25 Feb What Politics Can Teach Us About SEO, PPC, and Professionalism

I was watching Politics Live at lunchtime recently, listening to Prime Minister Keir Starmer respond to questions. One thing stood out. Almost every answer avoided answering the question asked and instead referenced the previous government. What they did, what they didn’t do, and how things would now be different.

And it got me thinking about the world of SEO and PPC.

Because in digital marketing, I often work with businesses who have previously partnered with agencies. Sometimes they’ve outgrown them. Sometimes they want a more direct, one-to-one relationship. And sometimes they simply want clarity, fewer layers, less jargon, and a clearer understanding of what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

But here’s the difference between politics and marketing.

I don’t throw previous agencies under the bus.

Moving Forward, Not Looking Back

When a new client comes to me, they might say things like:

• We haven’t seen changes in our Google Ads account for months.
• We get reports, but we don’t understand what they actually mean.
• We just want one person we can call.

And yes, occasionally there are gaps to address. But more often than not, previous agencies have done good work. They may simply operate differently, serve larger clients, or have pricing structures that no longer suit a business.

Marketing isn’t about blame. It’s about progress.

Why Clients Sometimes Move On

In my experience, the reasons businesses switch partners are rarely dramatic. It’s usually practical:

• They want a more personal relationship without multiple account managers.
• Agency pricing has increased beyond their budget.
• They want flexibility without paying for big-agency overheads.
• They value direct communication and quicker decision-making.

None of these reasons make the previous agency “bad”. It just means the business has evolved.

Transparency Over Tactics

What I focus on instead is trust and transparency.

That means:

• Clear explanations of what’s changing and why.
• Reports that actually make sense to the business owner reading them.
• Visible account activity and ongoing optimisation.
• Honest conversations about what’s working, what isn’t, and what comes next.

No jargon. No smoke and mirrors. and no blame on the previous agency. Just straightforward digital marketing.

The Future Is What Matters

Unlike politics, where narratives often focus on the past, digital marketing works best when we focus on what’s ahead.

Every account has history. Every business has a journey. But success in SEO and PPC comes from building momentum, being forward thinking and pushing forwards. Yes, we can utilise data from the past but we can be successful without criticising what came before.

So if you move your marketing from an agency to me, you won’t hear me criticising previous partners. You certainly won’t here me referencing what occurred in the previous 14 years.

You’ll hear me asking: Where do we go next?