I get emails every day that promise to put my website on the first page of Google. THIS IS A SCAM. Give me a freaking break.
I’m sure my clients get these offers as well. This is a real problem. It creates false expectations that you can flip a magical switch and you’ll rate number one on whatever search you want.
The organic search results (not the ads) are based on Google’s algorithm which they work hard to make sure can’t be manipulated. The results are based on relevancy and quality.
Guaranteed First Page Rankings: Bullshit.
It sounds too good to be true because it it.
Take it from Google: you’ll see a section titled No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. They go on to say “Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings”. Since you’ve heard it directly from Google, you should make sure to avoid any company that offers such a guarantee.
Although technically, I can make you appear at the top of the search engines for something like “rainbow lime buffalo elbow”. If someone ever searches for “rainbow lime buffalo elbow”, you’ll come up first. My guess is that you want to rank for searches for your product or services?
Top Ranking within 48 hours: Bullshit.
The only way to guarantee this would be with Pay Per Click (PPC).
We know someone at Google, or have a special relationship with Google:Bullshit
A SEO firm that claims this is simply lying to you.
Google has no such partnerships in the SEO world. Plus, no Google employee would jeopardize their jobs by working with some firm on the side.
We know the Google Algorithm: Bullshit.
The SEO world knows some of what Google is doing, as we should, but Google generally keeps its secret sauce to themselves. They change is every day. They don’t want anyone gaming the system.
Think about it…
Google needs to provide the best search results it can. If they allowed companies to buy organic rankings, the site would be useless.
If all you needed to do is pay some firm, why wouldn’t your competitors hire them as well. Who get’s on the top of the results now?
So is SEO all just a scam?
Not at all. Someone looks for something like “Chicago Graphic Design” and they end up at our site. We get most of our business from SEO.
I optimized our web presence through hard, ongoing work. It’s about relative content, valuable content, good web design, connections to other sites, targeting keywords, best practices, and constant updates. SEO is a great way to get business, but If someone guarantees you first page of Google, tell them to take a hike.
