Black hat search engine optimization firms do exist, but just like American gypsies people just never see them, therefore they do not exist. The problem is however, that black hat SEO firms are very real and very willing to take your money. Like the snake oil salesmen of the 1900’s these black hat firms travel around selling mostly promises. There have been instances of business losing thousands of dollars. Personally, I have seen people put their trust in the quick “sell” of a black hat SEO and often times it’s a “if it looks too good to be true it probably is” type of scenario. Do not let this discourage you though, although some naysayers claim most SEO firms are black hat but that’s simply a lie.
There are many legitimate SEO firms in fact there are more legitimate ones than the illegitimate. The trick to not being conned is following my simple recipe for success when choosing your SEO firm.
There are some basic things you can do to avoid wasting your money on con artists.
1. Avoid “Huge” Secrets – No company has all of the answers and despite what some companies think most knowledge they possess isn’t secret. If a company is offering some huge secret (a.k.a. trick) to gain rankings on major search engines, be wary.
2. Keep it Real – Verify the phone number, contact information and local address. If the SEO Company you’re looking into has listed a local address pop-in sometime, for a meeting or just quick glimpse into operations. You may not receive a tour but any legitimate company will at least get a real person to talk with you. Plus, by visiting a real brick and mortar building you know the business is a business and not just a UPS address.
3. Guarantees – Guaranteed service or conflict resolution is fine, but if a firm is offering guaranteed rankings of any kind, be extremely cautious of doing business with them. Anyone working in SEO knows that there are absolutely NO guarantees…zero. A guarantee of a top spot is worse than others but either way this is a suspicious move.
4. Overkill on the Oversell – Be careful on companies with aggressive sales methods. If a company is soliciting you for business this is indicative of a Black hat firm. Although, not every company that solicits business is illegitimate, often this shows they do not have incoming clients because of their devious methods.
5. Prove It! - Track their success, does this particular company have any demons ratable past results? Does this company have any proven clients? Sometimes black hat firms will offer you results from another client but they were achieved via black hat methods. In this case, it is important to track long-term success of a company. They should have a good size group of projects and results to show you, for periods extending beyond 3 months.
Choosing an SEO firm - To learn more about this author, visit William Atkin's Website.
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