SEOversite was born out of a clear and pressing need: ensuring our clients weren’t hiring digital marketing teams riddled with red flags. In most industries, regulations are in place to ensure only those who follow best practices can stay in business, but that’s not the case with digital marketing.
When we launched as a Miami SEO agency, we noticed far too many digital marketers taking advantage of clients—burning through budgets without delivering real results. That’s when we stepped in as the trusted middleman, vetting the field and partnering exclusively with what we call the “good guys.” Curious about the red flags we look for when separating the pros from the pretenders? Are you not sure how to tell if you’re happy with your marketing team? Stick around and find out.
My Web Team is Talking Over My Head
Digital marketing is a jargon-heavy industry with terms and abbreviations that most people don’t know. Jargon exists because it’s a shorthand among experts and can help with quick and efficient communication. But if both parties in a conversation are not experts in the field, jargon should not be used as often, and when used, should be thoroughly explained.
How many non-digital marketers know the difference between CPC, CPM, CTA, and CTR? If you’ve got a digital marketer who throws all of these jargon-y terms at you without explaining them, or without un-jargoning their reports, that could be a red flag if it’s done with the intent of talking over your head.
Non-digital marketers would likely have trouble deciphering this in a report: “The CTR in Organic has improved by 14%, and is likely because our positioning on SERPs went from 9 to 3. Additionally, our PPC has seen a decrease in CPM and CPC, while having higher CTR. This is likely because of a recent A/B test where we updated the copy to target those at the bottom of the funnel.”
A certain level of jargon is expected when speaking with a professional, but they should be able to communicate with you in a way that’s clear and easy to understand. This could be as simple as sending a jargon cheat sheet along with reports so you can see what all the abbreviations mean. Or they could include an “if you need further explanation, please don’t hesitate to ask” at the end of an email.
As a business owner, the most important items you need to know about are: unique organic users and total leads from both site and calls. Everything else is for your digital marketing team to take and use to make informed decisions for the following months.
My Marketing Team Has Poor Communication
Every team has its own definition of what responsiveness means. For some, 48 hours is acceptable, while for others, that response time seems like an eternity. The sweet spot for us is within one business day, and we communicate this expectation clearly to our Preferred Vendors before they join us.
Although we recommend one business day, we also look for wild fluctuations in response time. If some replies come within an hour, and others take 3-4 business days, that can be a sign of a systemic issue and more problems to come.
Some might not see this as a problem if the important messages are replied to within the hour and non-urgent messages are the ones that get pushed to 3-4 days back, but that is just as alarming. This pattern shows that your marketing team is checking all their messages but then actively deciding not to respond to some because they are “not urgent.” This can lead to your team forgetting items because it wasn’t deemed important at the time.
Responsiveness is crucial when it comes to a web team. We believe in it so much that our own internal motto is “Honest and On It.” Whether it’s addressing unexpected site issues or pushing out a last-minute promotion, you need a team that’s quick to act and ready to support your needs without hesitation.
My Web Team Has Inconsistent Reporting
We aren’t talking about the numbers themselves. Depending on your industry, it’s expected that some months will perform amazingly and others will be slower. We’re specifically talking about how data is being reported to you. Your reports should have the same formatting and data points month, after month, after month.
Suppose your reports began with a YOY (year-over-year) comparison of organic traffic, keyword rankings, impression share, and conversion rate. In that case, every following report should include the same comparison with the same metrics. The only exception to that rule is if you and your marketing team have agreed to change the reporting.
This is a big deal because inconsistent reporting could mean they are trying to hide the facts. Teams that engage in this practice often manipulate reporting metrics to showcase positive growth, even when it doesn’t exist.
For example, if a marketing team notices that year-over-year metrics are down across the board, but month-over-month numbers look better, they might shift focus to highlight those metrics in their reports. While it’s natural to want to present a positive image, your marketing team’s job is to be transparent and provide an accurate representation of your performance—good or bad.
My Web Team Hasn’t Suggested a New Website
You should redesign your website every 3-5 years. And if we’re being honest, 5 years is probably pushing it. That’s just a fact. And if your web team hasn’t brought up this topic at least once to you, that could be a red flag if your site is over 2 years old. The technology behind websites changes as quickly as Google algorithms updates release, and that means you can’t get too comfortable with your old website.
If your web team does website redesigns themselves, chances are they are suggesting this to you because it benefits both you and their own business. But if your web team doesn’t do website redesigns, they might be less likely to bring it up because it doesn’t add any profit to their pockets. That’s a red flag. Your web team should always look for ways to help your business thrive online, and an up-to-date website is one of the most important.
I’m Not Sure If I’m Happy With My Web Team
Sometimes, business owners are unsure if they’re happy with their marketing team. This could be because they don’t know enough about digital marketing to make an informed decision, or maybe their marketing team isn’t providing the important facts about what tasks are being done to help their business succeed.
Your marketing team should keep you informed about general trends in the digital marketing world and algorithmic changes that affect your business. For example, we know that search volume was down across the board in 2024, so a drop in traffic didn’t necessarily mean your marketing team failed, but this information needs to be conveyed. That said, a lack of search volume doesn’t mean you should see a consistent downtrend in overall leads month to month.
If you are seeing a steady decline in all important metrics, it’s important to start a conversation with your marketing team to see if everything is being done for your business to see the best results. That conversation could lead to a discovery that they are putting in the work, and something else is going on that needs to be addressed, or you may find out that they’re not the right fit for your business.
If you’ve noticed any of these red flags with your marketing team, you may have a problem on your hands. Fortunately, we can help. While no team is perfect, we only work with fully vetted, trustworthy, effective Preferred Vendors who have proven themselves to position clients for the best chance of the best results. For more information and digital marketing guidance, reach out to us today for a complimentary conversation about your project.