Are You Getting Ripped Off? 3 Warning Signs of a Shady SEO Company

Seo consultant

It seems as if more and more affordable SEO companies are popping up every day. And in today?s digital world, you?d be a fool not to take advantage of their highly valuable services. But with so many SEO and digital marketing firms competing for your business, how do you select the best one? It?s not always easy to tell the difference between an experienced company with proven search engine optimization strategies and one that?s all talk and no action. Here are a few signs that an SEO company may not be everything they claim to be.

Three Warning Signs of a Bad SEO Company

  1. Keyword Guarantees

    Any SEO firm that assures you the number one ranking for a specific keyword or phrase is just blowing smoke. In reality, there?s no way they can make that kind of guarantee when they don?t know what kind of resources the current top ranking site has. They?re also just looking at the whole SEO process from the wrong perspective. Your goal should be an increase in the volume of qualified leads coming across your site, not the ranking of one particular word. Ultimately, the ranking is just a means to an end ? the end being higher conversions.
  2. Vague Explanations

    SEO, like any other field, has it?s own jargon and technical terms. You may not be familiar with phrases like ?link velocity? or ?metadata,? but your SEO company should be able to explain their strategy to you in layman?s terms. If they claim that the process is too complex or technical, consider this a red flag that they may not actually know what they?re doing themselves.
  3. Lower-Than-Average Prices

    Affordable SEO companies are ideal, but one that?s too affordable should send up a red flag. Search engine optimization takes a lot of time and a lot of manpower. If they?re charging you any less than a couple hundred dollars a month, they might be using shady tactics that could end up doing more harm than good.

Search engine optimization involves a lot of careful strategizing and planning and a little bit of guesswork. No company can possibly know it all. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it likely is. On the other hand, there are plenty of affordable SEO companies out there with the experience, knowledge, skills, and highly competent team members to get the results you need to boost your business. Once you know how to identify the bad ones, the good ones will be a lot easier to spot.