Google's Own Red Flags · FTC Cases
How Do I Know If My Marketing Agency Is Legit?
A legit agency can explain exactly what it does, never guarantees a #1 ranking, and shows results you can verify yourself.
You don’t have to take our word on any of this. Google publishes its own list of warning signs for anyone hiring an SEO or marketing firm, and the Federal Trade Commission has brought cases against the common scams. Below are their words, fetched in August 2026, turned into a checklist you can run on your current agency this afternoon.
The red flags, in Google’s and the FTC’s words
| Red flag | Who says so | Their words |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed rankings | Google Search Central | “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.” |
| A “special relationship” with Google or a “priority submit” | Google Search Central | “Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a ‘special relationship’ with Google, or advertise a ‘priority submit’ to Google.” |
| Cold pitches | Google Search Central | “Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that email you out of the blue.” |
| Secrecy about the work | Google Search Central | “Be careful if a company is secretive or won’t clearly explain what they intend to do.” |
| Link schemes and mass submissions | Google Search Central | “Avoid SEOs that talk about link popularity schemes or submitting your site to thousands of search engines.” |
| Paying for a better local ranking | Google (2018) | “There’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.” |
| Fees to “verify” your Google listing; robocall threats | FTC (2018) | Verification “is free and always has been”; “no robocaller can make any promise or guarantee” of a top result |
The FTC and Better Business Bureau’s Operation Main Street named “directory listing and advertising services” among the top five scams aimed at small businesses, with cases against firms selling unordered directory listings, SEO services, and website design. None of this is new. It keeps working because owners are busy.
Five questions to ask your agency this week
1. What exactly did you do last month? A legit answer is specific: pages written, listings fixed, reviews requested, campaigns adjusted. 2. Can I see it?Google’s guidance says to be careful of secrecy; you should be able to look at every page, listing, and ad they touched. 3. What result should I expect, and when?Google’s own timeline for SEO is four months to a year; anyone promising faster is promising ads or nothing. 4. Who owns the accounts? Your Google Business Profile, your ad account, and your domain should be in your name. 5. What happens if I leave? The honest answer is that the improvements stay and the ongoing work stops.
What a legit report looks like
It shows things you can check without them. Your position on the map for your service. Your review count and rating, which you can see on your own profile. Whether your business is named when a customer asks Google’s AI or ChatGPT who to hire — which you can test by asking. A report made entirely of numbers you can’t verify (“impressions,” “reach,” “engagement”) isn’t necessarily dishonest, but it isn’t proof either. Ask for the checkable ones.
Does a Google Partner badge settle it?
Only for Google Ads. Google’s Partner program badge requires performance, spend, and certification requirements that Google checks daily, and the Premier tier is limited to the top 3% of participating companies in a country. That’s a real credential for running ads. It says nothing about websites, reviews, organic rankings, or AI visibility — the things most small businesses actually hire an agency for.
Run our own checklist on us
Here is how we'd answer the five questions
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| What do you do each month? | The website kept fresh, listings kept consistent, reviews requested, and the work of getting named by Google and ChatGPT — visible in your own dashboard |
| Can I see it? | Yes; you can change any of it yourself from the dashboard |
| What result, and when? | Get Recommended: three to six months to be named. Not named in six months, walk away and keep every improvement |
| Who owns the accounts? | You do — your Google Business Profile and your domain stay in your name |
| What does it cost? | $297/mo for the complete AI Website, $97/mo for Get Recommended alone, $29/mo for AI Visibility Watch. No setup fee, no contract |
No guarantees of rankings, because Google says nobody can make one. Check what the AI answers say about your business right now with the free audit below, then hold us — or anyone — to moving it. Full prices on the pricing page.
Check the results yourself, free, in one minute
Whether Google’s AI and ChatGPT name your business when customers ask — the result any agency should be producing. No signup, no sales call.
Is My Agency Legit — FAQ
How do I know if my digital marketing agency is legit?▾
Three tests. One: they can explain, in plain words, what they do each month and show you the work. Google's guidance says to be careful if a company is 'secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.' Two: they make no guarantees about rankings — Google states flatly that 'no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.' Three: the results are checkable by you, not just in their report — your Google Business Profile, your reviews, whether your business is named when you ask Google's AI or ChatGPT who to hire. An agency that passes all three is probably legit. One that fails the second is not.
What are the red flags of a fake marketing agency?▾
Google's Search Central lists them: agencies that 'email you out of the blue,' that 'guarantee rankings,' that 'allege a special relationship with Google,' that advertise a 'priority submit,' that are secretive about their methods, or that talk about 'link popularity schemes or submitting your site to thousands of search engines.' The FTC adds robocalls threatening that your listing will be removed unless you pay, and fees to 'verify' a Google Business Profile — which Google says 'is free and always has been.'
Can an agency guarantee first-page results?▾
No, and Google says so in writing: 'No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google,' and 'there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.' Ads can buy a position at the top of the page, labeled as an ad, for as long as you pay. Organic rankings and AI recommendations are earned, and Google's own timeline for SEO results is four months to a year. A guarantee of page one in 30 days is a guarantee of something other than SEO.
Does a Google Partner badge mean an agency is legit?▾
It means something specific and narrower than people assume. Google's Partner program badge is about Google Ads: it requires meeting performance, spend, and certification requirements, checked daily, with the Premier tier limited to the top 3% of participating companies in a country. It says the agency knows how to run Google Ads and manages enough of it. It says nothing about SEO, websites, reviews, or AI visibility, and nothing about whether the agency is a good fit for a small budget.
How do I check if my agency's work is actually producing results?▾
Ask the same questions a customer would, yourself, for free. Search your service plus your town and see where you appear. Open your Google Business Profile and check that it's complete and current. Ask Google's AI and ChatGPT 'who's the best [your trade] near [your area]?' and see if you're named. Our free audit runs those checks and shows what's missing — whether you use us or anyone else.
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