c/agency-reviews

My agency had to pick between a $5k monthly retainer or a per-project fee for a new client

The client wanted ongoing social media help but had a tight budget, so we went with the per-project setup for their first three campaigns. It worked out okay, but now they keep asking for small extra tasks that weren't in the original deal. How do you handle scope creep when you're not on a retainer?

Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to get a simple Google My Business listing fixed?

I had a client's address wrong for months and it took over 6 weeks and 4 support tickets to get it sorted. Has anyone else had to wait that long for a basic agency-level fix?

PSA: I hired a 'done for you' social media agency for $800 a month and my follower count dropped by 300.

Hot take: I drove past the old 'Digital Edge' office in Springfield and the sign is gone.

Used to be the go-to agency for local SEO, but their website just redirects to a national chain now. Anyone know what happened to the original team?

Serious question, has anyone else had a client ask for a 'full audit' but really just want a cheap list of fixes?

I was talking to a friend who runs a small shop and he said a potential client asked for a 'comprehensive review' but their budget was only $500. In my experience, that usually means they just want a quick checklist, not a real deep dive into strategy. How do you guys handle that kind of request without turning people away?

Question about how you actually judge an agency's past work

I was talking to a friend who runs a small business in Phoenix, and she said she stopped asking agencies for their portfolio. Instead, she asks them to show her a project they lost and explain why they think they lost it. She told me, "That tells you more about their thinking than any shiny case study." It made me realize I've been looking at reviews all wrong, just checking for star ratings. Has anyone else tried asking a question like that before hiring?

I finally saw a 40% drop in my ad cost after switching agencies

Okay, so I run a small online shop and my ad spend was just eating my profit. My old agency kept saying 'trust the process' but after 8 months, my cost per click was still over $4. I switched to a new firm, BrightPath Marketing, about three months ago. They changed my whole campaign structure and focused on different keywords. I just got the report for last month, and my average cost per click is now $2.38. That's a huge drop I did not expect so fast. It really shows how much a good agency can change things when the old one isn't working. Has anyone else had a big win like this after a switch, or did it take longer for you to see results?

I spent 3 months trying to get a simple monthly report set up with a new marketing agency.

Just realized how much agency review sites have changed since I hired a local web design firm back in 2021.

Three years ago, I found my agency on a big review site that just listed basic star ratings and a few comments. Last month, I needed a new marketing partner and noticed most reviews now have detailed case studies with real numbers, like a 40% increase in leads for a client in Austin. The whole process felt more transparent, but also a bit overwhelming with so much info. How do you guys sort through all the detailed reviews to find a good fit?

I went with the cheaper local SEO agency and it actually worked out better

Everyone on here says you have to pay top dollar for results, so I was nervous choosing a $500/month local shop over a big name firm charging $1500. They focused on simple Google Business Profile fixes and getting citations on local directories. After four months, my client's calls from search went up by 30%. Has anyone else had a good run with a smaller, less flashy agency?

My buddy in Denver swore by a $200/month SEO agency for local bars...

I ran their 'guaranteed' Google Business Profile tactics for 6 months and my phone rang less. Anyone else get burned by a 'local specialist' that just uses generic templates?

Our agency's client feedback process was a mess until we switched to a simple spreadsheet system

About three months ago, we realized our team was losing track of client reviews across five different platforms like Google and Clutch. We were just using a shared doc that got messy fast. I set up a basic Google Sheet with columns for client name, project type, review date, rating, and a link to the source. Now every Monday, our account manager checks it and we have a clear list of who to ask for a review next. It cut our follow-up time in half. Has anyone else found a better tool for keeping this kind of stuff organized without it getting complicated?

Our agency's social media went from crickets to a 40% engagement bump after we stopped posting at 9 AM and moved to 7 PM.

The analytics showed our audience of night shift workers and gamers, like me, were only online after dinner, so we shifted the whole schedule and saw the change in under a month, anyone else have to completely flip their posting times for a specific crowd?

I hired two different SEO agencies for my small business in Austin

The first one just sent me a monthly report full of big words and charts I didn't get. The second one, from a local referral, gave me a 15 minute video walkthrough each month showing me exactly what they did, like fixing my site speed and adding new content. After 4 months, my site traffic went up 40% with the second group because I finally understood the plan. Has anyone else found that clear communication is the real key with these services?

I used to pick a marketing agency by just looking at their website and a few reviews.

About six months ago, I needed help with a new campaign for my small business in Portland. I found an agency with a slick site and some good quotes, but they just didn't deliver on their promises. Now, I always ask for two specific case studies from the last year and call a past client myself. The difference in results has been huge. How do you all check if an agency can actually do what they say?

A warning about a marketing agency in Portland that promised the moon

I met a guy named Mark from 'Elevate Digital' at a local business meetup last year. He said they could get my site to the first page of Google in 90 days for a flat $5,000. After we signed, they just did basic keyword stuffing and bought a bunch of spammy backlinks that actually got my site a manual penalty. Has anyone else had a bad run-in with an agency that makes huge promises but does shady work?

I just wasted $500 on a 'done for you' social media package that was all fluff

I hired an agency last month that promised 30 posts and a content calendar. What I got was 30 generic, AI-written captions with recycled stock photos, zero strategy. They charged me $500 upfront and ghosted me after I asked for revisions. In my experience, you really have to grill them on their creative process before signing anything. Has anyone found a good agency that actually does custom creative work?

Has anyone worked with Anew Media Group?

I had a discovery call with Anew Media Group yesterday. Their pitch about entity-based SEO and ranking in Google Autocomplete sounds amazing, but almost too good to be true. Has anyone here actually used them? Did it work?