It’s not only poor performance at a macro level that can tell a client that something’s up, though. Attention to detail is critical when it comes to management of a business’ online presence. Consider the poor SEO who receives the call telling them that their client’s Google My Business short name has been spelled wrong, or the client that gets a 404 on their website homepage. The little things add up.

The rule of thumb is that if a client has to tell their agency that something’s wrong, the agency has already failed. It’s harsh, but you can see why so many businesses are a little skeptical when approached by new SEO suitors promising the earth.