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How to Recognize a Bad SEO Company
by Enzo F. Cesario
More Search Engine Optimization Articles
Published on this site: August 1st, 2009 - See
more articles from this month
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about getting potential
customers to visit your website. It is also about building a
quality website full of great content. It uses keywords
appropriately and gets links "naturally" because people love
what you have on your site. SEO companies can provide very useful
services including keyword research, site review, providing
technical advice on your website development and also management
of online business marketing campaigns. They can also help with
content development, article marketing and article distribution.
Although it's not brain surgery, it is hard to do and usually
requires a lot of thought and real work.
Some unethical SEO firms attempt to manipulate search engine
results in unfair ways. These practices could get your website
ranked lower or even banned. When looking at SEO - either to
optimize it on your own or if you are looking to hire a company,
here are some things to take into account.
- Be Cautious Of SEO Firms That Say They Will Get Thousands Of
Links To Your Site.
It' is not the number of sites that make the difference - it's
the quality of the sites. When firms promise huge numbers of
links, or say that you' will become part of their "network of
sites", it usually means a link farm is involved. A link farm is
any group of websites that all hyperlink to every other site in
the group. Search engines don't like this and it can lead to
penalties. Instead, practice reciprocal linking with legitimate
and related websites for better search engine ranking.
- Be Wary Of SEO Firms That Guarantee A High Ranking On Google.
No one can guarantee a high ranking on Google. Some SEO companies
offer a guarantee on their services. This is fine. What's not
fine is guaranteeing high ranking in an incredibly short period
of time. When these unrealistic results fail to happen, the
company will balk at giving a refund, offer you other services
instead, start to become unreachable or disappear.
- Be Cautious Of SEO Firms That Send "Spammy" Emails.
These emails are unsolicited and usually begin with "We've
noticed that you are not listed in some search engines..." You
should be searching for a high-ranking SEO company; they will not
be searching for you. Spam means scam. You don't buy your
medications from spammers so why buy SEO services from them?
- Be Wary Of SEO Firms That Are Secretive Or Don't Clearly Explain
What They Are Going To Do.
Most reputable SEO firms are upfront with their clients and like
to share their knowledge. They are confident that even if their
clients understand their process, they won't leave them. If the
SEO firm claims it's too complicated for you to understand, or
if they say they have trade secrets and proprietary technology,
it's a sign that they may not be ethical in dealing with your
website.
- Be Wary Of SEO Firms That Say They Will Submit Your Site To
Thousands Of Top Search Engines And Directories.
Besides the small fact that there aren't that many search
engines, consider that the guidelines of the search engines
themselves tell you that it doesn't do any good anymore. Search
Engines are good at what they do - searching for sites - and you
don't need to pay someone to submit your site to a search
engine. If they make this claim, they will probably use Free For
All (FFA) junk sites that might damage your site's standings.
- Be Cautious Of SEO Firms That Say They Can Optimize And Promote
Your Site For A Low, Low Monthly Fee.
Not all monthly SEO or SEM (Search Engine Management) service
contracts or monthly fees are a scam. There are real reasons to
pay a monthly fee to an SEO expert. These would include
conditions when you would require SEO management: when you or
someone else is constantly generating new content or new features
for your site; implementing link-building campaigns; implementing
PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns; or starting a brandcasting
campaign. Press release distribution, email campaigns and article
marketing campaigns could also require a legitimate monthly fee.
Not-so-legitimate fees could include monthly re-submitting of
your site to search engines, "tweaking" your code to keep up
with changes and regularly submitting your site to hundreds of
useless free-for-all directories. The worthwhile companies that
charge a monthly fee will usually be able to tell you exactly how
much it is per month to generate blog entries or generate and
distribute articles or press releases. And it won't be for the
low, low price of $79.95.
- Choose Your SEO Company And Services Carefully.
Do your research and don't make the decision lightly. If you
were hiring a contractor to remodel your kitchen you would want
to see other kitchen projects they've done and speak with the
owners about the company's business practices. You should do the
same thing when hiring an SEO company. Get referrals and really
speak with them.
There are many online tips about choosing and hiring SEO firms
that you can check out as well. Remember, SEO is a long-term
strategy and you should take the time to do your research before
buying or you'll probably be buying again.
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat, the only online marketing and
advertising company employing Brandcasting, the most effective
way to brand your company on the web. Brandcasting uses
informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution
and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of
traffic to your website. The approach is simple, highly effective
and affordable. Learn more at: http://www.Brandsplat.com/ and http://www.brandsplatblog.com/.
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