CALL US You get emails every week about how some random company can get you listed on page one of Google for an unbelievably low amount of money. We get them too and we are an SEO company! They probably look something like this:
Hopefully by now you know things like this aren’t legitimate SEO. Their tactics aren’t even relevant to what Google considers good SEO anymore. These are tactics that were relevant 5 years ago and most of what this company proposes will actually hurt you. But they are hoping you don’t know that and hire them to help for their “discounted” offer.
Another common email is “We noticed you aren’t ranking for XYZ keyword and you are missing out on good traffic to your site. We can help you get there for $___/month.” What makes these even more ridiculous is that the keyword(s) they suggest don’t even have traffic in your market so 1) getting you ranked for it will take no time because there is no traffic; and 2) it won’t help your business because no one is searching with those terms.
Spend 5 minutes and do your own research. If they say “we have helped Dr. Smith reach page one of Google for ‘cosmetic surgery doctors in plano, texas,'” think about it. Who searches that way anymore? It is more likely that a top term for Dr. Smith is “cosmetic surgeon plano” or even just “cosmetic surgeon” and in fact “cosmetic surgery doctors in plano, texas” has little to no search volume.
While these types of offers can be tempting, especially for business owners who don’t know the basics of SEO, they are really just another version of the “get rich quick” schemes you hear your cousin Steve talking about. He’s not going to work from home and make $10,000 per week, and you’re not going to benefit from this slapdash SEO work.
Do It Right or Pay the Price
Here are some key rules to live by when assessing the value of an SEO team.
- Any company that guarantees top rankings is not legitimate. No one controls who ranks on Google except Google, Inc. and no company can guarantee results. If someone promises this, run.
- Any company that persistently emails, calls, and does it often with emails like we have shown above is not legit. They are trolling the internet for the uneducated and most of their tactics will likely hurt your SEO, not help.
- If it sounds too good to be true, trust your gut.
Decisions about the success of your website shouldn’t be taken lightly. You spent a great deal of hard work to build your business and you shouldn’t be leaving your success on the web in the hands of a fly by night company that promises the world. Spend the time to learn the basics of SEO and when you interview companies, test them on their own knowledge and ask them to teach you about it.
