Beware of SEO Scammers

I recently received an email pitch about improving my website’s keyword ranking.

It began:

“Let me introduce you our unique patent pending technology which will bring your website on top of all major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing and many more in 48 hours without bidding highest cost per click among competitors.”

Immediately, my spidey sense started tingling.

The wording of the email was a tipoff that this wasn’t legit. I wondered if this company also offers male enhancement supplements from Canada, or if they have access to a deposed Nigerian price who wants to wire $100,000 U.S. Dollars to my bank account.

The email continued:

“With our technology you will not have to worry about competitors, because once you get keyword, nobody else can use it during whole year. You will have exclusive rights on your keywords during year and first right of renewal.”

There it was—confirmation that I was dealing with a scammer.

SEO Scams

If something sounds too good to be true, it often is. This applies to ersatz “web marketing” offers. This company absolutely cannot guarantee my site would rank on the first page of Google. It is impossible to purchase exclusive rights to a keyword for any length in time in organic search engine optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.

SEO Promises No One Can Legitimately Make

1. No one can promise you that they can make your site rank on the first page of Google organic search results.
2. No one can say that they 100% know what Google is looking for or that they completely understand the Google algorithm, unless they work at Google. If a marketer really did know, they wouldn’t be sending out questionable emails—they could pick and choose their clients from any organization in the world.
3. No one can promise you that you can buy a keyword. You can bid for keywords using search engine advertising, like PPC, but you cannot own a keyword. No one can prevent others from bidding on keywords.

SEO & PPC Reality

This company could be phishing for financial information, or they could just be unscrupulous marketers who take companies’ money and then fail to deliver results. Regardless, no reputable agency, marketing firm, or web shop will make these claims, because they cannot guarantee the results.

A trustworthy web company absolutely can create a strategic web marketing plan that incorporates professional SEO tactics and competitive PPC methods. It is possible to improve keyword ranking and—yes—it is possible to make it to the first page of Google search results. But no one can promise to deliver first page results, because it’s a promise they can’t keep.

Have you been contacted by a scammer like this, or have you been approached by companies that make unrealistic guarantees? Tell us about it in the comments below.