What does an SEO agency actually do, and is it useful for a small business like ours?

look at the websites of the people promising guaranteed page one—usually they can't even rank on page three themselves. unless they own the algorithm, nobody can guarantee page one. next time they call just ask if they own Google and hang up.

Two years ago, we bought a 5,000 TL/month package based on similar promises. Four months later, our site was completely wiped from search results due to spam backlinks. We had to pay an independent specialist 25,000 TL just to clean up the links and lift the penalty. Cheap packages do far more harm than good.

Start with these steps instead of an agency: 1) Claim and verify your Google Business Profile, making sure your hours and address are accurate. 2) Clearly state the dimensions and wood type in the page title of every table you make. 3) Send your map link via WhatsApp to every client you deliver to and ask for a review. For a local workshop, these steps will make your phone ring way more than most agencies will.

Ask the agencies calling you this: What are the two biggest technical errors you found on my site, and which two keywords in my industry will you create content for? If they just talk generic marketing fluff and can't offer concrete analysis, end the call right there.

tbh dont waste money on an agency for boutique woodwork. honestly shoot short clips while sanding or finishing in the shop and post to social media drop photos of "bursa solid wood table" on the site, orders come in way faster that way.

Have you looked at your search console data? What keywords are bringing people to your site, or are they bouncing immediately? Sometimes the issue isn't ranking, but poor photos on the site or hard-to-find contact info.

This type of work isn't entirely useless but it takes patience—at least 6 months to see returns. Anyone claiming the workshop will be overflowing next month is selling snake oil. For a small business without steady cash flow, agency retainers quickly turn into a deadweight expense.

As an ex-agency employee, let's be honest: Low-budget clients usually get handed off to inexperienced interns or automated tools. No one is going to sit down and deeply analyze the Bursa furniture market for a few thousand lira a month. Either set aside a serious budget for dedicated consulting, or learn the basics yourself and keep your site updated.

let me summarize what's been said so far. btw if you don't write this down from the start it leads to arguments later.

the biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say. anyway good luck with that.

Quick summary for newcomers: If you get three different answers on a topic, the question was asked wrong.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I'm writing this so you don't make the same mistake. Trying to do this alone is the most expensive way.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I'm in the same situation, that's why I'm asking. Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.

Proven by experience.

I felt relieved reading this answer, so it's not just me. Internal linking is the cheapest and most neglected task.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

I have a question, don't want to go off-topic though. Merge instead of deleting; deleted content doesn't come back.

Good luck with that.

The discussion got scattered, let me summarize. If you get three different answers on a topic, the question was asked wrong.

I can't fully agree with this. If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later.

Good luck with that.

You're right.

Just a heads-up. Mistakes made on the what does an seo agency do side are usually reversible but expensive.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.