First of all, if you see this message, turn around and walk away. You heard me. Walk away. Your money can be better spent on homeless shelters, United Way, Red Cross et al. You get the idea.
In my previous post, “The Correct Way To SEO Your Website: Dedication and Long-Term Commitment“, I stress the fact that SEO is a long-term investment. No one can promise you an ‘effective’ #1 ranking overnight. I stress the word ‘effective’ because it does not help if you get ranked for a keyword or phrase that no one uses. For example, anyone can get you ranked #1 for some obscure phrase, but if no one is looking for that search phrase, how is it helping you?
Recently, one of my clients recounted that earlier some company called and told him they are looking for only 1 (fill-in-the-blank profession, aka doctor, lawyer etc.) per city to rank. They told him that time was limited because there are many others that are waiting to take advantage of their ‘proprietary methods’ (read: BS & pressure). They promised that they would get about a dozen or so keywords on page 1. Their offer seemed legit on the face of it, since they guaranteed it. So how did it turn out? My client sure got ranked on page 1 within a few weeks – unfortunately, they were all keywords that looked important, yet drove ZERO traffic. Within a few more weeks, even those rankings had tumbled down. The result: My client was out several thousand dollars and more importantly, lost about 3 or 4 months. To make matters worse, there’s usually a contract attached to it, which typically runs 6 months to a year. Does this sound familiar? I’m sure it is. Callls like these are made everyday, hoping to snag someone.
The moral of the story? The old adage is true: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Lesson #1: Don’t fall prey to high pressured sales.
- Lesson #2: Expect legitimate SEO to take some time, as it requires careful planning and execution. If you’re in a rush and have cash to spare, consider Pay Per Click options, while you ramp up your organic SEO strategy.
- Lesson #3: When any company guarantees you #1 ranking, ask for increased traffic and conversions as part of the guarantee. While no legit company can promise you exact amount of traffic on organic search, they can guarantee a marked increase in traffic and the resulting conversions. If they balk, walk away.
