Automotive SEO Scams, Automotive SEO, National Positions, Automotive SEO company, Tony Ly, Automotive SEO Consutlant, Questions to Ask Your SEO Consultan. SEO consultant, Search engine optimization, SEO Service, SEO consulting, SEO Experts, SEO services, Search engine optimization, SEO Experts

1. http://www.idowebmarketing.com/top-10-seo-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them/ 12/7/2009
September 16, 2009
Top 10 SEO Scams and How to Avoid Them
I broached this topic a long time ago, but with so many so called
SEO Experts popping up, I felt the need to revisit the topic. To 3
tweets
preface this, lets first discuss why there are suddenly so many
“internet marketing gurus” out there. When you consider the
economy, and how many have lost their jobs it is understandable
to see why people have looked for new sources of income. Many have turned to the
internet as a way to try and build a business. With some of the claims around the internet
on how easy everything is, it is natural for people who want to make money without
putting in the effort. So, people buy into different programs, are desperate to build their
client base, and therefore offer outrageous claims as to their service ability. Now, this is
not why ALL SEO scams exist, but it is certainly playing a role as to why we are seeing
an increase in them.
There are a growing number of unethical SEO Consultants and SEO Companies that take
advantage of naive website owners. The best defense against falling prey to one of these
scams, is to become educated on SEO yourself. You can run some tests on your own. I
always like to refer people to Hubspot’s www.websitegrader.com. You can run your
website through some preliminary analytics to see how well it fares. You will see this
blog has a score of 98. Last time I checked the company website
(www.novelconceptstudio.com) was a 95 or 96. I would suggest not only reviewing your
website through this tool, but also that of any prospective SEO provider you might be
considering. If they can’t optimize their own website, what makes you think they will be
able to optimize yours? There is no greater defense against SEO scams then to become a
little more educated on the topic yourself. Now let’s take a look at some of the more
prevalent red flags in the SEO Industry.
#1. Guaranteed Rankings
This is a big one and plays off the desires of customers who want guarantees. Google
themselves have come out and said that any SEO Firm offering guaranteed rankings
should throw up a red flag. You can read more about this here:
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291
Pay close attention to the line that says, “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on
Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings.” This is straight from Google.
Now, if you have reviewed my company website you will see we offer a Guarantee.
However, this guarantee has nothing to do with page 1 rankings and results. The
guarantee is that we will improve your current positioning.
Page 1 Guarantees can be dicey because that also could mean that companies get
desperate to attain those rankings and will do so by any means necessary. This includes
blackhat techniques, which may result in having your website eventually removed from
Google’s index entirely!
#2. Submitting Your Site to Thousands of Search Engines.
Who cares? Google, MSN, and Yahoo are nearly 94% of all searches with Google being
2/3 itsself. In fact, most of the other search engines will piggy back the main search
engines when determining their search results. So, focus in on Google, MSN, and Yahoo.
If you’re really pressed for time and resources, then just worry about Google!
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2. http://www.idowebmarketing.com/top-10-seo-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them/ 12/7/2009
#3. They know someone at Google, or have a partnership with Google.
Simply put, no they don’t. Google employees are under strict NDA’s and if you read the
link to Google Support referenced above you will see Google tells you they have no
special partnerships.
#4. Their methodologies are trade secrets.
Obviously, each respectable company will have some proprietary things they use. But if
they can’t explain things like their link building practices, what areas of the website they
will be updating, etc then this should throw up a red flag.
#5. They know Google’s algorithm.
People within Google don’t even necessarily know this. There are hundreds of variables
involved, and they are CONSTANTLY changing. Google’s whole existence is based on
them being able to deliver the search results you need and to do this, they are always
tinkering with their algorithm. People know pieces, but not the entire thing.
#6. Free Trial Services.
With proper SEO, there are so many steps involved in the very beginning that any self
respecting SEO would never offer such a trial. Anyone that offers this, is not truly
offering SEO.
#7. Under Priced Services
You get what you pay for, and truer words could not be spoken in the SEO realm. If you
cannot afford to properly invest into your SEO strategy, then buy some books and do it
yourself. You will most likely do a better job than paying some of the outrageously cheap
prices some “SEO gurus” charge.
#8. Front Page Within 48 Hours.
Here is another that seems to be coming on strong lately. In almost all instances it is
actually referring to pay per click.
#9. Companies or Experts Who Don’t Answer Your Questions or Take Several Days
to Respond.
This should throw up a red flag immediately. If they beat around the bush and can’t
answer a direct question, this is major cause for concern. Likewise, if they take several
days or weeks to respond to an inquiry then obviously you or not of any importance to
them.
#10. Firms that take Ownership of Content.
All property should belong to the client. Read the fine print of any service agreement to
ensure you are not dealing with a firm that plans on holding your content hostage.
Taking the time to learn a little more about the industry can help you to avoid the
headaches and hassles of dealing with an SEO scam. Do your research on the company or
expert you are engaged with. Ask them questions. Ideally, ask them questions YOU
already know the answer to. Do this by running some initial analytics on your own
website before engaging with an expert.
Have you come across other SEO scams not mentioned here? Share with the community
to put shed some light on the topic!
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3. http://www.idowebmarketing.com/top-10-seo-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them/ 12/7/2009
Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful SEO Firm.
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