Search Engine Myths and Scams
There have been a large number of claims in this field recently.
We have received a number of misleading ads via fax, phone,
email and even good old fashioned fliers! Following are
some common advertising hooks , that are actually myths,
that we have seen.
Top Google Rank in 1 hour
We just got this on a flyer! Getting a high rank for meaningful
keywords takes time. Occasionally someone finds a bug in the
algorithm to fool the search engines, but as soon as the search
engine company finds out about it, it will be gone. So how
do they promise "money back guaranteed"? By placing
specific phrase from your site on a site that is frequently
crawled by search engines and then searching for that phrase.
This is useless to you, as you want to get results for keywords
which your prospects are using to find your business. Not
phrases off your site.
Number 1 position guaranteed
Again, to try and support this claim they will use a phrase unique to your site. They will likely use this as a justification for not refunding your money. Nobody can guarantee you first place all the time and under all circumstances. This doesn't mean that optimization is not worth doing, though. It is. The way to get best results is to format your site properly.
Submit your link to thousands of search engines
This can be done, but it does not increase your rank. Search engines have a lot of ways of finding your web site, submissions are only one. Some submissions may be useful if your site is new and has just been put online, but if it has been there a while, it has probably already been indexed. Submitting your site is one baby step in an over all optimization strategy.
Software that creates thousands of links
These software packages do this by posting to blogs, or
forums that have low security. The result is links that
the search engines will disregard. The "link farms"
are pages of advertising links that nobody will read. Most
often these sites are compromised and frustrated system
administrators will end up just deleting your link in a
matter of time.
Special relationship with Google/Yahoo/MSN
This is a very common claim. The search engine companies
make no vendor relationships, nor do they release how they
index your site. The algorithms they use change daily. Their
goal is to provide the most relevant content for a search.
Bypassing that in any way lowers the value of their service.
Phishing Scams
In these cases there actually is no legitimate company,
and little if any work done. You send them money and the
passwords to your site and they disappear. This is typical
with the spam emails you get. Most notably is one that claims
they are first page with keywords "SEO Company"
but neglects to say what their company name is so that you
can verify it. These have been sent for several months with
an address of "501 VERDUGO WAY WESTLAKE VILLAGE , CA
91362 - USA" which is also fictitious.
Is optimization worth it?
Yes, absolutely, your competition probably already is.
It should be an integral part of your overall marketing
strategy. In most cases your position can be improved and
in many cases you can get to first page, but Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) is an ongoing process, it is not simply
done in one shot. Companies offering to do this for you
on a one-time basis are probably not considering an overall
business strategy and you should be weary of their promises.
If you see the above claims you should keep in mind the
old adage, "If it seems to good to be true, it probably
is". You should make sure you are dealing with a reputable
company.
Holden-Andrew Corporation offers successful search engine
consulting. At the very least, we can give you a true picture
of where you stand in search results on the Web, and what
can be done to help improve the visibility of your business
to prospects searching for your goods and services.
For a consultation please call us at 310-792-4999
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