Digital Marketing Questions, Honestly Answered
The questions we hear most often — about SEO timelines, advertising budgets, agency contracts, and what actually moves the needle. No jargon, no spin.
How long does SEO take to show results?+
Most clients see meaningful ranking improvements within 3–4 months, with significant organic traffic growth by month 6–9. For highly competitive markets or new websites, 12 months is a more realistic timeline for substantial results. SEO is a compounding channel — the results in month 12 are typically far greater than month 6, and month 24 results dwarf month 12. Unlike paid advertising, which stops the moment you stop spending, SEO results persist and compound over time.
How long does SEO take? Full guide →How much does SEO cost per month?+
SEO retainers typically range from $500–$25,000+ per month depending on the scope of work, market competitiveness, and the agency's cost model. Entry-level freelancer or basic agency services run $500–$1,500/month and typically cover light technical work and monthly reporting. Mid-tier full-service agencies charge $1,500–$5,000/month and include technical, content, and link building. Competitive market campaigns with dedicated teams run $5,000–$15,000+/month. Omakaase engagements start at approximately $2,200/month.
Full SEO pricing breakdown →Can you guarantee first-page Google rankings?+
No legitimate SEO agency can guarantee specific rankings, and any agency that does is either lying or setting you up for disappointment. Google's algorithm is proprietary, constantly changing, and considers hundreds of signals. What a reputable agency can guarantee is: a clear strategy based on technical best practices, consistent delivery of agreed work, transparent reporting on progress, and month-on-month improvement in key metrics. We're happy to explain specifically what outcomes you can realistically expect for your market and timeline.
Signs your SEO agency isn't delivering →What's the difference between on-page SEO and off-page SEO?+
On-page SEO refers to all optimisations made to individual web pages — title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, content quality, internal linking, schema markup, page speed, and keyword placement. You control all of it. Off-page SEO refers to signals that come from outside your website — primarily backlinks from other sites, but also brand mentions, social signals, and press coverage. Both are required for strong rankings: on-page SEO ensures your content can be understood and ranked; off-page SEO provides the authority signals that determine which sites rank above others in competitive searches.
Technical SEO guide 2026 →Should I do SEO or Google Ads?+
For most businesses, the right answer is both — but phased. Google Ads delivers immediate traffic while SEO builds over time, so they complement rather than compete. If budget is limited, start with a focused SEO foundation (technical health, core service pages, Google Business Profile) while running highly targeted Google Ads for your highest-value services. As organic rankings improve, you can shift budget from paid to owned channels. If you need leads immediately and can't wait 6+ months for organic results, Google Ads must be the priority.
Google Ads vs SEO: full comparison →What is a good ROAS for Google Ads?+
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) benchmarks vary significantly by industry and margin profile. As a general rule: 4× ROAS (400%) is considered a baseline for most e-commerce businesses with ~25% margins — you spend £1 and get £4 in revenue. Businesses with higher margins can operate profitably at lower ROAS; businesses with thin margins need higher ROAS targets. The most useful benchmark isn't an industry average — it's your own break-even ROAS based on your actual gross margin. We calculate this in every paid marketing engagement we run.
PPC management complete guide →How much should I spend on Google Ads?+
The minimum meaningful test budget for Google Ads is approximately £1,000–$1,500/month in ad spend. Below this, there isn't enough data to optimise effectively and results will be unreliable. For meaningful scale, £3,000–$5,000/month in ad spend is more appropriate. The right budget is ultimately determined by your target CPL (cost per lead) or CPA (cost per acquisition) multiplied by your target volume. If you want 20 leads per month at a £75 CPL, your budget needs to be at least £1,500/month in spend.
How much does Google Ads cost? →What's the difference between Google Ads and Meta Ads?+
Google Ads (Search) targets people who are actively searching for what you offer — high intent, ready to act. Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) targets people based on demographic and interest profiles — they're not searching for you, you're interrupting their feed. Google Ads generally delivers higher-intent leads but at higher CPC; Meta Ads can reach large audiences cheaply but requires compelling creative to interrupt browsing behaviour. For high-intent, short-cycle purchases, Google Ads typically outperforms. For awareness, retargeting, and e-commerce with visual products, Meta often wins.
Facebook Ads guide 2026 →How long does a website build take?+
Timeline depends on project scope. A 5–10 page service business website with custom design typically takes 4–6 weeks from kick-off to launch. E-commerce projects with 50–200 products run 8–12 weeks. Enterprise or complex web applications can take 3–6+ months. The single biggest driver of project delays is client review cycles and content provision — projects where the client provides all content and approves promptly on schedule run faster than projects where content is provided piece by piece. We brief exactly what we need and when.
Web design agency by city →Do I need a website redesign or just improvements?+
A full redesign makes sense when: the current site is over 5 years old, the design doesn't reflect your current brand, the site doesn't convert well (under 1% for service businesses is typically a red flag), the site isn't mobile-friendly, or you're going through a major rebrand or repositioning. Targeted improvements (CRO, page speed fixes, content updates) make sense when the site is fundamentally sound but underperforming in specific areas. We always assess whether a redesign ROI justifies the cost — sometimes targeted optimisation delivers more value for less.
Website redesign guide →Does website design affect SEO?+
Yes — substantially. Page speed (Core Web Vitals) is a direct ranking factor. Mobile-first design is required because Google uses mobile-first indexing. Site architecture and internal linking structure directly influence how link equity flows and which pages rank. Schema markup (structured data) added during development enables rich results. A well-designed, fast, mobile-first website with clean code and proper technical SEO implementation will outrank an identical site built without these considerations.
Core Web Vitals SEO guide →Which social media platforms should my business be on?+
The right platforms depend entirely on where your target audience spends time and what content format suits your business. B2B businesses with professional service offerings: LinkedIn is non-negotiable, with secondary presence on X (Twitter) if relevant to your industry. Consumer-facing businesses with visual products or services: Instagram and TikTok are primary. Local businesses targeting adults 35+: Facebook remains the highest-reach platform. Hospitality and food: Instagram. Younger demographics (18–30): TikTok. Being on every platform with mediocre content is worse than being excellent on 2–3. Focus where your audience is, produce platform-native content, and measure results.
Social media services →How many social media posts per week should I publish?+
Quality always outperforms quantity. That said, platform algorithms do reward consistency: for LinkedIn, 3–5 posts per week from a personal profile builds meaningful momentum. For Instagram, 4–7 feed posts plus daily stories is a reasonable target. For TikTok, 1–3 Reels per day is recommended for growth. For Facebook, 3–5 posts per week is the sweet spot. Posting once a week on any platform is generally insufficient for organic growth — you're not building enough algorithmic momentum. However, posting every day with poor content is actively damaging to brand perception. The minimum viable frequency for meaningful growth is 3× per week, consistently, over 3+ months.
Social media agency by city →How do I know if my marketing agency is doing a good job?+
The clearest sign of a good agency is improvement in the business metrics you care about: leads generated, cost per acquisition, organic traffic, conversion rates, and revenue. Warning signs of an underperforming agency: reports that only show activity (posts published, emails sent) without outcomes; lack of transparency about where money goes; declining metrics explained away as 'algorithm changes'; difficulty reaching your account manager; no proactive strategy changes when results are poor. Good agencies show you what's working, explain what isn't, and propose changes.
Signs your agency isn't delivering →What should I look for when hiring a digital marketing agency?+
The key evaluation criteria: (1) Evidence of results in your sector, not just polished case studies — ask for specific metrics. (2) Clarity about who will work on your account day-to-day — not just the pitch team. (3) Transparent reporting with real data access. (4) Contract terms that align incentives — long lock-ins before any results are a red flag. (5) Clear onboarding process and defined deliverables. (6) Ability to explain their strategy in plain language, not jargon. A good agency earns your business every month — not by contractual obligation.
How to evaluate a digital marketing agency →Do I need to sign a long-term contract?+
Omakaase operates on month-to-month rolling agreements after an initial 3-month minimum period. We require 3 months because SEO and paid media campaigns genuinely need that time to generate meaningful data and initial results — it wouldn't be honest to promise results in 30 days. Beyond that, we believe you should continue working with us because we're delivering value, not because you're locked in. Many traditional agencies require 12-month contracts — this can be appropriate if paired with performance milestones, but should be viewed with caution if there are no accountability mechanisms.
Build a custom proposal →How do you measure digital marketing ROI?+
Measuring ROI requires connecting your marketing spend to business outcomes. For lead generation: track cost per lead (CPL) and cost per qualified lead (CPQL), then multiply by close rate and average deal value to calculate revenue per marketing pound. For e-commerce: ROAS (revenue ÷ ad spend) and attributed revenue in Google Analytics. For SEO: organic sessions × conversion rate × average order value. For social media: harder to directly attribute, but measurable via UTM tracking and self-reported lead source data. We build attribution tracking into every engagement from day one.
How to measure digital marketing ROI →Still have questions?
Build a free proposal and we'll scope out exactly what your business needs — with realistic timelines, clear deliverables, and honest pricing.