10 local SEO red flags

The dangerous ones

1. A guarantee of position one

Nobody controls Google results. Google warns business owners about this promise. A company that guarantees a position either uses risky methods or prepares an excuse.

2. Keywords added to your business name

It can work for a short time. It also breaks the Google guidelines and is a common cause of suspensions. Examine your name with our name checker.

3. Purchased or incentivized reviews

Google removes them, and the FTC rule on reviews applies to your business, not only to the agency.

4. Extra listings for extra cities

One business gets one listing. Extra listings cause suspensions and divide your reviews.

5. A virtual office or a mailbox address

Google prohibits both. When Google finds it, the listing goes down.

The expensive ones

6. The agency owns your listing or your website

When you leave, you lose the asset. Insist on ownership before the work starts.

7. A long contract with no exit

A contract protects the agency from your decision to leave. Month-to-month terms mean that the company must earn each month.

8. A report that shows views only

Views are the number that rises when nothing else does. Ask for position, calls and direction requests.

9. No task list

If nobody will write what happens each week, you cannot check whether it happened.

10. A company with a weak listing of its own

Search the company on Google Maps. Few reviews, no photos and no posts tell you how your listing will look.

What to do if you already signed

1. Get access first. Make sure that your business is the owner of the listing. Read how to request ownership.
2. Check your business name for added keywords, and correct it.
3. Look for duplicate listings made for other cities. See duplicate listings.
4. Read the contract for the notice period.
5. Record your position before you change anything, so you can measure what happens next.