The Top 5 Mistakes Businesses Make When Hiring an SEO Firm

1. Choosing Based on Price Alone

It's tempting to go with the cheapest proposal in a stack of SEO quotes. However, SEO is not a commodity service—it’s a strategic investment. Low-cost providers often rely on black-hat techniques, outdated digital marketing tactics, or generic packages that offer little long-term value.

What to do instead:Focus on value, not price. Ask about their process, reporting frequency, technical capabilities, and how they tailor strategies to your industry.

2. Falling for “Guaranteed Rankings” Promises

If an SEO agency promises you the number 1 spot on Google, run. Rankings depend on countless variables—many outside an agency’s control, such as algorithm updates, market competition, and content quality.

What to look for instead:An agency that offers transparent, milestone-based progress with realistic KPIs like organic traffic growth, conversion rates, and technical site health.

3. Ignoring the Need for a Holistic Digital Strategy

SEO doesn't live in a vacuum. Your SEO strategy should integrate with your broader digital efforts—including content, web design, social media, and paid campaigns.

Avoid siloed SEO firms. Instead, choose a partner like Blackstone Consultancy that offers a holistic view across all digital channels to ensure consistency, synergy, and performance.

4. Not Checking Their Technical Expertise

A stylish website with engaging content is useless if it's not technically optimized. Many SEO firms lack deep technical know-how, resulting in slow site speeds, crawlability issues, and missed schema markup opportunities.

Your checklist should include:

• Site architecture audits

• Core Web Vitals expertise

• Mobile-first indexing

• Structured data implementation

Ask for case studies or audits they’ve performed in the past.

5. No Clear Reporting or Communication

Lack of transparency is one of the most damaging red flags. If you don’t understand what your SEO agency is doing each month, how can you measure ROI?

Ensure they provide:

• Regular reports with actionable insights

• Clear definitions of KPIs

• Strategy reviews and next steps

An SEO partner should feel like a seamless extension of your internal team—not a black box.

About the author:

Anton Dandot is a dynamic entrepreneur and the founder of Blackstone Consultancy Sarawak, a marketing agency based in Sarawak, Malaysia. With years of experience in digital marketing, Anton has successfully guided businesses to optimize their brand presence and engage their target audiences through innovative marketing strategies. Anton’s passion for digital media is reflected in his agency’s diverse services, which include SEO, social media management, and content creation. Always exploring new trends, he has recently embraced podcasting as a powerful tool for connecting with audiences and helping clients grow their brands through engaging audio content. Linkedin