4 SEO Trick Schemes to Avoid

With the increasing influence and change of marketing focus to Internet, we have the usual unsavoury characters arriving on the scene. Where there is money, there is a scam. SMEs are particularly vulnerable to this as most do not have the resources, the time or the knowledge to distinguish a genuine SEO company from the fraudsters.

Let us start at the beginning and explain to the uninitiated what SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is. Search Engines use a technology known as 'spiders' to seek out websites, making a record of the website content and then using their unique algorithm to judge whether or not the content of the website is relevant to the search phrase requested by a web user. Each search engine uses a different algorithm, putting different emphasis and weighting on different factors such as content, word density, meta-tags, usability, together with a range of qualitative and quantitative measurement matrices.

Search Engine Optimisation is a method which improves the visibility of a website within the results pages of free search tools such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and so on, by strict compliance to the search engine's algorithm. SEO actions should enhance the relevance of your website for your chosen keywords/keyphrases, improve usability and therefore increase the relevant traffic to your website.

Here are the telltale signs that should send the alarm bells ringing in your head and therefore avoid falling for one of the many scams that is plaguing SEO industry.

SEO Company Trick number 1.

'We have a last dedicated (reserved) slot left on the 1st page of Google!'

Don't just take my word for it; here is what Google says on their website on this claim:

" Google never sells better ranking in our search results...Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice...be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

Google's own website tells you loud and clear that there are no reserved places for any organisation on their first page. First page organic slot is earned by satisfying the complex algorithm that Google uses to judge whether your website content is the most relevant to the search term. There is no magic wand to achieve this other than being relevant!

The second opportunity for you to be on the first page is presented by Pay-per-Click (PPC). Google's paid results appear on the right & top of the page, which are clearly marked as "Sponsored Links". For those who are not familiar with how PPC works, let me demystify it. The highest bidder gets on the top of the page, with the 2nd highest on the 2nd place and so on. To take part in this live auction you have to have an AdWord account, specify the terms you want to bid, and then set the maximum bid you are willing to pay for a click. Google does the rest for you. You can set daily budget for your bidding but in essence you are signing a blank cheque to Google.

So part of this plan is the unscrupulous SEO Company will take a monthly fee from you for so the called 'management' of your PPC. They take a cut from the fees paid to Google, so in effect not all the money you pay for your PPC ends up being used for advertising as a percentage of your money goes on feeding the SEO Company's bank account!

Let us just work this out by some simple mathematics and see how much this can really cost you. Let's say you are targeting 5 keywords/keyphrases with each averaging €1-€1.50 per click. Now assume that you have picked 5 popular keyphrases (why would you pick unpopular ones?!), which each generate 1000 hits per week, with your click conversion ratio of 3% giving you 150 clicks per day. This means minimum of 600 clicks per month, translating to a bill of €600-€900 per month (gulp!). That is a whopping €7,200 or €10,800 per annum at the top end. No wonder Google has announced record profits! Now do you see how the offer of getting you on their 'allocated' slot can cost you well over their claimed €150 per month? Remember this is before they take their 30% cut from your expenditure!

SEO Company Trick number 2

'We are a Google Reseller and have preferential slot for our clients that guarantees your page 1 placement'.

Here is a direct quotation from Google's Public website:

"Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google."

This is as clear as a day and is directly from Google telling you there are no 'preferential' or 'special relationships' with any company. Your website appears on the organic search on its merit or you will pay to appear on PPC. There is no 3rd way.

SEO Company Trick number 3

'We can guarantee your first page appearance'

Once again the answer is the wind my friend, or should I say Google website:

"No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever."

There is no explanation necessary here, so thank you Google for saving my typing fingers!

SEO Company Trick number 4

'Our methods are secret and we do not tell anyone how we do our job'

Well there may be some truth in that but lets face it, if they cannot explain to you what they are doing and why they are doing it, you should not allow anyone near your website. We can accept that as a commercial business a SEO Company can not be expected to disclose to the client exactly what you are going to do. This sounds like free consultancy to most of us, but they can at least give a broad-brush explanation such as the areas they will look at, the areas they will rewrite, the general approach they take in addressing your website issues, etc. As Google rightly advises:

"Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you. If an SEO has FTP access to your server, they should be willing to explain all the changes they are making to your site."

Couldn't put it better myself! This is your website, your company's image and your company's reputation. You have a god-given right to know what is going on your website!

At Cognisant Associates we provide clean, clear and concise SEO services. We fully explain our practices, have a clear Service Level Agreement, and provide you with monthly reports (or quarterly depending on your contract) that explain our actions, results, website performance and our action plan for the next period. We do not use unethical methods or practices that are considered to be 'black hat tricks' within the industry, and we comply fully with Google's guidelines. Contact us to see what we can do for you.



Ali Zartash-Lloyd is Managing Partner at Cognisant Associates (http://www.cognisantassociates.co.uk) a business consulting partnership. He is a management graduate from the University of Leicester and was European Director for major US and Korean multi-nationals for over a decade. Cognisant Associates specialises in consulting on Business Management, Business Grooming and Marketing.




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