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Many businesses today are aware of the numerous benefits of adopting SEO into their marketing efforts. From getting thousands of organic visitors to your site to building your domain authority, SEO is one of the best long-term marketing strategies for any business. Although these benefits of SEO are great, they may never be realized if you are working with an incompetent SEO provider.
Truth is I am writing this article out of anger! I recently started working with a business that was paying for SEO and they were absolutely being scammed.
Don't let this happen to you!
In fact, many businesses fall prey to scam SEO companies that take thousands of dollars per month from them and don’t generate any results. Many “SEO” companies will make claims of guaranteed results, offer services at extremely low prices and claim they “know someone” at Google. These are all signs that your SEO provider might be scamming you. Here are some of warning signs to know if your SEO is a scam:
No reporting
One of the first signs to know if your SEO provider is scamming you is that you receive no reporting. When it comes to SEO, your provider should be giving you periodic updates on how their efforts are performing. This can include improvements to organic traffic, Google rankings, new keyword rankings and more. Without reporting, you’re basically blindly trusting that your SEO provider is doing their job.
Guaranteed page 1 results
There are no guarantees in SEO. Having a provider that guarantees page 1 results is a huge red flag. This is because there are many factors that can dictate rankings on Google and results are never guaranteed. An SEO provider can maximize your chances of getting to page 1, but the result is never guaranteed.
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Claim to “know someone”
If your provider claims to know someone at Google or something similar, alarms should be going off. SEO is based on Google’s complex algorithm and no single person can help you improve your rankings with “secrets”. You will still have to do keyword research, content strategy and production regardless of who you may know. This is the biggest red flag mentioned in this list.
Very low rates
A quick Google search for SEO providers will show ads with companies promising SEO results with $100 or $200 per month. This is probably a company based overseas and is very likely to be a scam. It will likely result in you wasting a bunch of time and losing your money. The best SEO providers will cost much more than this but the ROI is much higher.
Fast results
A provider who promises fast results is very indicative of scamming. SEO is a time intensive marketing effort and it can take months to start seeing any impactful improvements in organic search, clicks, conversions, etc. The longer your business does SEO, the more it will compound. Although you may get some results quickly, it’s not likely on a balance of probabilities. Beware of providers who claim fast SEO results for your company in days or weeks.
To learn more about the qualities you should look for in a SEO provider, get a free consultation here.
Read these articles to learn more about SEO.
Is Google My Business part of your SEO strategy?
What is SEO?
Managing your digital footprint to improve SEO
Should You Pay for SEO?
What You Need to Know Before You Pay for SEO Services
Technical SEO: How To Drive More Traffic To Your Website
3 Ways to Use Google Analytics to Improve SEO
3 Overlooked SEO Techniques For Small Business
Tips To Spot an SEO Scam Before It's Too Late
Don't be lured into a false sense of security when it comes to SEO! Learn how to protect yourself from scammers with these tips.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an invaluable tool for creating visibility for your website. Unfortunately, it also means that you are vulnerable to scammers who take advantage of people's eagerness to rank higher in search engine results. Learn how to spot and avoid common SEO scams so you can keep your site secure.
Ask Yourself Why It’s Too Good To Be True.
If you’re offered a deal that sounds too good to be true, ask yourself why it is. Promises of quick results, no-effort optimization, or secret techniques are all hallmarks of scammers. Be wary of any offer that seems too good to be true; always do your due diligence and research the company before investing any money or giving out sensitive information.
Check for Client Reviews.
Client reviews or case studies are a great way to gauge the quality of an SEO company. Look for real results in the form of website traffic, rankings, and sales. A good way to cross-check this information is by visiting the website's About page, where you'll usually find some customer testimonials and case studies. If you don’t see any information on the company’s past performance, it might be worth seeking out alternative solutions.
