Knowing if the search engine optimisation company you choose is doing a good job isn't always as easy as it seems.
Many poor performing companies use "smoke and mirrors" techniques to try and baffle their customers to make it appear they are doing a lot, when in reality, they are doing very little. On the other hand, many great search engine optimisation companies perform fantastically, but their honesty, openness and their knowledge of what is actually achievable makes their clients think that they aren't as good as others. After all, would you prefer just "promises of results" or would you prefer "actual provided results"?
So, how can you identify what sort of company the search engine placement company you have selected is? Well, you can look at Google's recommendation on 'What's an SEO?' to help you tell the "promisers" from the "providers":
Did your SEO company send you an unsolicited email?
Most SEO companies will not send you spam, but be careful not to confuse this with the genuine marketing that genuine companies send out. View all unsolicited emails with scepticism, and check out the company thoroughly before you buy. Just because they claim to be able to do something doesn't always mean they can!
Did your SEO company guarantee you a number 1 position on Google?
Or on any other search engine for that matter. The search engines are the only ones who can decide which site to put in the coveted top spot for any given search, so SEO companies simply cannot guarantee this. However this must not be confused with SEO's who give more general guarantees i.e. Guaranteed listings, or a guaranteed top 10 position, for 1 of a number of terms. Also remember that these sort of guarantees can be made for pay per click listings, and paid inclusion directories. Some companies also offer money back guarantees, and a show of good faith. Again you must decide if you feel these guarantees are reasonable and sound, or if they seem too good to be true.
Did your SEO company explain clearly what they were going to do.
Few companies will explain everything to their clients, partly because they don't want to confuse people and, especially with SEO, because most companies have had people milk them for information only to set up a rival company elsewhere, and just as you wouldn't expect your hairdresser to teach you how to cut your own hair, you shouldn't expect your SEO company to teach you how to optimise your own site, however, any company should be able to give you examples of the work they are carrying out, and give you broad descriptions of what they are doing. If your SEO company refuses to give you any information, be wary.
Did you have to have a link from your site to your SEO company?
Many reputable companies will add a link from your site to theirs, however this shouldn't be a condition of service, unless this condition has been made clear to you prior to any work being carried out. and they should be willing to remove any such links if you ask. This does not apply to areas such as free hosting, or web design where often this is a condition of service.
Be sure to understand where the money goes.
Firstly be sure to make sure you understand weather you are paying a company for natural listings, or weather they offering you a pay per click campaign. In most cases the money paid to an SEO provider is paying for the time factor involved in optimising a website, however all SEO companies should be willing to explain where you money is going, and how much time they are putting in for that sum. You must bare in mind that there are genuine costs associated with natural optimisation.
Can your SEO company provide verifiable testimonials and case studies?
And can you contact the people who wrote them. Anyone can make up a testimonial, so do your seo company have email or web addresses on their testimonials & case studies? If not, can they give you the email address of a customer who will be willing to talk to you. Be wary of any company who does not have this transparency.
Most importantly
Are you happy with the way that your SEO company have performed. At the end of the day, if you think that they are doing a good job, and you would recommend them to other companies, friends, or family, then chances are that your company are doing well. If you are not happy with the way they have performed, before you decide that they are no good, approach them first, and get an explanation, if they can provide you with a satisfactory answer, then they are probably still an OK company, if they can't then you may have to go elsewhere. Have a look at our top rating SEO companies, to find the right one for you.
What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?
One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.
Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavoury or illegal content.
What are some other things to look out for?
There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:
- owns shadow domains
- puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
- offers to sell keyword searches in the address bar
- doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear in search results (natural and paid listings)
- guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway - don't confuse this with companies who try to manage your expectations, in line with budget or market constraints.
- operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
- gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spy ware, or scum ware
- has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
Mark Esho
http://www.seoinsider.co.uk
For more information and for a review of SEO Companies visit SEO Insider.
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