•Digital marketing is often detrimental if it is done by unskilled service providers.•The hyped services of search engine marketing are not as successful as they seem to be.•SEM services provided by small organizations and freelancers are generally detrimental.•SEM services provided by established players are relatively more beneficial and reliable. The study highlights how digital marketing is often detrimental, when it is done by unskilled service providers. It highlights how the hyped services of search engine marketing (SEM) are not as successful as they seem to be and sometimes affect firms negatively. This study uses social media analytics to derive insights from Twitter using descriptive, content and network analytics. Methods like hashtag analysis, polarity and emotion analysis, word analysis, topic modeling and other relevant approaches have been used to mine user generated content. A qualitative case study on an e-market is used for validation of findings. SEM services provided by small organizations and freelancers are not as beneficial as the ones by established players. The services provided by these firms proved detrimental for the customers based on user experiences surrounding these services in the social media and forum specific discussions. This study highlights how SEM often not only fails to provide benefits but also destructs value if not done properly. Transaction costs like agency problems, coordination costs, loss of non-contractible value and cost of fit are also identified with potential fallouts which affect the long-term benefits. Inputs will be beneficial to practice in planning SEM and outsourcing.