SEO Snake Oil: Scams and Services to Avoid
Finish this phrase:
“If it sounds too good to be true, ________________ .”
That’s right! It probably is.
Now let’s take a look at some commonly used phrasing in regards to online marketing, SEO, SEM, and other such internet related business practices.
“FIRST PAGE GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS GUARANTEED”
When it comes to search engines, the entire practice of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing is all based off of educated guesses. There is no inside insight into the search algorithm that Google, Bing, Yahoo!, or any other search engine used. So while online marketing companies can research and find out the best way to increase search engine visibility (some to great success!), it is all based on really good educated guesses. Google could change their algorithm the next day and your site could plummet to the bottom of the search engine ranks. There are no “guaranteed search engine rankings”. If someone is claiming to guarantee a spot in the SERPs, then they are either outright lying or being disingenuous. They don’t mention for what terms or phrases for which they will garner this magical Google ranking. I’m sure anyone could get first page “wombat psychology summer program registration” results if they really wanted to.
“TOP SEARCH ENGINE RANKING IN 24 HOURS”
There are many things you can do in a 24 hour time span. You can learn the game “Go”, take a trip to a day spa, watch all 6 Star Wars movies, but you can’t really get top search engine ranking for valid keywords and phrases in a 24 hour period. This phrase appeals to the people who are impatient, and because not many people have innate in-depth knowledge of SEO, they waste their time and money on these snake oil services.
There are more scams, but they all amount to the same thing. These shady SEO and SEM services offer a cheap and fast product, and the people that use them get nowhere, but they get nowhere quickly and for little cost.
The moral of the story:
Search Engines were created to put relevant information in the hands of the user. This means that if your website isn’t showing up in the search rankings, then it isn’t relevant information for those search terms. You have two options at this point:
1) Find out the quickest way to exploit Google’s algorithm to boost your search rankings, or find a company to do it for you.
2) Find a seasoned online marketing company that knows how to actually make your page relevant for your desired terms organically and legitimately.
Remember, if your a home improvement company (or any company for that matter) your lead generation is tied to your marketing. If you base your marketing on SEO and SEM provided by unstable business practices, then you’re setting your business up for failure.