# Agency Red Flags: 11 Warning Signs Before You Sign > The clearest agency red flags are guaranteed Google rankings, domains or ad accounts registered in the agency's name, long minimum terms without a defined service, demands for full payment upfront, lump-sum quotes with no assumptions and no reference clients you can call. Before signing, check the company register and recent filed accounts. - URL: https://agenturbewertung.de/en/choosing-an-agency/agency-red-flags/ - Language: en - Updated: 2026-10-19 - Publisher: Agenturbewertung (OnlineBuilders LLC, https://onlinebuilders.biz) You can usually spot trouble before the contract, not after it. The agencies that cause the most pain tend to show the same handful of habits early: a guarantee that sounds too good, a contract that keeps your assets on their side, a quote that explains nothing. None of these proves bad intent alone. Three together should send you back to your shortlist. Every red flag below can be checked before you sign. Most need one question, a look at the draft contract or a search in a public register. ## Eleven warning signs at a glance **Red flags before you sign** - [ ] A guaranteed first place on Google, or a promised number of visitors - [ ] Domain, hosting or ad accounts to be registered in the agency's name - [ ] Minimum term of two years or more without a precise service description - [ ] Full payment before work starts - [ ] No company number, legal entity or registered address on the website - [ ] No references you can phone, only client logos - [ ] The pitch team disappears after signing - [ ] A lump-sum quote with no assumptions - [ ] Silence on who owns the code and designs - [ ] Pressure tactics: the price is only valid until Friday - [ ] Cold emails with an alarming audit of your website Several of these sound harmless in a sales meeting, so they need a closer look. ## Promises nobody can keep "We'll get you to page one" is the oldest line in the business. Google answers it directly in its own guidance for site owners: no one can guarantee a number one ranking on Google. The page [Do you need an SEO?](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/do-i-need-seo) goes further and tells you to find someone else if a provider guarantees first place. It also warns about firms that claim a "special relationship" with Google and about agencies that email you out of the blue. Guaranteed traffic or follower numbers belong in the same bin. When a number is guaranteed, it is often bought, and bought traffic doesn't become customers. Fake engagement is also getting legally riskier. The US Federal Trade Commission announced a rule in August 2024 that bans fake reviews and the buying or selling of fake social media indicators such as bot followers, and lets it seek civil penalties against knowing violators. Honest agencies offer targets with conditions attached: "We aim for 30% more organic visits within twelve months, assuming two new in-depth articles a month." You can check that, and it is upfront about what it depends on. ## When your domain belongs to the agency This one costs the most to fix later. Some agencies register domains, hosting, Google Ads accounts or analytics properties under their own name, sometimes out of convenience, sometimes on purpose. Nobody notices while things go well. When you want to leave, you depend on the old agency's cooperation to get your own assets back. The rule is simple. You are the registrant of your domain. You own the ad and analytics accounts and give the agency user access. Hosting either sits in your name or the contract obliges the agency to hand it over. If it already went wrong, our guide to [switching agencies](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/working-together/switching-agencies/) explains how to untangle it. Silence on intellectual property is related. Without a written assignment, the agency usually keeps copyright in what it builds, and you are left with whatever licence the contract implies. Read [who owns the source code](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/working-together/who-owns-the-source-code/) before you sign anything. ## Public records worth ten minutes An agency's website shows what it wants you to see. Public registers don't. In the UK, search the company on [Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk). Check that the company number on the website matches, that the directors are the people you are meeting, and that the accounts are filed. Private companies normally have nine months after their year end to file. Small companies often file abridged accounts, which still show whether the business has net liabilities. Missing or repeatedly late filings are a signal in themselves. Insolvency history shows up in [The Gazette](https://www.thegazette.co.uk), the UK's official public record. Search the company and the directors' names. One past insolvency isn't disqualifying. The same directors resurfacing under a new name every two years is something you want to know. The US picture is patchier. Most states let you look up a company's registration status with the Secretary of State, but private companies don't publish accounts. References, payment terms and contract protections have to do more of the work there. For German agencies, the commercial register and the company register serve the same purpose. ## Reading reviews without being fooled Every review platform can be gamed to some degree. Patterns worth noticing: - A burst of reviews within a few weeks, then silence for months. - Almost all five stars, little text, no project details. - Reviewers with no other reviews on the platform. - Critical reviews that get an aggressive reply, or none. Stars are a weak source anyway. Conversations with former clients are far better, and the questions to ask are in [how to choose an agency](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/choosing-an-agency/how-to-choose-an-agency/). ## Red flags inside the proposal Plenty of problems only show up in the quote. The most common is the unexplained lump sum. "Complete website: £14,900" tells you nothing about page count, features or rounds of revisions. If a dispute comes later, you have nothing to point to. Very low quotes deserve the same suspicion. When one proposal comes in at a third of the others, the agency has either misunderstood the brief or plans to make its margin on change requests. Ask what assumptions sit behind it. The guide on [how to compare agency proposals](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/proposals-and-pricing/compare-agency-proposals/) shows how to line quotes up fairly. For retainers, the danger is a long term combined with a vague service. "Ongoing optimisation" for 24 months with no hours, deliverables or reporting isn't a contract you want. ## The other side: small doesn't mean risky To be fair, plenty of excellent agencies are small. They have minimal websites, no reviews and no time for glossy case studies. Take a four-person shop that has served the same five clients for ten years: it may have zero online reviews. It does have five clients you can call. Size doesn't protect you either. Large agencies subcontract work and swap out the pitch team too. Apply the same checks to everyone: registers, references, contract. For an example of a studio documenting how it operates, see the [About page at OnlineBuilders](https://onlinebuilders.biz/about). ## What to do this week Take the agency you are currently talking to and run the register checks above. Then put the checklist next to their proposal and mark every item that applies. If more than two do, ask the agency to respond in writing before you negotiate any further. ## FAQ ### Are online reviews of agencies trustworthy? Only partly. Clusters of five-star reviews posted within a few weeks, with little text and reviewers who have reviewed nothing else, deserve suspicion. The critical reviews and how the agency responds to them usually tell you more. ### Is it normal for an agency to ask for a deposit? Yes. A deposit on signing is common and not a warning sign by itself. Asking for the whole fee before any work starts is different. Milestone payments tied to deliverables are the usual arrangement. ### How do I check whether an agency is financially sound? In the UK, limited companies file accounts at Companies House, which you can search for free. Look for net liabilities, late filings and frequent changes of directors. Many US states only list registration status, so references and payment terms carry more weight there. ### What if I have already signed with a bad agency? Read the contract for the term, termination rights and ownership of domain and code. Secure every login you can get today. If the term is long and the service vague, a contract lawyer's review is money well spent. Photo: Stéphane Magnenat, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnifying_glass_on_antique_table.jpg)