As a practicing search engine optimizer, it’s always comical when we get automated phone calls, or even real ones, from the guys who “work closely with Google, Bing and Yahoo” and can guarantee us a first page ranking on the search engines.
I shudder at the thought of a real prospect returning that phone call.
The truth you will hear from most SEO pros is that no reputable company should be promising you the first page. Moreover, real SEO firms don’t promise guaranteed results. Unless, of course, they guarantee that they’ll work very hard for you and you still might not see page one. That’s the only safe guarantee.
So what other kinds of promises are being thrown around by dodgy SEO “pros” these days? I’ve put together a short list of my “ones I’ve heard”.
1) I’ll get you to page one while also being a solo artist / coder / SEO / copywriter / marketer / candlestick maker.
There are whole companies dedicated to performing just one or two items on that list. How could it be possible for one single individual to do all of those items, and do them well? The answer is that it’s usually not, unless you are that person’s only client and you are paying very well. Even then, it’s likely they will be stretched thin, and one (or all) of these areas will be lacking.
2) We’ll get you hundreds of inbound links within 30 days.
Sounds like a plan! Some of these folks have testimonials on their websites, BBB logos, VeriSign Trusted symbols. Doesn’t matter at the end of the day when more influential folks, like, say, Google, explicitly say this is against their Webmaster Guidelines.
3) We’ve cracked the Algorithm and know exactly how to get you to spot 1 in Google!
Some people question whether or not Google has cracked it’s own ever-changing algorithm. How could it be some outside agency has figured it out? With algo changes being made every few days, the only answer I can come up with is mind-reading.
4) We’ll submit your site to hundreds of search engines.
That’s great, but, how many people use other search engines besides the Big Three? Dear reader, how many other search engines can you name? This is no longer a relevant tactic — you can be found pretty much everywhere anyways, since most other search engines will likely index you on their own, and still send little relevant traffic your way.
So, if the SEO company you are thinking of hiring says any of these things, well … that’s just embarrassing.