Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital component for effective digital marketing. If you adjust your website in accordance with a search engine like Google, build relationships with other websites, and publish content that provides vital information to your customers, your website will appear higher up in search engine’s results.
Due to a sudden increase in demand for SEO, there are plenty of agencies and freelancers out there who try to scam business and website owners to make quick money.
In reality, SEO requires meticulous planning and execution. It takes weeks or even months to see any result from efforts made by SEO agencies. This somehow makes things easier for scammers who are looking for unwary customers. By the time you realize they are not generating results, you have already paid a decent sum of money.
How do business owners avoid fraudulent SEO companies? Fortunately, you can identify these scammers quickly if you keep the following points in mind:
1. They promise you quick results
2. They claim to have “insider knowledge” of search engines
3. They’re ambiguous about pricing and can’t or won’t provide references
4. They guarantee impossible results
There are no quick results in SEO. Search engines like Google and Bing want to make sure they’re providing their users with relevant search results. So, they don’t rank websites quickly, the algorithm checks for external website links, keywords, content on a website and more to avoid any mistake.
No one knows how the search engine algorithm works. It is so complex and ever-changing that engineers don’t know how it works. If an SEO company claims to have insider knowledge, then it is one of the biggest red flags, and you should avoid it at all costs.
As there is no such thing as standard industry pricing, any reputable SEO company will provide you with an estimated cost based on your SEO needs. If the prospect is not providing any upfront cost, then it is nothing less than a red flag, which could lead to a huge loss of investment down the road.
Legitimate and successful SEO agencies will promise things like more traffic on a website, ranking on the first page within a specific time frame and more. What you want to watch out for is impossible guaranteed results like #1 website ranking for a competitive keyword in a short period. Guaranteeing such things is impossible.
With so many SEO agencies in the market, it becomes hard to find the right agency for your business. If you keep the above points in mind, you won’t find any trouble finding a good and reputable SEO company. Just make sure you do a thorough background check on the company.
