5 Deceptive SEO Claims To Avoid

This morning, my phone dings, and I have an e-mail “Boom! You Can Rank #1 on Google Today!”

Really? Really?

There are many self-titled “SEO Experts” (Black Hat) that have popped up, making unrealistic promises and offering guaranteed rankings. Nowadays, you can’t go more than a few hours without receiving spam email about Search Engine Optimization, or a cold call from an “SEO specialist” who can make all your Internet dreams come true. The best defense against SEO scams is becoming more educated about SEO. Since most business owners know very little about SEO in general, here are the top 5 SEO claims I’d like to take a moment and address.  And we are talking about organic listings, not paid advertising like adwords, because anyone, including yourself, can pay for ad placement.

#1 Guaranteed Rankings

Many SEO scams focus on guaranteed rankings. Claims like “Guaranteed #1 ranking on Google”, “Guaranteed first page ranking on Google”, “Guaranteed #1 ranking on all search engines” are simply impossible.  Even Google can’t guarantee rankings and it’s their site!  GOOGLE TELLS YOU No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Google also tells you “Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings”. If Google says "beware", it's pretty likely I'd make sure to avoid any company that offers any such guarantee.

#2 They are “Google Authorized” or have a “Special Relationship” directly with Google

No SEO company has “special relationship” with Google or Bing. Period.  Google doesn’t have ANY certifications for SEO. Nor do they have access to a “priority submit” for Google. Any SEO firm that makes this claim is simply lying to you.

#3 Submissions to hundreds, if not thousands of search engines

Really? Google, Yahoo, and Bing have over 97% of the search market. I’m thinking you won’t need Ask Jeeves, Excite or Web Crawler…they are dead and gone.  Focus on Google, not a dead butler.

#4 It’s a secret!  (they won’t disclose the methodology)

Do we need to call in Mulder and Scully? Any legitimate SEO company should be able to explain what they will do to your site, methods to keep it fresh for the GoogleBots, and explain ways to increase your presence across the web. Firms who reference “SEO trade secrets” are likely planning to use Black Hat SEO techniques that will get you banned by all major search engines at some point.  Think that doesn’t happen? Ask JC PENNY! They goofed and hired a black hat firm.

#5 “We have the lowest price!”

If an offer sounds too good to be true, it is. SEO is hard work and takes some serious time to do correctly. The best time is when launching a new or freshly redesigned site. Ongoing SEO is even harder, but the payoff is worth it.

BONUS CLAIM: “We know all the factors Google uses for rankings”

The algorithms used by search engines are complex, dynamic and are never disclosed. EVER. At best, true SEO consultants have spent years in the business and will know about certain aspects such as website performance, content, meta tags, keywords…..

The Bottom Line?  If a company like TABB, who specializes in web presence, social media and marketing/branding is getting these emails, at least we know better. 

My hope is that you do as well.