Despite the fact that no-one can be sure of getting a number one ranking for your business, many SEO providers do offer it. However, be wary! If something sounds too good to be true, it generally is.
SEO Guarantee Scams
The most common SEO guarantee is x position (number 1, first page etc.) within x months. The way in which this guarantee works is that the provider will choose very obscure phrases to rank. It would be fairly straightforward to achieve a number 1 rank for these phrases as they’ll be little or no competition to do so. This also means that very few people will be using these search terms too, so it will drive next to no traffic to your site. For example, it would be easy for an SEO provider to guarantee a number 1 spot for a phrase like ‘underwater sumo wrestling in Mozambique’ as there would be very few people, probably no-one, also trying to rank for this phrase. However, it is also unlikely that anyone would be searching for this phrase, so it is of little use to anyone to rank for it.
Another trap of this type of guarantee is that as long as the agreed upon keywords show up in the target positions for a very brief period, then the SEO company is deemed to have fulfilled the guarantee. These SEO companies then employ unethical black hat SEO tactics which are known to get results fast, but never last long. If you are a business that views SEO as a long term strategy, then would you happily risk short-term rankings at the expense of a life-long ban?
SEO companies that adopt this type of guarantee almost always employ risky techniques like buying backlinks that will damage your site, and they don’t care that they do. By the time your site gets penalised by the search engines, the agency has long since collected their payment and left your website high and dry. When you ask them to rectify the issue you’ll be shown the fine print of the contract, which will, of course, cover them in the event of a penalty.
Guarantees that state a specific (high) result in a short span of time (months) encourage shady crash and burn SEO. Search engines penalise websites “optimised” with shady tactics that are against search engine guidelines. A penalty will result in a lowering of rankings or worst still a complete delisting from the results.
Another common “promise” is a minimum guarantee of x number of leads or sales. Effective search engine optimisation will increase your web traffic, but whether your website converts that traffic into leads and sales depends on many things, including your website’s design, your prices, and your reputation. These factors are beyond the control of an SEO agency. A Search Engine Optimisation firm has no way to guarantee that your products and services will sell better than your competitors, that’s your responsibility. These leads or sales guarantees are a waste of time and money and should be avoided.
But I still want some assurances I’ll get results…
Of course, you do, and so you should. In order to identify an SEO company that will get you results you should check the work, they have done for others. By checking the rankings of their long-standing customers you will confirm that they deliver results that stick. You might also request customer testimonials and case-studies and call a selection of their customers for feedback. This will tell you much more about an agency’s ability to deliver results than a well-crafted guarantee.
Should I avoid SEO guarantees altogether?
A reputable provider will work towards high rankings on competitive key phrases and will be realistic and honest about the difference it can make to your business. At SEO Sherpa, we do guarantee to increase a client’s rankings, but we don’t guarantee a certain position – that’s impossible.
A guarantee to “increase results” (however small) is acceptable and reassuring. It allows for a strong and steady climb up the results, the type that is achieved by using ethical and organic SEO practices and it does not encourage risky short-term tactics. Instead, it focuses on a gradual increase in your site’s authority that will return long-term results.
Conclusion
You should generally avoid SEO guarantees, especially those that promise a specific result. These guarantees appear to protect you (the customer) when in fact they are heavily weighted in the favour of the SEO company. I strongly recommend you use other factors to weigh up your choice of an agency such as past results, happy customers, and industry reputation.
If you absolutely must have some assurance of results, then choose a firm who include a term of increased results within a reasonable time frame.
Have you fallen victim of a fraudulent SEO guarantee? If you have please tell me about it below.
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