Small businesses today rely heavily on online visibility to succeed. Search engine rankings can make or break customer acquisition in a digital marketplace dominated by Google. Many small business owners turn to SEO agencies to elevate their search rankings, often tempted by promises of landing on page one. But what happens when those promises fall flat? This is exactly the situation one small business faced—promised top rankings, delivered no results, and left to pick up the digital pieces themselves.
TLDR:
A small local business hired an SEO agency that promised page-one rankings but failed to deliver. Their online presence declined, traffic dropped, and leads dried up. After firing the agency, the business took a DIY approach to rebuild its rankings successfully. This article shares their journey, lessons learned, and strategies that actually worked.
How One Agency’s Empty Promises Led to a Drop in Traffic
In mid-2022, a small family-owned landscaping company based in Portland, Oregon, was experiencing stagnant growth. Desperate for a bump in visibility, they signed with a digital marketing agency boasting “page-1 rankings in 90 days.” The price? A monthly retainer of $1,500. For a business pulling in modest revenue, it was a big commitment—but one they felt was critical for survival in a competitive market.
Within weeks, the agency overhauled the website structure, reworded much of the content, and built backlinks from questionable blogs. They sent flashy progress reports filled with graphs and keyword lists that looked impressive—but under the hood, very little was accomplished. Rankings stayed the same or dipped. Traffic declined. When the 90-day promise came and went with no sign of “page one,” the agency dodged accountability with responses like “Google’s algorithm changed” or “SEO takes time.”
By early 2023, the business had lost over 40% of its organic search traffic. Frustrated, they ended their engagement with the agency and faced the question: What now?
Understanding What Went Wrong
After firing the agency, the company took a hard look at their digital presence. Here’s what they discovered:
- Low-quality backlinks: The agency had built links from irrelevant foreign websites and link farms. These provided little SEO value and likely triggered Google’s quality filters.
- Over-optimized content: Pages were stuffed with keywords and lacked natural readability. This led to high bounce rates and poor user engagement.
- Neglected technical SEO: Site speed was slow, mobile usability issues were rampant, and key pages weren’t indexed properly.
In essence, the agency had applied a one-size-fits-all approach with outdated tactics. The company realized that rebuilding their strategy would require a grassroots, customized plan—one that emphasized the user first and Google second.
Rebuilding Rankings: A Ground-Up Approach
Armed with a better understanding of what went wrong, the company decided to rebuild internally. Here’s how they did it:
1. Learning and Empowering Themselves
Instead of hiring another agency, the owner and her nephew—who had some tech-savvy—took SEO courses, subscribed to industry blogs, and learned the fundamentals of organic search. They discovered tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, and Ahrefs to identify key problems and opportunities.
2. Fixing Technical SEO Issues
- Fixed all 404 errors and set up 301 redirects properly.
- Reduced page load time by compressing images and switching to a faster hosting provider.
- Ensured every page was mobile-friendly using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
This cleanup helped reestablish their crawlability and improved user experience—sending positive signals back to Google.
3. Removing Toxic Backlinks
Using backlink audit tools, they identified spammy backlinks and submitted a disavow file through Google Search Console. Within six weeks, rankings began to stabilize.
4. Creating Helpful, Localized Content
They wrote blog posts about seasonal landscaping in the Pacific Northwest, created how-to guides, and posted regular project updates with photos. Instead of keyword stuffing, they used natural language and focused on what customers genuinely searched for.
Some blog titles included:
- “Best Plants for Portland Yards in Fall”
- “How We Designed a Sustainable Backyard for a Local Family”
- “Top 5 Tips to Save Water in Your Garden This Summer”
5. Google Business Profile Optimization
They updated their Google Business Profile with accurate information, uploaded photos weekly, and began collecting reviews systematically from satisfied customers. This improved their visibility in both the map pack and organic results.
The Results: From Rock Bottom to Page One
Over the next six months, the changes began to pay off. The slow climb appeared in Search Console reports and Google Analytics—more traffic, better bounce rates, and, most importantly, solid local search placement. By the end of 2023, they were ranking on page one for half a dozen valuable keywords like “Portland landscape design” and “eco-friendly landscaping in Portland.”
Website leads increased by 70%, and they no longer needed to rely heavily on paid ads. The victory wasn’t overnight, but it was real—and earned.
Key Takeaways for Other Small Businesses
If your business has suffered at the hands of a shady agency or you’re skeptical about SEO promises, here are some important lessons:
- There are no guarantees in SEO: Any agency that guarantees page-one rankings is likely overselling and underdelivering.
- Transparency matters: Choose partners who explain what they’re doing and why, not just those who deliver fancy reports.
- Good SEO = good user experience: Google cares about value and relevance, not just backlinks and keywords.
- You can take control: With the right tools and a little education, business owners can make informed SEO decisions and even execute strategies in-house.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can an agency really promise page-one Google rankings?
- While it’s not impossible, no agency can ethically guarantee page-one rankings due to the ever-changing nature of Google’s algorithms and the competitive landscape of search.
- How long does it take to see SEO results?
- Generally, it can take 3–6 months to start seeing meaningful improvements, depending on competition and the quality of SEO work.
- What are signs of a bad SEO agency?
- Signs include lack of transparency, use of black-hat tactics (like keyword stuffing or link farms), fake or misleading reports, and guarantees that sound too good to be true.
- How can I evaluate my SEO provider’s work?
- Use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to validate traffic performance. Ask for detailed explanations of strategies and request access to all tools and assets involved.
- Is DIY SEO viable for small businesses?
- Yes, especially with the abundance of online resources, affordable tools, and community forums. A learning curve exists, but it’s manageable with patience and persistence.
Final Thoughts
SEO isn’t magic—it’s a combination of technical precision, valuable content, and user-centric design. While partnering with a professional agency can be beneficial, businesses must stay informed and involved. The story of this small landscaping company proves that even after a major setback, rebuilding is possible. All it takes is the right mindset, reliable tools, and a commitment to delivering genuine value to potential customers.