Collaboration with an SEO agency should bring clear results and traffic growth. Sometimes, however, the exact opposite happens. Not every agency works correctly, and some practices can drag your search positions down.
If you feel that performance doesn’t match promises, or traffic is stagnant or falling, pay attention. In this article, you’ll find specific signals and practices that indicate a problem, as well as ways to verify that your investment in Czech SEO makes sense and brings real value.
What Does It Mean When an SEO Agency Damages Your Rankings?
A good agency should help make your website more visible and attract suitable visitors. In practice, however, SEO is unclear to many people, and someone clever can take advantage of that. Clients then often pay for empty work, or even for steps that cause harm.
Damage to rankings means that the agency’s work causes a drop in search result positions, a decline in organic traffic, or penalization. This has a direct impact on revenue and brand trust. For companies dependent on organic traffic, this can be a problem that affects the entire business.
How Can an Agency Negatively Affect Search Positions?
Harmful practices look different. The most common include:
- using outdated or unethical techniques (so-called black-hat),
- mass purchase of links from dubious websites,
- keyword stuffing in texts and creation of weak content,
- ignoring technical fundamentals (speed, indexation, internal linking),
- working for robots instead of users, which leads to exits and low conversions.
Consequences of Low-Quality SEO Services for Business
Negative impacts are usually quick and painful. There’s a loss of traffic, fewer inquiries, and declining revenues. For companies that live off the organic channel, a drop can mean a significant decrease in turnover within a short time. The website’s reputation is damaged, and it’s difficult and time-consuming to repair — something NON.agency has observed many times when supporting businesses during recovery.
In extreme cases, the website can disappear from search engine indexes, which is practically a dead end for online sales. We’ve seen such situations before — and the impacts on the team and finances were serious.
Main Signs That Your SEO Agency Is Harming Results
A bad agency isn’t usually easy to spot, especially if you don’t work in SEO daily. However, clear signals exist. Quality work can be measured, and progress should be visible after a few months. If not, ask why.
No Measurable Results and Opaque Reports
A major warning is when the agency doesn’t send data or reports are confusing. An honest provider regularly shares metrics such as:
- organic traffic and its development,
- positions and growth of keywords,
- conversions and revenue from organic,
- user engagement (e.g., click-through rate, time on page).
You’re paying a fixed amount and performance isn’t moving? Without analytics work and clear numbers, it’s just shooting in the dark.
Unrealistic Promises, Such as Guaranteed First Positions
Guarantees of “first position on Google” are a red flag. Algorithms change dozens to hundreds of times a year. No one has influence over how Google or Seznam ranks websites. The purpose of SEO is stable growth in visibility and valuable traffic, not a one-time jump. A trustworthy agency offers a realistic plan, clear goals, and open reporting, not miracles.
Using Outdated or Unethical (Black-Hat) SEO Techniques
These can temporarily boost positions, but later bring penalization. This includes cloaking, doorway pages, keyword stuffing, hidden text, and other manipulations. Short gain, long pain – that’s the result of these methods.
Mass and Low-Quality Purchase of Backlinks
Link building only works when it’s quality. Mass purchases from directories and shady websites lead to penalties. The correct approach is to obtain links from thematically related and trustworthy websites through good content and relationships. Offers like “lots of cheap super links” should be taken as a warning.
Keyword Stuffing and Low-Quality Content
Over-optimized texts are unpleasant to read, and search engines suppress them. Content should primarily serve people, be understandable, and work naturally with keywords. If texts have no value, they cause harm.
Nonsensical, Generic, or Standardized Strategies
Every website is different. Plans that are “the same for everyone” don’t work. Strategy should be based on data, industry, and company goals. It should be continuously adjusted according to results and user behavior. When an agency pushes a template regardless of your situation, it’s a problem.
Insufficient Communication and Unclear or Missing Strategy
Openness and a clear plan are fundamental. You should know what’s being done, why, and what impact it should have. If the provider doesn’t respond, is vague, or refuses to describe their steps, it’s a bad sign. A good specialist can explain even complex things simply.
Fixed Payments Regardless of Performance and Results
You’re paying a monthly amount and don’t know for what? Some make a few changes and then just invoice. The billing should clearly state activities and time worked. When you’re paying and performance is stagnant, something isn’t working.
Unwillingness To Provide References or Case Studies
Solid agencies show their work. Case studies with problems, solutions, and results, ideally with specific numbers and client quotes, should be available. If they avoid them, increase your vigilance.
Most Common Harmful SEO Techniques Used by Unreliable Agencies
Knowing specific tricks will help you evaluate whether your partner is playing fair. The following practices violate rules and can damage your website for a long time.
Cloaking and Doorway Pages
Cloaking (masking) means that robots see different content than users. The page for robots is usually full of keywords, while people see something completely different. It’s forbidden and leads to penalties.
Doorway pages are artificial entry pages created only to redirect users. They have no valuable content, just manipulate results. Search engines detect and penalize them.
Automatically Generated Subpages and Duplicate Content
Mass generation of pages with nearly identical text is harmful. The goal is to occupy as many queries as possible, but search engines recognize duplication and suppress or punish such pages. The result is “digital clutter” instead of a useful website.
Too Rapid Building or Purchase of Links From Low-Quality Sources
Rapid jumps in the number of links from dubious domains, exchange networks, and paid packages – these are typical manipulation signals. More important than quantity is quality and relevance to the topic. If the agency exposes you to the risk of penalties, action is needed.
Excessive Optimization and Manipulation of Meta Tags
Over-optimization manifests not only in texts but also in titles and descriptions. Stuffed meta tags or attractive but inaccurate descriptions reduce click-through rate and lead to quick user returns. Both title and description should be unique, truthful, and readable.
How To Verify That Collaboration With an Agency Isn’t Damaging Your Position?
Be active and regularly check work and results. Have them show you data, ask about steps, and insist on understandable explanations.
Monitor Analytics and Trends in Organic Traffic
Work with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Look for gradual, stable growth. Address sudden drops or fluctuations without explanation immediately.
| Metric | What to monitor |
| Organic traffic | Year-over-year and month-over-month development, trend after implementing changes |
| Keyword positions | Growth of main queries, share in top 3 / top 10 |
| CTR from search results | Performance of title and description by pages and queries |
| Conversions from organic | Inquiries, orders, revenue and their development |
| Indexation and coverage | Errors in GSC, problematic URLs, sitemap status |
Ask About Specific Changes and Adjustments to the Website
Be interested in what exactly was done:
- technical interventions (speed, URL structure, internal links, indexation),
- content (new pages, text modifications, query mapping),
- links (where they were obtained, why there specifically, what is the quality).
A good provider will explain the reason for the change and the expected impact. Unclear answers mean something is wrong.
Check Transparency of Reports and Activities
Reports should be understandable, regular, and linked to business goals. The excuse “SEO needs time” isn’t enough. It should be clear what was done, what it brought, and what’s planned next. Difficult availability or delayed updates are warnings.
Require Evidence of the Quality of Obtained Backlinks
Have them send you a list of links with sources. Check:
- topic relevance,
- source trustworthiness and traffic,
- link placement and anchor text,
- naturalness of backlink profile growth.
One good link has more value than dozens of weak ones that can cause harm.
What To Do if You Discover That Your SEO Agency Is Harming Your Website?
If problems are confirmed, act quickly. Every additional week can deepen the damage and prolong recovery.
Steps To Terminate Collaboration and Minimize Damage
- Immediately terminate collaboration according to contract terms.
- Request all access and data (GA, GSC, keyword tools, link management).
- Change all shared passwords and restrict access.
- Have a detailed website audit performed (technical, content, links, sanctions).
- Write a list of identified problems and establish a recovery plan with a timeline.
Restoring Credibility and Removing Penalties
Recovery requires a careful process and documentation of steps:
- disavowing low-quality links through GSC (Disavow) and cleaning the backlink profile,
- fixing or removing duplicate, weak, or over-optimized content,
- technical fixes (robots.txt, sitemap.xml, speed, Core Web Vitals, responsiveness),
- adjusting titles and descriptions to match content and increase CTR,
- if a manual action occurred, submitting a reconsideration request with an overview of steps taken.
Choosing a New and Verified SEO Agency
When selecting a new partner, be careful. Look for transparent processes, verifiable results, and strong references. Ask about specific procedures, ethical standards, and performance measurement methods. Request case studies and client contacts. Avoid promises of quick miracles and guarantees of first positions. A good partner builds on data, long-term work, and regular improvement. Your online presence is too valuable to risk with a dubious provider.
