You’ve done the research. Vetted the options. Finally signed with an SEO company in Singapore. Now what? If you’re like most business owners or marketers here, you’re expecting results. But let’s be honest, you’re also wary. You’ve heard the promises: “more traffic,” “better rankings,” “long-term growth.”
But no one tells you what actually happens after the contract is signed. What to expect in the first 30, 60, or 90 days. What real SEO work looks like behind the scenes. And more importantly, the red flags to watch for before your marketing budget goes up in smoke. This isn’t another surface-level checklist.
You’re about to get a clear, no-nonsense look at what your SEO partner should be doing, how to hold them accountable, and how to measure real impact, without wasting time or money. Let’s get into it.
Key Takeaways
- The first 30 days with an SEO company in Singapore should focus on technical audits, keyword research tailored to local intent, and a clear roadmap—avoid agencies that offer vague promises without timelines.
- By month 2–3, execution must begin with on-page fixes, localised content, ethical link building, and full analytics setup—delays or shortcuts are red flags.
- In months 4–6, expect tangible results: better rankings, more targeted traffic, and early conversion growth—don’t settle for “traffic is up” without ROI context.
- Your SEO reports must go beyond vanity metrics and show keyword-to-traffic correlation, lead attribution, and clear strategic actions. If it doesn’t tie to revenue, it’s not real reporting.
- A credible SEO partner leads with transparency, performance, and adaptability—not smoke and mirrors. Demand strategy, not just service.
The First 30 Days: Setting the Stage
You’ve signed with an SEO company in Singapore—and now the clock’s ticking. The first 30 days aren’t about instant results. They’re about laying the technical and strategic groundwork that makes results possible. And if that’s not happening? You’re staring down a red flag that could cost you months of wasted budget.
1. Start With a Full Technical Audit
Your site needs to be technically sound before a single keyword should be touched. That means running a comprehensive crawl using tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to uncover indexing issues, site speed bottlenecks, broken links, redirect chains, and more.
This isn’t optional—it’s foundational. A 2023 study by Backlinko found that technical SEO factors like page load time, mobile usability, and HTTPS security significantly impact Google rankings. If your agency skips this—or hands you a generic “health score” report with no actionable insights—that’s a red flag. Real audits should come with prioritised fixes and developer-ready recommendations.
2. Keyword Research Should Reflect Singapore’s Search Intent
Here’s where most agencies fail you: they plug in your service keywords into global tools and hand you volume data with zero local nuance. But search intent in Singapore isn’t the same as the US or UK. If you run a B2B SaaS business, “pricing” might be searched differently here compared to Western markets.
You need localised keyword research using data from Google Keyword Planner (with SG filter), Ahrefs‘ location targeting, and even Google Trends tailored to Singapore.
3. A Competitor Gap Analysis Shows You Where to Win
Image Credit: Loganix
Who’s outranking you right now—and more importantly, why? Your SEO company should run a full SERP analysis of your top five competitors to pinpoint gaps in content depth, backlinks, page structure, and domain authority. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can show exactly what keywords they’re ranking for that you aren’t. This isn’t just “nice to have”—it’s how your SEO partner identifies quick wins and long-term opportunities.
If they can’t show you who your SERP competitors are and how they’re outperforming you, they’re flying blind—and taking you with them.
4. Expect a Roadmap with KPIs and Timelines
Image Credit: SERanking
Within the first month, you should receive a strategic roadmap outlining the key phases of your SEO campaign—what’s happening in months one, two, three, and beyond. It should include:
- The target keyword clusters
- On-page and off-page priorities
- Milestones for content, backlinks, and rankings
- KPIs tied to business outcomes (not just “traffic”)
No roadmap? No accountability. You wouldn’t build a house without blueprints—why would you scale your digital presence without one?
Bottom line? The first month tells you everything.
If you’re getting vague reports, blown-up promises, or strategy black boxes, don’t wait. Push for clarity. Or walk. SEO done right is an investment. Done wrong, it’s a slow leak that drains your budget quarter after quarter.
Month 2–3: Execution Begins
This is where most SEO campaigns stall—or scale. You’re two months in, and now it’s time for your SEO company in Singapore to move from theory to implementation. If the first month was about discovery, this phase is about delivery. And if they’re not showing clear movement? It’s time to ask hard questions.
1. On-page SEO Isn’t Just Tweaking Titles
Your site’s technical issues should be fixed by now—so the focus shifts to on-page optimisation. That means every key page should have:
- Targeted meta titles and descriptions aligned with high-intent keywords
- Header structures that guide both users and crawlers
- Internal links that pass authority and improve UX
- Content updates that align with search intent
This is where businesses start to climb SERPs—or disappear under the weight of weak execution. A Moz industry study showed that on-page SEO remains a top 3 ranking factor in Google’s algorithm, even in 2024. No visible updates to your core service pages? Still seeing placeholder H1s or generic copy? That’s not a delay. That’s neglect.
2. Content Strategy Needs to Start Now—Not “Sometime Soon”
Image Credit: HubSpot
If your SEO agency is pushing content creation down the road, that’s a major red flag. You need blog posts, landing pages, and service updates tailored to what your Singapore audience is actively searching. And it needs to be localised—because a “top digital agency” article written for US readers won’t convert your Singapore prospects.
3. Link Building Must Be Clean, Relevant, and Local When Possible
Let’s be clear: if your SEO company is still using link farms, blog comment spam, or unnatural anchor stuffing, you’re not just wasting money—you’re risking a penalty. Google’s March 2024 spam update cracked down hard on manipulative link tactics, particularly for APAC sites. You need white-hat, high-authority links—think guest posts on industry sites, local directories, partnerships with Singapore publications, and earned media.
Quality over quantity, every time. If all you’re getting is a spreadsheet of 500 junk links from irrelevant domains, you’re being sold snake oil.
4. Baseline Reporting is the Difference Between Strategy and Guesswork
By now, Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 should be fully set up, tracking all relevant conversions, goal completions, and organic traffic shifts. You should have:
- Baseline metrics for branded and non-branded traffic
- Conversions mapped to SEO efforts
- Reports that tie keyword movement to leads or sales
And most importantly, you should understand those reports. If your SEO partner can’t explain them in plain English and tie results to business outcomes, you’ve got a problem.
Here’s the Real Test: Is Your SEO Company Executing—or Making Excuses?
- “We’ll do content later.”
“Give it more time, link building is tricky.”
“We don’t report on conversions, just traffic.”
These aren’t delays. They’re diversions. And if your agency’s playing that game, it’s your bottom line that suffers. Execution is where strategy turns into ROI. Don’t settle for movement that doesn’t align with results.
Month 4–6: Gaining Momentum
This is where the rubber meets the road. If your SEO company in Singapore has been doing its job, this is the phase where things start clicking. You’re no longer in setup mode—you’re in scale mode. Core pages should be ranking. Target keywords should be pulling impressions.
And most importantly: organic traffic should start turning into real business. If you’re not seeing forward motion by now, it’s not a “slow industry.” It’s a broken strategy.
1. Your Rankings Should Start to Shift
Image Credit: AgencyAnalytics
You don’t just want more rankings—you want the right rankings. Your SEO company should be able to show you core service or product pages climbing for high-intent, Singapore-specific keywords. Not fluff terms. Not vanity queries. The kind that signal buying intent. For example, if you’re in B2B SaaS, ranking for “best CRM for SMEs Singapore” is 10x more valuable than a generic “what is CRM” article.
A study by BrightEdge found that 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search—and up to 75% of that traffic goes to the top three results. No ranking movement on your money pages? That’s not “normal.” That’s a signal something’s off.
2. Impressions and Clicks Should Be Rising Organically
Image Credit: Whatagraph
By now, Google Search Console should be showing an uptick in impressions and click-through rates (CTR) for your target terms. This proves your content is surfacing and your titles/meta descriptions are compelling enough to earn clicks. You should also be seeing keyword lift in Ahrefs or SEMrush for mid- and bottom-of-funnel search terms. These aren’t just visibility metrics—they’re early buying signals.
3. Organic Traffic Must Translate to Leads, Not Just Visits
Here’s the part most SEO companies get wrong. They sell you on traffic, but never talk about conversions. In months 4–6, you should be seeing early signs of ROI:
- Contact form submissions tied to SEO landing pages
- Call tracking or chatbot interactions from organic sources
- E-commerce sales or demo requests with source attribution
If you’re hearing “traffic is up” but can’t trace a single lead to SEO, that’s a problem. You don’t run a business on clicks—you run it on clients.
4. CRO and Testing Aren’t Add-ons—They’re Essential
Image Credit: HubSpot
Any good SEO partner should be feeding performance data back into your website UX. Are users bouncing on key pages? Are CTAs getting ignored? What A/B tests could boost conversion rates? Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is where your SEO investment starts compounding. Even a 10% bump in form submissions could mean tens of thousands in added revenue over the year.
Look for Momentum. Question Anything Less.
If your SEO agency can’t explain why traffic isn’t converting, why rankings are stuck, or why strategy hasn’t shifted since month one—walk. SEO isn’t static. Neither is your market. You’re investing in momentum. And by month six, you should feel it.
Reporting That Means Something
Image Credit: Reporting Ninja
If your SEO report looks like a traffic light chart with no context, you’ve got a problem. Real SEO reporting isn’t just a list of rankings or a pretty traffic graph—it’s your business performance, decoded. You’re not paying for visibility. You’re paying for results. And if your SEO company in Singapore can’t show you how their work ties to revenue, they’re not managing a strategy. They’re managing perception.
1. Good SEO Reports Show Keyword Movement and Traffic Correlation
Seeing your main keywords rise in rank is nice. But if those movements aren’t translating into search impressions and clicks, what’s the point? Your monthly SEO report should connect the dots:
- This keyword moved from #12 to #5
- Here’s the increase in impressions and CTR
- Here’s how much traffic that page now brings in
It’s not about rankings for the sake of rankings. It’s about qualified traffic with buying intent.
2. The Best Reports Include Lead Attribution and ROI Impact
Here’s where most agencies fail: they stop short of what matters most—money. By months four to six, your report should clearly answer:
- Which pages brought in qualified leads?
- Which keywords are driving those conversions?
- What’s your cost-per-lead from SEO vs. paid search?
Without lead attribution tied to source/medium data in Google Analytics 4 or a CRM integration (like HubSpot or Salesforce), you’re just guessing. And in business, guesswork doesn’t scale.
3. You Should Be Getting Strategic Recommendations—Not Just Metrics
If you’re getting a 20-page PDF of charts with zero actionable insight, that’s not reporting—that’s noise. Every report should end with real-world next steps:
- “These 3 pages need CRO testing this month”
- “Here’s a new content cluster we recommend targeting”
- “We’re pivoting the link-building strategy based on X trend”
This is the value of a true SEO partner. Not just reporting the weather, but helping you decide whether to pack an umbrella or launch a campaign.
Here’s How to Spot the Red Flags:
- Vanity metrics with no context: “We got 10,000 impressions last month.” Great. From what pages? For what keywords? Did it convert?
- No business outcome mapping: If there’s no mention of leads, sales, or ROI, you’re not looking at performance. You’re looking at a performance.
Bottom line: Real SEO reporting makes you smarter. It sharpens your decisions, fuels your marketing, and builds your bottom line.
How to Know If You Chose the Right SEO Company in Singapore?
Image Credit: Moz
Here’s the real test: when was the last time your SEO agency picked up the phone to walk you through your results—strategy-first, not slide-first? If all you’re getting are monthly PDFs with charts you have to decode yourself, that’s not partnership. That’s outsourcing accountability. The right SEO company doesn’t just show you what’s happening—they tell you why. They explain what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s changing next.
Because SEO isn’t static. Your market evolves, Google evolves, and so should your strategy. A rinse-and-repeat approach? That’s a red flag. You want a partner who adapts, tests, and grows with you—not one who coasts once the invoice clears. If you’re done settling for surface-level service and want to work with a professional SEO company in Singapore that actually moves the needle, MediaOne is the partner worth your time.
Strategy-led, performance-obsessed, and trusted by Singapore’s top brands— we don’t just do SEO. We own it here. Contact us now!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to see SEO results?
SEO results typically begin to show within three to six months, depending on factors like website age, competition, and the effectiveness of the SEO strategy. Patience and consistent effort are key.
What is the difference between on-page and off-page SEO?
On-page SEO involves optimising elements within your website, such as content, meta tags, and internal links. Off-page SEO focuses on external factors like backlinks and social signals to improve search engine rankings.
How do search engines determine rankings?
Search engines use complex algorithms that evaluate factors like keyword relevance, content quality, user experience, and backlinks to determine the ranking of a webpage for specific search queries.
Can SEO guarantee top rankings?
While SEO can significantly improve your website’s visibility and rankings, no reputable SEO company can guarantee a #1 position due to the dynamic nature of search engine algorithms and competition.
What role does mobile optimisation play in SEO?
Mobile optimisation is crucial for SEO, as search engines prioritise mobile-friendly websites. A responsive design ensures a positive user experience across all devices, which can enhance rankings.
