SEO Guarantee
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
There are several types of "guarantee" offered by some search engine optimization companies. These guarantees include:- 1st-page Google rankings for specific keywords
- No. 1 ranking positions at Google
- xxx% increase of web traffic
- xxx% increase of web leads
- xxx% increase of web sales
No matter how these guarantees are phrased in fine print, they are nothing but a scam. Many businesses fall for these scams and you can be sure that there are plenty of "SEO experts" or "SEO companies" that are not afraid of promising you the sky.
The truth of the matter is that no SEO guarantee has ever worked or can ever work because search engines like Google and Yahoo don't take orders from anyone. Search engines play no favor to any sites that are owned, created or optimized by anyone. If an SEO company tells you that they have a special relationship with Google, which guarantees you higher rankings, stay away!
Here is a typical SEO guarantee statement: Our SEO Guarantee depends on the number of keywords, competitiveness of the keywords, your current website ranking positions, competitiveness of your market etc. Based on the agreed keywords, we guarantee top 10 Google rankings for 40% of the agreed keywords and top 20 Google rankings for 60% of the agreed keywords. A typical guaranteed SEO package runs for 6 to 9 months.
Watch out for the fine print when you sign the contract. You can be sure that most of these "agreed keywords" are worthless long keyword phrases that no one would ever search for. If you are a national marketing agency, would the phrase "cheap powerful effective internet creative marketing firm in America" mean much to you? Does it pay to pay an SEO company to get this long phrase to No. 1 at Google? The answer is "NO", because no one would ever search for a long phrase like this.
Another trap of these SEO guarantees is that as long as the "agreed keywords" show up once at their target positions, the "SEO company surely has delivered the guaranteed results." If SEO is your long-term strategy, are you happy with a 1st-page ranking that lasts no longer than a day? Even if you get a No. 1 Google ranking for a day for a desired keyword phrase, will it help your business much in the long run?
The worst scams are those that guarantee the number of web leads and sales. Search engine optimization can increase your web traffic, but whether your website can sell depends on many factors, including price, reputation, customer service, and location. These factors are far beyond the control of the SEO company. Not everyone who comes to your website will buy your products or services. Search engine optimization can bring visitors to your website, but their decision to contact you or buy from you has more to do with your business than the SEO company. How can the SEO firm that you barely know guarantee your products and services sell better than your competitors? These lead or sale guarantees are a waste of time. The end result for you is that you lose money to these "SEO firms" and you lose business to your competition.
If a search engine optimization firm gives you these "guarantees", you can be sure that you want to stay away from them. But how do you choose the right SEO company? Read our advice here: How to Choose the Right SEO Firm
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