You don’t need to “learn marketing” to spot a bad fit. These signals are enough.
1. Guaranteed first place
Nobody reliably guarantees SEO positions. Who does — either doesn’t understand or overpromises on purpose.
2. Likes as the only KPI
If success is “engagement” while you pay for sales, you are not on the same brief.
3. No access to your accounts
Ads account, Analytics, domain, pixel — should be yours or shared with full control. “We hold everything” is a risk.
4. Reporting without changes
The same report every month, without hypotheses and actions, means nobody optimizes.
5. Pressure for a long contract with no exit
Long contracts are not always bad, but unclear terms and exit penalties are.
6. “We’ll do every channel” on a tiny budget
Five channels with budget for half of one = surface work. Better fewer, deeper.
7. No questions about your sales
If they don’t ask about margin, call capacity, seasonality and what a good lead is — they optimize in a vacuum.
Related services and pages
More from the blog
- What does a digital marketing agency do? (clear and concrete)
- Digital marketing for small businesses: where to start
- How to choose a digital marketing agency (question checklist)
- How much does Google Ads cost in Serbia?
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