Photo by Don Hankins
In the past few weeks I’ve received several e-mails from readers about how they had been scammed by various SEO firms and so-called experts.
Today I want to show you 5 things to look out for before you hire an SEO company.
1. They promise a top rank
On the surface a promise of a top ranking sounds really good. When you hear this you are thinking of a top 10 ranking in Google for the keyword of your choice.
Unfortunately they have only promised to give you a top rank and they haven’t specified what search engine you will rank in or which keywords you will rank for.
Anyone can get a top ranking in Google for a keyword that has no competition and no searches. (I did a little experiment and was able to rank #1 in Google for “Biggest Absolute Failure”.)
2. They promise a top 10 rank in Google for a hyper competitive keyword
Sometimes these companies will claim they can get you the top spot in Google for a super competitive keyword like: real estate, web hosting, money, etc.
Ranking #1 in Google for keywords like these is literally worth millions of dollars. Companies have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of man-hours to achieve a top ranking in Google.
Your SEO company isn’t going to magically put your site in the top position for one of these keywords.
3. They won’t give you any references
Before giving an SEO company any money you really need to ask them for a few references. If they do good work then they should be able to give you the name and contact info for a few of their past clients.
Beware of companies that can’t provide any references.
4. They demand thousands of dollars up front
Demanding a ton of money up front is a common tactic. They will often make lame excuses like, “We need to be sure that you’re really serious about SEO.”
This is so silly. You don’t have to prove to them that you’re serious about search engine optimization. You are their client and don’t have to prove anything.
Another thing they say is, “SEO is really complicated and because of [insert technical jargon] it costs a lot.”
I know technical jargon sometimes sounds scary and complicated but many companies make up stuff to sound complicated and justify higher costs.
Do yourself a favor and do a Google search on any terms or words that you don’t understand. 5 minutes searching on the Internet could save you hundreds of dollars.
5. They force you to make a decision right now
This tactic is usually reserved for greasy used-car salesmen who try to make you believe that this deal of a lifetime will be gone if you don’t act right now. Unfortunately it’s an effective tactic and is employed by some SEO companies.
When they force you to make a decision on the spot you end up with no time to think, check references, and explore other options.
Do your homework
Before spending a chunk of change on an SEO company do some research on the Internet. Start by Googling the company’s name and read what other people have to say.
Check if the company is registered with the Better Business Bureau.
And make sure you follow up on references.
30 minutes of research could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Pay only for results
Ideally you would only pay for the results you want. For example, you wouldn’t pay your SEO company any money until your website ranks in the top 10 of Google for a specific keyword.
You might even consider paying them for each week that your website stays in Google’s top 10.
Doing this helps ensure that if you ever deal with an SEO scammer you won’t lose any money.
Many companies are not willing to do this but if you look around you might find a few.
Can you do some of the SEO yourself?
Search engine optimization can be broken apart into 3 main categories
- Keyword research
- Optimizing your website
- Link building
Chances are that most of this, if not all, could be done by you. This blog covers each one of them in great detail.
Free SEO consultants
Their are tons of bloggers that know a lot about SEO and will answer your questions for free. I happen to be one of them if you ever have a question don’t hesitate to ask.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What do you say to those people who are seduced by claims like "I will get you 50,000 backlinks instantly"? These faux SEOers are obviously using software to blast blogs with spam comments but I have a hard time convincing companies it's a bad idea. What do you think?
Charleen Larson recently posted..6 ways to add personality to your Fiverr gigs and make more money
Perhaps the best idea is to let people waste a little money and see for themselves that it doesn't help.