Are You Looking For Some Magic SEO Pixie Dust?
Many Business Owners are Now Realizing They Do Indeed Need to Pay Attention to Their Organic Rankings
Oh boy, now that the economic climate is what it is, and many business owners are feeling a bit of a downturn in their sales, there is a little more buzz being heard by SEO consultants about “how can we get top search engine rankings?”.
And unfortunately there are a lot of lousy-no-good SEO firms sending out emails saying “We can’t find your website in the search engines. How would you like GUARANTEED top-10 rankings for these keyword phrases?” and then they go on to list terms they think are relevant to the website in question. Then of course there’s always the mention that there is an on-going monthly fee involved for the “guaranteed” ranking positions!
Unfortunately, too many businesses mistakenly jump at the rip-off offer being made. Of course guaranteed month-after-month top-10 rankings does sound pretty darn good, doesn’t it? Sigh …
I have never blindly assumed what keywords are or aren’t important for bringing targeted qualified traffic into a client’s site, without first having a good discussion about what their business goals are; who their target audience is for their products or services; what do they want their website to “do” for them. Important issues like that!
Then, and only then do I begin my research to determine the SEO “game plan” for my client.
SEO is not about picking keywords that are sitting at the top of a generically researched keyword list and then stuffing those keywords into the content. Not at all. This method rarely converts into the “MWR”. “Most Wanted Response” being capturing leads; or maybe getting visitors to sign up for a newsletter; or yes, perhaps making SALES!! And that is where these shady “we can help you – guaranteed” SEO firms miss the boat.
Among many other issues to take into consideration, my clients are taught about the need for well written and informative content that will satisfy the visitor when they land on that particular webpage. Yes of course, part of the SEO goal is to have great search engine rankings so that a potential customer can find your listing, but crummy content that isn’t targeted to and written with the key factor in mind doesn’t work. A great page of content that is convincing and informative will hopefully convert that visitor into doing what you want them to do!
If we could find magic SEO pixie dust that would GUARANTEE that each and every person landing on your website would give you your MWR … well then we’d all be standing in line to buy some, me included. (Gimme a big bag, please! 
) Then doing business online would be a no-brainer!
If you’d like to find out about how to improve the response of visitors coming to your site, or would like to discuss any other aspects of improving your online presence, please contact me. I offer a complimentary consultation.
Rip-Off SEO Con Job Exposed: My Rant & Rave Against These Crooks
Run For Your Life (Grab Your Money, Too!)
I posted back in April of 2008 about an SEO firm that got fined by a Washington judge for ripping off clients because they “guaranteed” top ranking positions.
As I stated in that post … RUN FOR YOUR LIFE if any SEO consultant or agency promises you top rankings. NOBODY on this earth can ETHICALLY promise you that your targeted keywords will obtain top rankings! Plus, month after continuous month as so many of these unscrupulous people will claim.
Yes, it IS POSSIBLE to maintain top rankings for a very long time, but no ethical SEO consultant will ever make a flat-out promise like that. On a side note, I have written posts on this blog about my own real ranking examples and show you how I accomplished it.
Well … lookee here my friends … look what I innocently stumbled upon this morning while doing my usual research:
Take a CLOSE look at these screenshots. (Yes I have “protected the innocent” by blocking out certain bits of information.) Take a CLOSE look at what is stated and what the monthly fees are. Do you think this reeks of a con job?? I sure do.
The only thing I don’t get is the fact that top rankings (especially for keywords that really do receive traffic) cannot be guaranteed, thus within a very short amount of time, clients will likely see a drastic drop or total disappearance of their rankings. I know WHY he has to offer a guarantee (builds a comfort level for the potential client), but how CAN he offer a money back guarantee and stay in business very long?? Get my drift here?
I would think every (smart) client would end up DEMANDING a refund rather quickly!! Maybe there are enough gullible people out there that will continue to pay month after month, so he makes more money than he has to refund?? Beats me!!
Anyway … all he will be able to achieve for the long term is possibly top rankings for obscure keywords that have basically little to no competition (and also not being worth anything as far as generating traffic to the client’s website). Who is going to continue to pay for that, month after month?
This has GOT to be a fly-by-night type operation. You know, I am almost tempted to call this guy and see exactly what he is promising. I’d like to see how he will make this entire site rank highly over-night! And month after month, too! After all, this niche I’m in, the niche of SEO, is brutal competition-wise. (I cannot brag to you yet of many top rankings. I am being honest with you!)
Anyway, I just had to show this to you. The site looks genuine enough, but there isn’t one other page of information to it. Whatever link you click on, you stay on the same page. That kind of sends up a red flag, too.
And I, too, can write the most glowing of testimonials in a matter of minutes if need be (hint-hint).
Because I don’t want to see any new web owner get taken by SEO con artists like this guy … I am posting this to educate and alert you that whatever SEO consultant you are thinking about using, please make sure “top ranking guarantees” are NOT in that consultant’s vocabulary! 
Thinking Of Hiring A Service To Get Top SEO Rankings?
Let Me Warn You Against Worthless SEO Ranking Services Like This One
OK … this is a blog devoted to everything SEO, website building and internet marketing information, and how-tos. If you’re not yet aware, I do gear a lot of the information to people who are basically new to having a website, and who hope their site will start making money for them. I try my best to educate and empower my readers with quality, honest information.
I also have a real desire to protect everyone from the c**p and baloney that many unethical people and companies are promoting. These bums know darn well that a lot of people, especially those just starting out, can be very very gullible. There is so much to figure out and learn once you have registered your domain name and are ready to start getting your new website up and running. And the snakes are right there, hoping to bite another unsuspecting person who hasn’t yet figured everything out!
It definitely can be overwhelming, as far as all the different things you must learn to become successful online. It was for me in the beginning. And sometimes I am still overwhelmed with the next learning curve that I must tackle … as I think most all of us are, if we are honest amongst ourselves.
It’s a sad fact that the new website owner can be very vulnerable to getting ripped off. It can be for things such as what they may pay for website design services; or what they may pay for SEO consultations or actual optimization of their website; or purchasing software that they really don’t need (and many times will never be able to master how to use). Unfortunately this list can go on and on.
It is not unusual for new clients of mine to tell me incredible stories of the wasted money they shelled out for horrible website design; the wasted money spent for SEO work that was performed by people lacking the proper education and knowledge of the craft; and the wasted money willingly handed over for all sorts of other “deals” that a newbie gets sucked into because … because they are not knowledgeable enough to know what is “good” from “bad”.
As examples, the newcomer normally hasn’t a clue about what software would be highly suggested and/or necessary to assist them in doing a better job at running their online business vs. what is absolutely not necessary in the beginning states, or what software is effective in achieving the intended purpose vs. not effective, etc., and of course what are correct and necessary SEO techniques versus worthless ones, or even worse, ones that are pure SEO black-hat methods.
Let Me Educate You About One of the Many Worthless SEO Ranking Services
In an effort to continue to bring to light what I perceive as plain and simple SCAMS, but what I know to a new and very enthusiastic website owner can sound like a very affordable and pretty great service, I want you to read the following abbreviated example of a real “SEO services” website’s sales pitch that very clearly explains a WORTHLESS service.
But how would a newcomer (maybe you?) really know it’s worthless? You probably wouldn’t, because your SEO learning curve normally isn’t to the point where you can spot the red flags sticking up all over the place on this rip-off “SEO service for guaranteed top rankings”.
What do I preach about any SEO service stating they will GUARANTEE top rankings?? Hmmmm? Yes! Run, run, run the other way with your money!!
OK … let’s read the first part:
After reviewing your site’s coding, we submit your website to over 300 search engines and will continue to submit it every month. You can purchase our six or twelve month plan.
Red flag #1! There is absolutely NO use nor benefit to submit to 300 search engines! Nor to continue to do so on a monthly basis! Basically, if Google, Yahoo! and Bing (formerly MSN) begin to index your new website, well you’re good to go with all the other small, smaller and obscure search engines! Don’t get suckered into the value of being submitted to “300 search engines”.
News flash! For FREE you can help get your site indexed (visited by the spiders) in Google, Yahoo! and Bing quite quickly by submitting an XML site map. Read how to utilize an XML file to help your new website get spidered faster. And remember … you can do this for FREE!
We basically submit all the “text” on your website and your keywords come from there.
Red flag #2! OK! Everybody STOP HERE for a moment! I have no clue as to how, as a professional SEO consultant, I could “submit all the text on your website” to get a client’s new website ranked.
NOTE: I can tell you that if you have structured everything about your site correctly; if it is cleanly coded; if you’ve provided good quality, keyword-focused content; if you’ve got an HTML site map page on your site; and basic SEO touches have been done … well then yes, in the loosest sense of the meaning, your text will “be submitted” to the search engines. But “submission” happens by way of the search engine spiders crawling your site and registering all the data that then triggers your ranking position(s). It does NOT happen because someone manually submits all your content to some special place at the search engines offices!!
And the gibberish that further states “and your keywords come from there” is more smoke and mirror tactics. If you’ve done a good job of creating quality, informative, and keyword focused content, then yes … your keywords would “come from there”.
I can tell you that part of the very necessary optimization I must perform for every client’s website I work on, that the Title tag, and Description meta tag must be properly optimized using the appropriate keywords I’ve uncovered during my research. But to just “submit text” and my clients sites will get ranked … WOW! This is a new flim-flam on me. (Or maybe I need to take SEO lessons from these folks … nope!)
Let’s continue:
Although it greatly depends on your site, most clients can expect to see anywhere from 5-15 keywords showing up within the first one – three pages of Yahoo! and Google within 30 business days.
Pleeeeeease … more bull-pucky! Notice how they’ve covered their behinds with the wording in this statement in case you don’t get the rankings they’re trying to promise you?
You can also suggest keywords to be submitted. You will be asked for keywords you want to include after your order is completed.
This is more worthless gibberish. No one can “submit keywords”. Site submissions don’t work like that!
You will continue to have Google and Yahoo! rankings for as long as you are a client.
Red flag #3! This is a BIG red flag, folks! So, as long as you keep paying for their “service”, you will be able to rest easy that your website will have rankings?? EGAD! These people sure have a song-and-dance going!
Listen … your site will “have Google and Yahoo! rankings” without the need to pay anyone to do that for you! Given a few exceptions, all websites are ranked – even a position of #12,378 for a keyword is technically a “ranking”. But they are making claims with cloaked words. Are they saying you will continually hold consistent top-ten rankings, or merely that you are able to find your site’s pages showing up buried on page 100 of the search engines? **Remember … ANY position in the search engine results is technically referred to as a “ranking”.
Come on! Normally, most new websites all have some kind of search engine ranking if they are coded properly so they can be crawled by the spiders. But whether the ranking position is #1 or #1,235 or #12,378 … well I’ve just stressed above that it is still technically a “ranking”, isn’t it? Uh-huh …
I am so sickened by companies like this who offer worthless SEO ranking services and truly take advantage of people with new websites who aren’t yet knowledgeable of what can and can’t be achieved via ethical SEO techniques. I hope this little rant of mine has truly educated you and possibly has helped you keep more money in your pocket.
Please don’t hesitate to take advantage of my complimentary, no strings attached free SEO phone consultation. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and will try to steer you in the right direction for whatever services or help you may need.
SEO Services Provider Claims “Guaranteed Results”
Can an SEO Services Provider Actually Make This Type of Promise?
Okie dokie, this little gem came into my email inbox this morning, and I just had to share it with you, because if you are a website owner who is relatively new to the internet and the online marketing world, then I want to ALERT you to unethical SEO service providers like this one.
I ask that you please read the following and then I’ll tell you why you would want to hold on tight to your money and RUN away from this deceitful offer:
”Without being seen first on the search engines, your site can be little more than a glorified business card”.
”If you’re seen first on the major search engines, chances are you’re the one people will call first. It’s that simple.”
Alright, so far, not bad. Pretty standard SEO talk. I can’t fault them for these two statements. Let’s keep reading:
”Discover a better way to be seen on the major search engines. A way that over 14,000 companies have already discovered.”
”Their sites are ALWAYS seen at the top of the major search engines, WITHOUT the exorbitant pay per click charges.”
Umm …OK, my “here comes the hype” antennae came out. How about you? You starting to get suspicious?
Let’s continue:
”We can provide you that same placement, exclusively, across Google, Yahoo!, MSN and thirteen other search engines. This Network is based on established, proven search toolbar technology, having been in existence for over five years. This search toolbar network is at nearly 31 million, and for 100% of those who have the search toolbar, you are always seen first on the search engines – or your money back!”
”You, too can have this guaranteed type of exposure“.
Screech! (Brakes slamming!) Stop! There it is … a word that NO ETHICAL SEO services provider would EVER say to you! I’ve blogged about similar issues like this before and I’m blogging again about it today.
Please, if you are new to having a website; or new to learning about what is and isn’t possible with search engine optimization techniques; or new to SEO services providers; or new to what is and isn’t pure hype, and what is or isn’t a rip-off … then take a moment and please absorb what I am sharing with you in these next few sentences. Pretty please.
If you see any claim, anywhere about GUARANTEED ranking positions, ranking placement or the like …
To paraphrase a song by the Steve Miller Band, I’ll leave you with this valuable lesson for today: “Go on take [your] money and run, Yeah! Go on take [your] money and run!
