A common SEO scam that should be avoided at all costs.
Today, in this online marketing world, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is being widely used to promote business online.
In recent days, the online market is filled up with many so-called “SEO Experts” making unrealistic promises and offering guaranteed rankings.
Even though everyone is receiving spam emails from so-called SEO experts offering their premium service at an affordable price.
- What is the solution to know about these common SEO scams?
- How do we overcome without falling into these scam pits?
The only way is to educate more people about Search Engine Optimization and Digital Marketing Services.
Even still, most small business owners and others don’t have time to learn SEO due to a lack of resources.
Hence, as a long-term solution, we have put together a few 10 common SEO scams for your knowledge.
It’s very important to know about these tricks and invest your money in real results.
How to Distinguish Scam SEO Approach?
Some SEOs may be calling or sending you emails that attract your attention by giving magical promises.
Then they will analyze your approach and use their tricks to get money from you for their nonsensical services.
Then how do I know that any person who is contacting me is good at SEO, or not?
It’s very simple, and I will explain it to you further below.
i.) Avoid SEOs who promise things like quick traffic or ranking for your target keywords.
ii.) Ask a few simple questions and look for the answer below.
Sign 1: Tell you that it’s a secret.
Sign 2: Tell that it’s too technical to understand..
During your discussion, if you get these types of answers from the so-called SEO Expert, you should stay away from them.
Top 11 Common SEO Scams on the Market
1. Guaranteed Rankings
Most SEOs fuel your desire for guaranteed rankings. They claim that they can able to get you the #1 position on Google.
The so-called SEOs also say that they can place your site in the #1 position on all other search engines for sure.
Practically in real-time, no one can guarantee #1 results on any search engine.
Even Google, in their recent announcement, told everyone to beware of common SEO scams like guaranteed rankings”.
The best way to achieve first-page ranking is by doing a technical SEO audit and by using proper SEO Strategies.
2. Bundled SEO Services (Including FREE Trial)
Some SEO companies or so-called SEOs attract customers by offering bundled SEO services, including free SEO trials.
They will say that it’s a part of their marketing strategy for first-time customers.
But the pre-packed SEO is not a viable solution to develop your business in today’s scenario.
SEO is a long-term, continuous process, and without putting in great effort, it’s not possible to bring the results.
A few so-called SEOs take your money by offering FREE SEO Trials.
Bundled SEO Services will not bring you quality leads, and the results are temporary. You should be careful in analyzing the complete SEO services.
3. Undisclosed Secrets (Strategy)
Every SEO and SEO company should be transparent in explaining the process of their SEO activities.
Any individual (or) any SEO company that is not willing to share their secrets and their link-building strategy is a sign of a common SEO scam.
Any SEO company worth its weight should be able to explain its SEO activities and strategies.
If they build any links for you, it should be transparent, and you should be able to tell the source/type of the link.
Be aware that a few SEO companies use black hat SEO techniques that will get you banned by all search engines.
4. Disclose Relationship with Google
Again, a common SEO scam by most of the so-called SEOs is that they say that they have a special relationship with Google.
Sometimes they say that they have priority access to various Google products, which helps you fast ranking.
But in reality, no one outside Google can represent himself/herself as Google’s partner.
It’s very simple to confirm the Genuity of these SEOs just by asking for case studies and previous projects.
You can easily identify the person or a company as really a professional or just one of the no-stuff guys.
5. Paid Advertisement
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is different from Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and before you sign up, you should learn about their activities.
Paid advertising services are a way to rank your site quickly on SERP pages like Search Engine Marketing, Pay Per Click campaigns, etc.
Avoid confusion and be clear on the various offers you will receive and the results you will get.
They always try to create a package that you feel is hard to refuse, as this is their marketing tactic to attract first-time customers.
I advise you to walk away from these SEO companies or so-called SEOs.
6. Search Engine Submission
There are 1000s of search engines available in the Online Marketing World.
But, Google, Yahoo, and MSN/Bing account for over 90% of the search market.
SEOs who promise to rank on all these search engines at the same time by multiple submissions are pure SEO scammers.
Search engine submission is unnecessary because most search engines can crawl links and start indexing on their own.
7. Unrealistically Priced SEO
SEO is a long-term process, and it requires a great effort to rank a website or a blog. As a customer, you will GET what you PAY for.
If someone is doing SEO for Rs. 2000 or Rs. 3000, then the quality of the work will be the same.
A quality SEO even for a small business would cost Rs. 7000 ($100) and more per month.
A lot of hard work is required, and most probably it’s a time-consuming process to tank for target a keyword.
If any so-called SEO offers SEO services at a low price, then probably the quality of work will also be the same.
8. Fast Ranking in a Shorter Period
We have already discussed that SEO ranking will take a lot of time. Do not believe and trust anyone who claims a fast and quick ranking.
SEO is a never-ending process, and your website should be updated every day to align with the trends to stay at the top.
If you rank faster soon, you will be de-ranked or penalized by Google.
9. Disclosing as a Google Partner
Google is a monopoly organization, and they have never gone into such partnerships with SEOs in the real world.
If you were told that they were in partnership with Google, just stay away from them.
Even though Google employees do not know all the algorithms of Google, and someone on the outside can’t know.
10. Sending Unsolicited Emails
No SEO company practices the method of sending unsolicited emails to your email inbox or through a contact form.
There is nothing wrong with the Email other than false promises, guaranteed ranking, etc.
A professional company will get new clients by running proper email campaigns, customer referrals, blog posts, and other digital marketing activities.
11. Manual Submission Services
Few SEOs, as part of their SEO strategy, practice manual submission to improve rankings.
Submission services are the process of publishing your website to search engines, directories, article networks, etc.
Manual submission is a critical part of SEO, and when you do it strategically probably help you in ranking.
But most SEO companies do not follow professionalism in building authority links, and may go wrong sometimes.
How to Identify a Genuine SEO Company?
When someone approaches you and claims for guaranteed ranking at the top of the search engine, ask more questions.
An experienced SEO firm will list all the issues on your site and prepare a working plan for both technical and strategic reasons.
A real SEO company must be friendly and should be ready to create a customized plan for your business.
They should be able to prepare a transparent report, such as your business plan, sales, conversion strategies, content strategies, etc.
A good SEO company must provide proper guidance, planning, and execution for your SEO ranking.
It also covers technical details as well as a plan of action, along with SEO objectives.
Check the Reputation
Before selecting an SEO company, it’s best to go to Google and search using the phrase “Company Name + Scam”.
You can able to check your reputation by yourself.
Another way is to ask the company about past clients, actual reviews from the client, and, if possible, ask for any references.
Conclusion
Most common SEO scams are built around taking advantage of a lack of knowledge among customers or business owners.
To help you stay informed, we wrote an article on the topic – 12 popular SEO myths you should avoid. Make sure you read the message shared in that post.
Hence, before making any decision, you should learn about SEO, which is the best way to combat them.
Every business needs SEO services at some stage, and they should seek support from an SEO company.
You should choose only reputable agencies and consultants out there who can provide you with the best services.