Key takeaways:

• SEO agencies for contractors often promise to get you results fast, but fail to deliver.
• It can be challenging to determine if your marketing partner is performing effectively, especially when there is limited communication.
• We share some red flags that indicate your SEO service may not be a good investment.

If you have signed up for “more leads” or “better SEO” with a digital marketing agency for home services, but it’s months later and you’re unsure if you’re getting your money’s worth, let’s talk.

It’s time to take a hard look at how your marketing partner is performing and whether they’re delivering on their promises. We can go over some of the key things to consider to rate your SEO agency and decide if it’s time to look for a new one.

1. You Have No Idea What’s Being Done Each Month

When’s the last time you heard from your marketing service? A marketing agency that cares about your success will send:

• A monthly breakdown of the work they did (blogs, SEO, ads, changes to your website, and more).
• A clear plan of action for the next 30–60 days.

If you don’t get regular reports, you don’t know if your partner is holding up their end of the contract. They’re either not doing what they’re supposed to do or working on your campaigns without a clear plan.

It’s also true if you get vague reports. A trustworthy digital marketing service will provide you with a detailed report that includes clear data points. These can include website visits, the number of leads generated, your conversion rate, and more.

2. Your Rankings or Website Traffic Haven’t Moved in 3–6 Months

SEO takes time, and it’s absolutely normal if you don’t see your site go up in search results right away.

However, if it’s been three to six months and you see no movement at all (or worse, your site ranking is lower than it used to be), something’s off.

In your first three to six months, a contractor SEO expert can get you:

• A slow but steady rise in local Google search results.
• More clicks from your Google Business profile.
• More form fills, calls, and bookings.

Again, it’s why monthly reporting is so important. Without regular updates, it can be hard to see how your contractor SEO plan is helping your business grow.

3. You’re Not Getting More Jobs

On paper, things are great. Your site is getting more visits, both from organic search and paid ads. However, these visits don’t translate into jobs.

Here’s why:

• Your SEO partner is failing to target the right people.
• You might be getting clicks from users in the wrong area because your local content isn’t properly optimized.
• Your SEO service isn’t targeting users who are ready to book a contractor. You’re getting ad clicks and organic visits from people who are still window shopping.

Don’t let traffic numbers fool you. If your calendar isn’t getting full, your marketing partner isn’t doing their job.

4. Your Site Looks the Same (and Still Loads Slowly on Mobile)

A good SEO strategy includes technical improvements. Let’s do a quick test: Visit your website from your phone. Does it load in 3 seconds or less?

If not, your SEO agency has failed to optimize it. Here’s what a trustworthy agency would have done instead:

• Tested your website’s loading speed.
• Created a to-do list with quick fixes (like optimizing your images or getting rid of redirects).
• Worked through this to-do list to get you fast results.
• Found more fixes to implement over time, such as improving the structure of your site or creating a mobile-friendly design.

You might be getting clicks, but if your site is slow to load or hard to navigate, these users won’t book jobs.

5. You’re Getting “Reports” But They Don’t Mean Anything to You

Not all SEO agencies fail to do their job. Some do a lot of work on your site, publish content regularly…and show you a dashboard full of numbers.

The problem? You don’t know what any of it means.

What you need is a real person who can explain what’s going on and what’s next. Instead of confusing dashboards, a good agency should say:

• You got 16 new leads last month. Seven came from paid ads, the rest were from organic traffic.
• Traffic from social media went down by 20%. We’re working on a new campaign to get you more active on there.
• Next month, we’ll publish five blog posts to extend your outreach to a new zip code.
• We’ll also fix the eight broken links we’ve found on your site.

If you’re not getting that kind of communication, you won’t get long-term growth. Look for an agency with a dedicated account manager who oversees everything and tells you what’s going on in plain English.

Get More Out of Your SEO Investment With Tempesta Media

SEO is an investment, and you should get what you paid for. Don’t settle for agencies that promise results and fail to make a difference.

With Tempesta Media, you’re getting transparent and results-driven marketing specifically designed for the trades. We’ve helped over 400 businesses grow, and you could be next.

Thanks to our expertise in the trades and local SEO, our customers see a clear difference after a few months. We also provide regular reporting, and we continually work on enhancing your SEO and digital marketing campaigns.

FAQ

How long does contractor SEO take?

SEO is an ongoing process that will improve your rankings and visibility over time. However, you should start seeing a difference in your Google rankings within the first three to six months.

What’s a realistic timeline for getting leads from digital marketing as a contractor?

If you’re relying on organic content and SEO, you should get more traffic within three to six months, and leads will follow. If you’re using paid ads, you should start getting leads right away.

What should my marketing agency include in its monthly report?

You should receive a clear report showing the amount of traffic and leads you’re generating. It should also include a summary of things the agency did during the month, and what it plans to do next.