exist, but their reputation lives on online.
I have traffic but no sales. Is it the SEO agency's fault?
No. An SEO agency aims to increase your visibility, bring in a steady flow of traffic and help search engines rank your site for the right terms and keywords. Guiding the user from visitor to customer is the job of another digital function.
You should work with a web developer to make the site easier to use and bring in a marketing strategist who understands the sales funnel. The SEO agency can certainly help and create calls to action (CTAs) that send users to the right place, but you will need a strategist to optimise the user journey.
If you work with an agency that offers full-service digital marketing, it will have the right team to work with you on increasing conversions.
You may also be getting those leads through your SEO work, but if they do not convert at the final step, the problem may lie with your sales team. Look at those final pitches and check there is no bottleneck somewhere causing the problem.
How can you tell if SEO is working?
The good news about SEO is that there are several ways to check whether it is working, as long as you give it time. If six months have passed and you are looking for results, try a few tools to get some answers.
A good starting point is Google Analytics. You can set the date range to three to six months and see how techniques and content have changed your visibility over time. Make sure the traffic you are looking at comes from organic sources and not from any paid ad campaigns.
Next, use a keyword tool and check your website's rankings for your keywords. High-value keywords should show that your site has been optimised for them. Over time you should see it rank higher for these target keywords.
You can track this with keyword research tools. Check with your SEO agency that it is using the right keywords for your target audience, so that you attract the right traffic.
How can you really know whether your SEO agency is working?
To assess your SEO properly, you need a complete view of how your website is performing. Tracking key metrics regularly helps you understand how well your strategy is working and where it can improve.
Find out how our team can help you assess your current SEO strategy and put in place changes that improve your online visibility. Request a quote to see how we can support your work and get better results for your business.
