Ways to spot SEO scam – Signs that tell you about scam SEO companies

SEO improvements

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a must for businesses today, and to succeed, it requires setting the right expectations and choosing an authentic SEO agency that plays the game by the rules. Unfortunately, there are plenty of SEO companies and professionals that make unrealistic promises about prompt success and dupe clients. When searching for SEO companies, beware of scamsters who have tarnished the trade reputation over the years. There are numerous SEO agencies and experts who rely on Black Hat techniques and lure clients with unrealistic expectations that severely damage the business prospects. Such companies normally claim to know the secret of ranking first on the search result page, which is a blatant lie. Therefore, when looking for SEO companies, you must know how to identify scam companies or agencies to avoid falling into their trap.

The biggest bait used by scam SEO companies is to promise clients of fast results, which is never possible because there is no quick fix for SEO. Legitimate SEO efforts take time for results to show up, and when you realize something is wrong, the damage has been done. Therefore, knowing the good from the bad is critical when selecting SEO companies.

Fast turnaround times

Google is extremely careful in picking websites for search results because they want to provide users with the most authentic and relevant information. Therefore, search engines judge website quality critically to ensure that no inferior website can sneak into the search results even by mistake. Implementing SEO correctly requires developing strategies by considering the best practices comprising set rules and guidelines revolving around search engine algorithms, which is not an easy job. It is an ongoing process that requires consistent work and maintenance.

It is not a one-time job as the scamsters portray to clients, and neither is possible to predict the timeline for the results. Therefore, any company or individual who claims to be an SEO expert and assures results that seem too good, are the ones that you must stay away from.

Beware of secret SEO strategies

If anyone claims to know some secret SEO strategy, nothing can be far from the truth. SEO is a transparent process based on the guidelines set by search engines, which is well documented and accessible to everyone. If SEO strategies follow these guidelines, which it is supposed to, then there cannot be any secret which you should understand from common sense. Indeed, SEO is complicated, and one needs to learn a lot about keywords, content optimization, etc. but there is no secret. Any SEO company that claims to know some secret is dishonest, and you should be suspicious about them. A good SEO company should be able to create a blueprint for SEO for your business with clear information about the salient features like keyword and competitor research, content creation, website audits, link building strategies, and outreach.

Be suspicious about promises of numerous links

Consider backlinks as votes for websites, and just as it is not possible for anyone to assure thousands of votes for any political party without rigging the system, similarly, no SEO company can promise hundreds of backlinks without playing foul with the algorithms. Link building is an organic process that thrives on building relationships with other websites by developing authority to discover the quality of your website, take an interest, and provide links. SEO companies should work to optimize content and build relationships across the industry and media outlets that promote organic link building. Moreover, the links in your inventory must be of high quality and relevant to your business. If any SEO company just provides numerous links from directories, it would be of no use to you.

The promise of No.1 rank is a lie

Google’s search engine algorithms are so complex and unexplained that no one really knows about it except for what they learn by working with it and whatever Google announces from time to time. The practice of SEO depends on trying to understand the way algorithms work and doing the best to develop strategies that help to gain SEO mileage and improve the ranking prospects. It is simply not possible to tell in advance what the SEO efforts would yield specifically, at least with respect to ranking. Therefore, if any SEO company claims to have the ability to make your website earn the top spot in the search result, it is an outright lie.

Not emphasizing on content

Ensure that the SEO agency you have in mind will not only talk about keywords and rankings but also content. Technical SEO and keywords are still important, but as search engines try to provide the best and most relevant answer, content is now holding the center stage. For example, when people look for top restaurants at any place, search engines know that they do not want a list of restaurants only but more information in that regard, which can be provided by content only. Today SEO and content are like the two sides of the same coin, and to do quality SEO; you must do quality content optimization by creating great content that is most beneficial for users.

If any SEO company does not attach due importance to content, better stay away from it.

Outdated techniques

Talk to the SEO agency about the techniques they would use so that you understand how much updated they are with the current best practices. Keyword stuffing, buying backlinks, private blog networks and the like which all amount to Black Hat techniques are strictly forbidden, and be sure that the company does not use techniques which might give results briefly but can cause more damage in the long run by attracting Google penalty which can doom the campaign as well as the business.

The pricing offered by the SEO company should be unambiguous and transparent. Although there is nothing like industry-standard pricing, there is a benchmark that you can refer to understand whether the price is too low, which can be a sign of fake offer.

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