Facts checked October 25, 2026, against the sources listed at the end.

Ask any marketing company for five things, each compared with the same weeks last year. They are: the Google searches you showed up in, views of your Google listing, calls, website form submissions, and exactly what they changed. A screenshot of a good ranking isn't proof on its own, and Google says no one can guarantee a #1 spot.

Check this first: try to log in to your own Google Business Profile and your site's Search Console account today. Search Console is Google's free tool for site owners. If you can't get in, or don't know whether you have one, that is the first thing to fix.

What should a marketing company be able to show me?

Four numbers and one list. Every one comes from a tool you can check yourself, or from your own inbox.

Ask forWhere it comes fromWhat it tells you
Google searches you showed up inSearch Console's Performance report ("impressions"), plus the "Searches" list in your Business ProfileWhether people are finding you at all
Views of your Google listingBusiness Profile performance ("Views")How many people looked at your listing on Search and Maps
CallsBusiness Profile performance ("Calls"), plus any tracked numbers on your siteWhether looking turned into picking up the phone
Website form submissionsThe inbox your form sends toWhether visitors raised their hand
What exactly they changedA dated list from the companyWhat you paid for, in plain terms

Google defines an impression in Search Console as each time your site appeared in search results. Your Business Profile counts views as how many people viewed your profile on Search and Maps. It counts calls as taps on the call button on your profile.

The last row matters as much as the numbers. Google's own page on hiring help suggests asking whether they will "share with me all the changes you make to my site." A company that can't list its work can't show it caused anything.

Why compare with the same weeks last year?

Because most local businesses have seasons. Say you run a business that is always quiet in January. A January report compared with December will look like failure. A January compared with last January tells the truth.

Google's own guide to traffic drops suggests the same thing. It suggests looking at the last 16 months. One comparison it offers is the last three months against the same months a year earlier. Search Console offers both views.

Your Business Profile lets you pick a date range, but its help page doesn't say how far back the data goes. If last year isn't there, ask the company for the reports they saved at the time.

Why isn't a ranking screenshot enough?

A screenshot shows one search phrase, from one spot, at one moment. Google says local results depend partly on distance, meaning how far each business is from the person searching. So your rank can look different from a customer's phone across town.

A screenshot also can't tell you whether anyone searches that phrase. A top spot for words nobody types brings no calls. Rankings can be one useful sign. They are not the result you paid for.

Can anyone guarantee I'll be #1 on Google?

No. Google says it in plain words: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." Its page on hiring help also says that if someone guarantees first place, "find someone else."

Google lists other warning signs on the same page:

  • Claims of a "special relationship" with Google, or a "priority submit" to Google.
  • A company that is secretive or won't clearly explain what it plans to do.
  • Emails out of the blue about your search listing.
  • Talk of linking schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines.

For the map, Google's Business Profile help says: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google."

One more line from Google is worth knowing. It says you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire. If a company publishes deceptive content for you, Google says your site could be removed from its results.

Who should own my Google profile, Search Console, analytics and domain?

You. A marketing company can do the work with its own access, but the keys stay with you.

  • Google Business Profile. A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner. Make that you. A company can work as a manager. Google says managers can't add or remove users or remove the profile.
  • Search Console. You should be an owner. Google offers "full user" access, which can view all data and take some actions, but can't add or remove users.
  • Google Analytics. Google says deleting users takes the Administrator role at the account level. Hold that role yourself.
  • Your domain. ICANN is the body that oversees domain names. It says it is "not recommended" to list website designers, hosts or other third parties as your domain's owner on record.

What should make me nervous in a contract?

These are questions to get answered in writing before you sign. If they can't answer these clearly, ask why before you sign.

  • Whose name are the Google profile, Search Console, analytics and domain in?
  • If I leave, do I keep the website, the words and the photos? In what form?
  • Do the phone numbers on my site and Google listing stay with me?
  • How much notice do I need to give to cancel, and can I cancel in writing?
  • Does it renew on its own? For how long?
  • Will I get the five things above every month, compared with last year?
  • Is any ranking "guaranteed"? Google says no one can guarantee that.

How do I leave a marketing company cleanly?

  1. Get owner access first, before you give notice. Google makes new profile owners wait 7 days before they can transfer primary ownership or remove other owners. Start early.
  2. Save copies. Download your reports, and get a copy of your website's content, photos and form history.
  3. List every phone number on your site and Google listing, and find out who controls each one. Google's rules say the number on your profile must be under the direct control of the business.
  4. Remove their access. Take them off your Business Profile, Search Console and Analytics. In Search Console, removing an owner does not delete their verification tokens. Google says a removed owner can re-verify while a token remains, so delete those too.
  5. Change any password you ever shared.
  6. If the website is moving too, keep your web address and forward every old page to its new home. Our article Will I lose my Google ranking if I change website companies? has a checklist for that.

Google's hiring page says the Federal Trade Commission handles US complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. It points owners there if they believe a company deceived them.

Where does Alloro fit in?

This is Alloro's own work. Alloro manages the Google Business Profile and drafts replies to new Google reviews. It also shows where the business ranks on the local map. That map is one sign, and as above, not proof on its own. Every change Alloro drafts waits for your okay. The domain and content stay yours, with a copy whenever you ask. It costs $499 a month per location, with no contract.

Sources

How this article was made: AI helped draft it. A person checked every fact against the sources listed above and approved it before it was published.