How To Choose, Or Not To Choose, An SEO Company
You see them all the time, offers for SEO services. And most of them make grand promises like getting you to the first page of Google, or even ranking number one. And then there are the back links. We will get you all the backlinks you’ve ever wanted, I’m sorry, “quality” backlinks.
The offers are many and quite appealing. Here’s the problem, though. Those are lies or at a minimum, half-truths. I called them lies because the companies that are making these offers know that they cannot promise to make those things happen. That is not to say that those things can’t happen, but sadly they just cannot make that promise to everybody, or in the case of number one, really anybody.
What is the truth about the SEO offers you see?
The truth is many of them are preying on you. The ones that promise number 1 rankings on Google especially.
Let’s talk about the ones that say first page of Google in 30 days or less or we will fill your pockets with uncut diamonds. These are true, yet misleading. They will probably get you to the first page of Google search results. It will be with a keyword or keywords that get you no traffic and have extremely low search volumes. This has nearly zero benefit for you.
It’s a common practice for a lot of SEO companies to tell you that they’ll get you ranking high. But they choose keywords that nobody searches, and nobody is competing for. They technically do what they say, but it doesn’t help you at all. They do that because it’s super easy, but of no benefit
I saw an ad a few days ago for an SEO company local to me. One of their “taglines” said something to the effect that they rank first for terms x, y, and z. They were local terms specific to SEO in Omaha, NE. I see it as an odd thing to say since it is so easy to check.
So, guess what I did? And guess what? They don’t. They can’t even keep their own ranking at number one. Now, it should be noted that is not a failure on their part. That’s just the nature of the business. What is a failure is advertising something that is not true.
What about the ads for backlinks?
Most, if not all, are garbage.
There are many companies that want to sell you backlinks. They promise they are of high quality and relevant. They are not. If they are of any value, you would pay much more than $39 a month for 100’s of them (actual offer I saw).
Here’s the deal. You cannot buy backlinks. It’s just that simple. Google knows. They always know. Nobody can outsmart them. The best you can expect from something like that is a momentary boost in rankings until Google figures out what happened. Then you will get dropped in the rankings, hard.
Another offer you might see is the get links from business directories and review sites. Think Yelp, Foursquare, etc. These are good.
Here is the catch. Much of the time they will want a monthly fee to “manage” these. Occasionally, after these accounts are set up, some may need tweaked, or you might end up with a duplicate entry somehow. Ok, they will fix those. However, you must keep paying that monthly fee forever, and I mean forever. If you stop, it is a strong bet that they will delete or return those listings to their previously incorrect state. No joke. They hold your online presence hostage.
What are warning signs to look for?
In an article by Search Engine Journal, 5 Huge Warning Signs Of A Bad SEO Or Digital Marketing Agency, they list the following five items as things to look out for when choosing your SEO partner.
They Ask To Own Your Data/Logins
a. Do they want/demand complete control of your accounts? If so, run. This will just make a hostage situation possible where you and your business are the hostage.
They Guarantee #1 Rankings/Top Results
a. Nobody can.
They Tell Their Story, Not Yours
a. Do you only get the best of news in your reports? Is everything a success? Chances are not everything is working well. That’s just the nature of the beast, but if they are only giving you half the story, it is just to keep you paying their monthly fee.
The Partnership Is Positioned As Transactional
a. Is the situation just money for periodic reports? If so, that’s bad. You need a partner, not a spread sheet.
Their Case Studies Are Outdated
a. Are they still selling themselves on a success from 5 years ago? That doesn’t mean much.
These are all signs that the SEO company that you are looking at may not be the easiest to work with or have your interest at heart. All the offers and behaviors mentioned here should make you take pause when looking for SEO.
If you ask about these, be wary of responses that you get. There is a reason they used these tactics in the first place.
The simple fact is that it is a process that takes time. Results can take a couple months up to a year or more depending on several factors. There is no quick fix. Google knows all the tricks and will eventually figure it out.
“Magic Bullets don’t work. Google is way way too sophisticated.” This quote from Will Coombe in his book 3 Months To No. 1 sums it up nicely. There is no magic bullet for ranking. Anyone who tells you so, or worse, tries to sell you the bullet is just trying to take your money.