We’re Spending Thousands on SEO, But Seeing Nothing in Return. Why?
Dear Dawn,
Our business has been around for decades, and we’re finally upgrading our marketing. Since no one on the senior team really understands digital, we outsourced our SEO to an agency.Six months in, we’ve spent thousands of pounds, and we have no idea what we’ve paid for. The reports are full of technical jargon we don’t understand. Traffic has increased… but we’re not getting any new leads. We’re being told SEO “takes time,” but we’re not seeing real business impact. Are we being taken for a ride? Or is this just how SEO works?
SEO does take time, but that does not mean you should be kept in the dark. A reputable agency provides:
- A clear roadmap of what is happening over the first 3, 6, and 12 months.
- Reports that explain business impact, not just vanity metrics.
- Tangible improvements in rankings, traffic quality, and conversions.
If you are not getting transparency, it is a red flag. Some agencies hide poor performance behind jargon or, worse, fake growth using misleading tactics:
- Buying low-quality traffic that boosts visitor numbers but does not convert.
- Ranking for irrelevant keywords that look good in reports but bring in the wrong audience.
- Spammy backlink building that could damage your long-term rankings.
Next Steps
You don’t need to know every technical tweak, but you should have a clear picture of the first year’s strategy. This should include:
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Which areas will be prioritised first (technical, content, authority building).
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What success will look like at each stage.
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How progress will be reported in a way you can understand.
If the agency can’t explain the plan in plain English, they don’t fully understand it themselves — or don’t want you to.
It’s not enough to know that visitors are arriving; you need to know if they are the right people.
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Ask for data showing which keywords are driving enquiries, bookings, or sales.
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Review your site’s conversion funnels — are calls to action clear? Are landing pages relevant to the keyword that brought the visitor?
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If traffic is high but conversions are low, the targeting or messaging needs fixing immediately.
Big numbers can hide big problems.
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Focus on traffic quality: location, intent, and engagement.
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Monitor bounce rate, time on page, and how many pages people view.
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Prioritise attracting visitors who are likely to buy, not just browse.
Approach SEO like any other managed project — with timelines, deliverables, and accountability.
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Agree on specific KPIs linked to business outcomes, not just rankings.
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Schedule formal review points at Month 3, Month 6, and Month 12 to assess progress.
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Require the agency to explain results in terms of revenue impact, lead quality, and brand visibility.
If milestones are missed, decide quickly whether to adjust the strategy or change providers.
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