You’ve been paying for SEO for months. Maybe a year. The reports come in monthly, charts, graphs, lots of numbers. But deep down, something doesn’t feel right. You’re not getting more calls. You’re not ranking higher when you search yourself. You’re not even sure what they’re doing.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: many Houston businesses are paying for SEO services that don’t actually exist. They’re essentially paying a monthly fee for reports that make it look like something is happening. Let me show you exactly how to tell if you’re in that situation, and what to do about it.
The 7 Signs Your SEO Agency Isn’t Working
Your impressions in Google Search Console are flat or declining
After 3+ months of ‘SEO work,’ you should see impressions trending up, Google is showing you to more people. If the line is flat, either nothing is happening or it’s not working.
You can’t find any changes they’ve made to your website
Ask them for a list of pages they’ve optimized. Then check those pages. Did the title tags change? Is there new content? If you can’t see any actual changes, there probably aren’t any.
Reports only show vanity metrics
If their reports focus only on ‘total sessions’ or ‘page views’ without connecting to rankings, leads, or calls, they’re hiding the fact that nothing meaningful is improving.
They can’t tell you what keywords you’ve improved for
A working SEO campaign produces clear keyword movement. ‘We went from position 45 to position 12 for fence repair Cypress.’ If they can’t give specifics, they’re not tracking anything.
Content is central to SEO. If they haven’t published new pages or blog posts in months, what exactly are they optimizing?
They’re impossible to reach or get answers from
Good agencies are responsive because they have nothing to hide. If getting a straight answer feels like pulling teeth, that’s telling you something.
Your Google Business Profile is unchanged
For local SEO, GBP optimization is essential. If they’ve never posted updates, added photos, or improved your profile, they’re not doing local SEO.
What to Do If You See These Signs
Step 1: Document everything. Screenshot your current rankings, Search Console data, and all reports they’ve sent.
Step 2: Request a detailed account of all work done in the last 3 months, specific pages changed, links built, content created.
Step 3: If they can’t provide specifics within a week, consider that your answer. Start looking for a new provider.
Step 4: Before signing with anyone new, get a second opinion audit from an unrelated agency. Good agencies will show you what’s been done (or not done).