SEO: Warning Signs

February 10th, 2009

We’ve been in business since 2005 with members of our staff having experience to the pre-Google period so we have plenty of experience with the “wounded” out there who have been burned, even scorched by SEO Companies that don’t perform. So how can you tell who you should hire and work with? Here we will list for you all those things we have seen and heard from our very clients who have come to us and what they experienced and what you clearly must avoid. Buyer Beware!

1. Speaking and acting like there are great secrets to SEO optimization – there are no secrets. Google clearly provides straight forward “by the book” guidelines for what it takes to successfully optimize a website or webpage for successful ranking on Google. So, when you feel like you aren’t being given the straight scoop. Look for open discussion and free expression of the elements, processes and techniques required for successful SEO.

2. SEO willing to bargain – SEO is expensive. This is not something you can decide upon using price as an important issue. The most expensive SEO is unsuccessful SEO because 100% of your investment will be lost AND 100% of the time you spend hoping that this SEO Company will do the job will be lost; hence you lose the opportunity cost of time.

3. SEO stressing only “geeky” things. If the SEO is stressing things like meta tags, metadata, title tags, keyword densities, sitemaps, start packing your bags. While these things are important, you are rarely successful using only these elements.

4. SEO selling backlinks – specifically, an over-emphasis on registering your website with online directories including those who sell backlinks to your site. These have very little positive effect as Google knows which directories are out there and they don’t give you any credit for backlinks that are purchased.

5. SEO referring or suggesting ways to trick the Google. You absolutely cannot trick the Google, at least not for long enough to make any difference for the business results of your website.

6. SEO does not tell you what you need to know OR SEO only telling you want you want to hear – i.e. SEO Company NOT STRESSING CONTENT as a continuous requirement for onsite indexing and offsite syndication. CONTENT is the most under-stressed, yet most important, factor in successful SEO. This is because the professional implementation of content on a regular basis is essential to creating the on-site and off-site activities needed to generate active indexing and highly relevant, naturally occurring backlinks. Any SEO company not making a “big deal” about CONTENT is NOT telling you what you need to know.

7. SEO guarantees top page rankings – run baby run! No SEO can guarantee this. They can guarantee increased sales and increased traffic but specific rankings cannot be guaranteed; this is just a pure understand what Google is and how Google works. It’s no different that guaranteeing on how 10 horses will finish in a race. You would have to predict exactly what your competition is doing simultaneously to what you are doing. Pretty silly, isn’t it?

8. SEO is complicated or tedious – these are sure signs that the SEO is either disorganized, disoriented as to the process, or just trying to impress you with a bunch of mumbo jumbo. If the SEO can’t at least summarize quickly what they do and how they do it, forget it and move on.

9. Failure to show off a bit – SEO is not easy; so if the SEO is not eager to show you lots of examples of top rankings for existing clients, ask for examples. Open up a Google Search and ask for examples. You usually can easily verify the results by checking the footer of the home page for each result you are shown.

10. SEO is not a full service Internet Marketing Services Company – if the following are not part of their in-house SEO process then they are not full service and, at best, are outsourcing if at all:

a. Social Media

b. Social Bookmarking

c. Information Feeds like RSS

d. Copywriting Services

e. Online Syndication

f. Online Indexing (Manual Submissions)

g. Industry-specific back linking

h. Multi-media submissions

So, these are the warning signs … there are many more for sure. However, beware of these and you will be way ahead of the game. On a more positive note see our related article here at http://www.optimum7.com/internet-marketing/new-articles-content/internet-marketing-services-6-point-checklist.html to see those key points you need to verify towards the successful selection of a professional Internet Marketing Company. Of course, you can always Contact Us with any questions.