SEO - Content Writing Advice - Web Design

Let’s face it: we’ve all been there. We all see the tempting allure of the dull green piece of paper and want to invest in the best that marketing can give us to increase more of that delicious green. But hark! What is this I hear? I don’t see results 2 days after I purchased your marketing program! Why are you not doing any work on my site? I was told I would get #1 guaranteed placement within 24 hours! Why aren’t you doing your job? I want to cancel! You SUCK!!

While the above is an exaggerated example of a real life situation, there are certainly scams that have a certain knack of perpetuating themselves throughout our industry. Many of them still exist because people don’t know the difference between what puffery is, what is real, what can be guaranteed, and what cannot be guaranteed. Unfortunately, there are individuals who tend to take advantage of this. As a result, many people are so disappointed in SEO that they will not even consider purchasing that kind of a service on their site again. So, in an attempt to help alleviate the danger of others falling for these kinds of scams, here is a list of the top scams in SEO today.

1. Guaranteed #1 Spot in 24 hours, 30 days, or other absurdly short amount of time.

First of all, this is impossible. No one but Google, Yahoo, or MSN (and others) can guarantee what position a site will rank in their respective search engine and when. If someone that is working for XYZ Corporation is attempting to convince you of SEO services, and they use this statement, it’s puffery. Be aware of this and curb your expectations back significantly. Real SEO takes a lot longer than 24 hours or 30 days. In fact, it can take up to 8-9 months to begin to achieve the kind of results you’re looking for. Depending on who you talk to, there are two schools of thought on this topic: Black Hat and White Hat.

Black Hat is focused more on achieving quick results using tactics that are designed to manipulate the search results into giving higher rankings quickly. However, once Google finds out about the techniques being used on the site, depending on the nature and severity of the techniques involved, your site will get banned. White hat techniques are a way of working WITH the search engines, not manipulating them. In fact, white hat techniques are the only sure fire way to obtain long term, top position results. In short, don’t believe that you’ll get top rankings in 24 hours from a brand-new web site or even an older, more established web site. That’s not going to happen.

2. We’ll get you to the top of Google if you buy this key term for $80 per month.

There are certain companies that will sell you services that sound like SEO, but are actually pay per click advertising campaigns. One such company is Netbiz. While they may say they’ll get you to the top of Google, what you’re really paying for is a flat rate for a key term that’s probably: a long tail key term, doesn’t have much advertising competition, doesn’t get much traffic (and a very low CTR) and is a term that you really can get away with paying an $80/mo flat rate to get to the “top” of the pay per click results. Don’t fall for these types of scams, because all they’ll really do is give you an empty wallet. Real Pay per Click advertising campaigns require much more, including maintenance, advertisement adjustments, and ensuring the campaign doesn’t burn a hole in your wallet.

3. If you buy x number of links for thousands of dollars, you’ll get top rankings.

While you may get top rankings for this one, if it’s one thing that will get your site banned is excessive paid links. When it comes to obtaining long-term rankings for any specific keyword, it’s far better to have a mixed link profile with a variety of quality inbound links that match the relevance for the key term that you’re attempting to rank for. Don’t get 1,000s of paid links to link back to your site. It will only be an exercise in futility.

4. Social Media (or whatever is the latest SEO fad) will net you big bucks and gobs of traffic to your site.

Yes, social media is a phenomenon. Yes, it can help you get traffic. But, it’s never a good idea to depend on a single aspect of SEO for your overall marketing strategy. If you want to participate in social media to gain an edge over your competition, you certainly can do so. Let it become an integral part of your marketing strategy. However, don’t let targeting social media be your only marketing strategy. You want to build your online presence so that it’s successful in the long term. And such a presence deserves a strong foundation encompassing a variety of SEO methods that will bring you traffic from multiple sources.

5. “We have a special relationship with Google that will help you get top rankings!”

Sorry. No one on the planet that operates as a third party company separate from Google has a special relationship with them. Every company has a support number they can use to reach Google for support issues, but that’s it. There’s no special relationship with Google or any of the other search engines.

Search Engine Optimization is not rocket science. It is, however, a scientific, analytical approach to obtaining traffic, search engine rankings, and a bigger online presence for your web site. Unfortunately, there are those in the industry that give SEOs a bad name by perpetuating these myths. For those with little knowledge of search engine optimization, it’s easy to fall prey to many of the above mis-representations. To protect yourself, use your common sense and investigate these claims before spending your money. And, ask questions to be sure that you understand everything involved in the search engine optimization services you’re purchasing. Your due diligence will pay off in the end, and you’ll be able to make a sound decision with plenty of evidence to back it up.