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Can SEO be guaranteed?

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Kneoteric_eSolutions

A number of SEO firms offer guaranteed seo services. The guarantee ranges from top 10 rankings to search engine placement guarantee. My research showed that most of these guarantees have strings attached and are often misleading.

As legit SEO professionals should we give such guarantees? What about the people who are giving it, because at the end of the day clients demand it.

What kind of guarantees can we actually give?
 
These companies are clearly trying to seduce clients who don't know how SEO works. If you were none the wiser about SEO would you rather go with a company who promise you top 5 rankings for your keyphrases or a company who tells you they can't guarantee you anything?

The only legitimate guarantee we can give is that we will improve your rankings and this will deliver more traffic to your website.
 
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I'd have said the promise is even more vague. All SEO can do is put into place the features that may result in more visitors to a website. SEO does not necessarily mean that more people will buy your products or servcies.

Ammon Jones stated recently that it's easier to double your conversions than it is to double your visitors. This is why he and many others now prefer to use the term SEM - work on getting more bang for your buck rather than simply fire more rockets.
 
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I believe Ammon has been of that opinion for a very long time.. He could well have been the first person to use that SEM phrase in fact.
 
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I find it particularly funny when I hear about so called marketing companies guarantee top 5 rankings as they are simply setting themselves up for a fall :). The best thing to do is to get 5 to 10 examples of work that a web company has done not just look at a marketing services page of a website that has Google and Yahoo plastered all over it.

Also to get an effective online strategy you should not only be focusing on Google SEO. Look at SMO, beahvourial marketing, affiliate marketing. If you spending a lot on your marketing budget and need to know what is working and what isn't as well as what you are getting for your money look at www (dot) leadbeast (dot) co.uk.

Hope this helps
 
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SEO is always changing. No-one has a rule book, they can only "guess" with varying degrees of informed knowledge. Google don't produce a manual of how to get to no.1.

So no, no-one could or should guarantee SEO.

But the more you learn and understand about it yourself, the better positioned you, your website and your business will be.
 
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Boxby said:
SEO is always changing. No-one has a rule book, they can only "guess" with varying degrees of informed knowledge. Google don't produce a manual of how to get to no.1.

So no, no-one could or should guarantee SEO.

But the more you learn and understand about it yourself, the better positioned you, your website and your business will be.
Click to expand...

SEO does not change that much.

I would not consider taking on an SEO project unless I was sure of getting it on page 1 for the required keywords.

Anything else is taking money by false pretences,as there is virtually no traffic off the front page for most business's.

If you do your research correctly you should know any sites capability

Earl
 
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Every quotation i give, I am confident of the rankings and my predictions. The only thing i will guarantee is i will give it my best to get it to the top of the pile, using only ethical techniques. And that is what you are paying for, my best attempt at getting your website to the top, I have a good track record and can prove my attempts achieve good rankings, but can not guarantee that my attempt on your site will achieve the same rankings.
 
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sirearl said:
SEO does not change that much.

I would not consider taking on an SEO project unless I was sure of getting it on page 1 for the required keywords.

Anything else is taking money by false pretences,as there is virtually no traffic off the front page for most business's.

If you do your research correctly you should know any sites capability

Earl
Click to expand...
Spoken like a true gent:)
I will also only take a project on that i am fully confident in getting results for.
 
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sirearl said:
SEO does not change that much.

I would not consider taking on an SEO project unless I was sure of getting it on page 1 for the required keywords.

Anything else is taking money by false pretences
Click to expand...

Good point.

If someone hires an SEO, there's a risk that the site won't get onto p1.

And, with most SEO companies, the risk is borne entirely by the client.

Is that really fair? Is that the right way round?

Maybe if the client approaches you and knows he/she wants you for the job.

But, if you're approaching the prospect, surely it's a bit cockeyed to pitch your services and then say "oh, and by the way, if I can't do what I claim, it's your responsibility..."

Just my 2p,

Steve
 
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hasan_889 said:
Position can not be guaranteed, but good traffic can be ensured!
Click to expand...

position can certainly be estimated pretty correctly ,and good traffic comes from a combination of good ranking and correct title and description.

SEO is a science and not some hocus pocus .

anyone who uses the words : might,maybe or I will try my hardest is not a professional SEO.

Earl
 
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I will never guarantee a position on Google.
I have seen companies guarantee and there is no rule against it.
But (and there is a big but) companies that guarantee page one don't really give you a good guarantee.
Some will choose the keywords (easy ones).
Some will use black hat techniques to get you to page one.
The point is an honest SEO company will show you what to expect and steadily get you results.
No one will work for free and you should ask your self how much a service is worth.
Like sirearl said (and I totally agree with his way) give an honest prediction and set a target to be achieved.
SEO is equipping your website with the right tools to compete and be indexed better. There is no magic software only knowledge of what works and what doesn't.
;)
 
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Thank you all.

So in essence guaranteeing campaign deliverables is legit. Seasoned professionals can project rankings and traffic with a certain amount of certainty, based on their past experience. However, some unscrupulous vendors reserve the right to choose keywords when offering ranking guarantee. Client take the bait only to realise that the keywords chosen by the vendor does not deliver any traffic. Reason - keywords having insignificant search volume are selected in such guarantees. The client being completely unaware.

I also agree with Steve's point - the risk being borne entirely by the client. Not fair at all. Probably a pay for performance model is better suited....
 
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I don’t think an SEO can give a 100% guarantee, but does any profession give a 100% guarantee?

Does a lawyer give a 100% guarantee?

I think it all comes down to the experience and competencies of the SEO involved.
Based on their experience an SEO will be able to make a value judgement on the likelihood of them being able to rank your website on a budget and timescale.

If the client decides to go for the SEO based on his/her experience and previous achievements then the client is paying for his/her knowledge and capabilities.

So although there are no guaranteers there is a likelihood, a probability that the SEO can weigh up.

The guarantees offered by some SEO companies are just marketing bull. I’d rather look at the results of SEO companies based on budget and timescale and see what they have achieved than believe any offered guarantee, and I'd hope clients would have the brains to do so as well.

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I have used a couple of different SEO companies over the past 5 years and the most important things I have learnt is that there are no guarantee and you must understand what the SEO company is doing to raise your rankings.

For keywords you should understand whether they are "hard" or "easy" to get top rankings on based on competition (number of sites competing for that word and number of relevant backlinks those sites have for instance).

You also get what you pay for. You cant compete with strong keywords unless you have a good budget.
 
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positions can not be guaranteed . But based on the past experiences most expert SEO companies can guarantee. Check the portfolio of the company and get an out look of the company before giving any works
 
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Kneoteric_eSolutions said:
Thank you all.

So in essence guaranteeing campaign deliverables is legit. Seasoned professionals can project rankings and traffic with a certain amount of certainty, based on their past experience. However, some unscrupulous vendors reserve the right to choose keywords when offering ranking guarantee. Client take the bait only to realise that the keywords chosen by the vendor does not deliver any traffic. Reason - keywords having insignificant search volume are selected in such guarantees. The client being completely unaware.
I also agree with Steve's point - the risk being borne entirely by the client. Not fair at all. Probably a pay for performance model is better suited....
Click to expand...


If some one offers you a money back guarantee what are they actually offering you.
No one can guarantee you a position on Google. NO ONE
What they can guarantee is the service they provide
The point is as Sirearl pointed out, a good SEO company doesn't need to give guarantees. They only take on companies that you can provide results for.
We have abolutely no control over what Google does.
We CAN however use our experience (and we have years of it) equip your website with what we know Google is looking for.
 
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sirearl said:
SEO does not change that much.

I would not consider taking on an SEO project unless I was sure of getting it on page 1 for the required keywords.

Anything else is taking money by false pretences,as there is virtually no traffic off the front page for most business's.

If you do your research correctly you should know any sites capability

Earl
Click to expand...

I wouldnt start an seo project unless I were confident (not certain) of page 1. Keyword research and site analysis should indicate which keywords 1st page is realistic for.
 
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SEOs should have the courage of their own convictions. I wouldnt hire one who wouldnt (a) make a statement of what they can do (b) guarantee it.

Or as in earls case (c) work on a profit share - no gain no fee.

The point is the SEO should not be taking on work unless they are reasonably certain - and the SEO will actually benefit in taking on = contract WITH a guarantee

Because even though maybe they dont collect on 1 in 10 or 1 in 5 jobs because of the money back guaranteee - the increase in volume will treble the work they get, and also allow them to up the prices so they are still quids in.

It works for any service eg offering copywriting on a performance guarantee - both orders and the price jump massively....So I always give guarantees.
 
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sirearl said:
In that case might I suggest a different occupation.?

As that is exactly what SEO is all about.

Earl
Click to expand...

Point of view I suppose.
Some people CLAIM to have affiliation with google and manipulate Google.
I don't.
I manipulate the website. I give google what google wants.

Google is like the high street and if you have a business you either build on that high street or put up signs on that high street to your business.
That is what I feel SEO is about. Making your website more Google friendly.
 
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Just another point on giving guarantees, if you don't have complete control over the website then giving a guarantee might be foolish.

What happens if the client unilaterally decides he wants to change the look of the site, deletes some files, then the web designer startes rewriting the file extensions etc or the hosting falls over completely. There are plenty of factors to consider that might be outside the control of an SEO.

I think a profit share would be very hard to manage and needs alot of trust and openess.

I do agree that based on their previous experience an SEO should be able to make a judgement on the LIKELIHOOD of improving a website subject to Time and Budget.
 
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I would happily give a client the guarantee that i will improve their website's prominence on Google, increase their traffic, reduce their bounce rate, increase their conversions etc.
What i wouldn't do is give them a gaurantee of specific positions for relevant keywords in the SERPs because it's impossible to guarantee.

I'd be wary of anyone who offers a guarantee like that but i can understand why people do it - if you need to get clients on board and you make the guarantee based on a 12 month contract then you keep the money coming in - hopefully the client will see the improvement in their business from getting to position 3 or 4, and they're satisfied anyway.

I could guarantee a #1 on Google for 'big purple bananas' if anyone's interested?
 
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Codefixer said:
Just another point on giving guarantees, if you don't have complete control over the website then giving a guarantee might be foolish.

What happens if the client unilaterally decides he wants to change the look of the site, deletes some files, then the web designer startes rewriting the file extensions etc or the hosting falls over completely. There are plenty of factors to consider that might be outside the control of an SEO.

I think a profit share would be very hard to manage and needs alot of trust and openess.

I do agree that based on their previous experience an SEO should be able to make a judgement on the LIKELIHOOD of improving a website subject to Time and Budget.
Click to expand...

I take your points.

But as an SEO I would not work under conditions where I did not have full control over the site,or at worst be consulted before any changes were implemented.

Earl

Earl
 
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sirearl said:
I take your points.

But as an SEO I would not work under conditions where I did not have full control over the site,or at worst be consulted before any changes were implemented.

Earl

Earl
Click to expand...

Me to. I have it in my terms and conditions that I will be consulted on any change.
I had a client wit 18 out of 20 terms on page one after 6 months.
The guy then bought links off its cold outside (idiot).
We dropped him as client (breach of contract)
He has lost all positions and is in the middle of suing them (not our problem).

Complete control of website is essential. Slightest changes in content or urls can have major impact on SEO. even more so when not notified.
 
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In my experience, the people that promise number 1/top 10 rankings for SEO are actually taking about PayPerClick but disguising it under the Search Engine Optimisation label.

You pay then X amount per month

They pay Google Y to get your ad in a position most of the time.

They profit by X-Y.

If you are guaranteed rankings within the search engines, ask for examples of current customer, where they are ranked etc. Due dilligence will prevent you from getting burnt.
 
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A lot board members changed their point of view during last months :D


All SEO which can not guarantee TOP10 or at least huge traffic improvement should change profession.
 
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seocomp said:
A lot board members changed their point of view during last months :D


All SEO which can not guarantee TOP10 or at least huge traffic improvement should change profession.
Click to expand...

Just to add on and expand further on the statement "Top 10 for targeted keywords or increase in qualified traffic"

Because

1. A top 10 guarantee is of no use if the keyword is irrelevant or never/hardly searched for.
2. Thousands of irrelevant visitors flocking to your website will not generate sales, sign ups or fulfill your goals.
 
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interesting thread

its easy to get the first position on any google search, especially phrases

its very difficult indeed to get to the first position for a very competitive keyword (eg loan)

I would say that any company that offers a legitimate guarantee of specific results then that's fair enough. It's then your job as the client to make sure that the target search word or phrase is the one that you need that will bring in the right traffic and lots of it!

You can leave this to the SEO company but then you run the risk of being hoodwinked..

Whenever I offer SEO services I never make any promises or guarantees however I do indicate what my experiences are and generally the results have been good for clients.

My philosophy though is to empower the clients with the tools they need to do the SEO themselves rather than milk them for some retainer or something.

Anyone who says that they are in control of Google are just not telling the truth, deliberately or not. Even if you have insider knowledge on how Google works right now, you simply can not predict what's going to happen next week.
 
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edmondscommerce said:
. It's then your job as the client to make sure that the target search word or phrase is the one that you need that will bring in the right traffic and lots of it!

You can leave this to the SEO company but then you run the risk of being hoodwinked..
Click to expand...

Disagree an SEO is much more qualified to decide which keywords are going to benefit a business.

Earl
 
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sirearl said:
Disagree an SEO is much more qualified to decide which keywords are going to benefit a business.

Earl
Click to expand...

Too right.
Anyone searching for an seo is wanting to get to page one of google and seo training will only tell you so much. Experience is one of the best tools in SEO.
And by the way page one of Google for Loans £80,000 took 20 months.
If your willing to pay and willing to wait anything is possible.
I never guaranteed a result.
sensible clients will understand this once you have explained the ins and outs of Google.
 
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Kneoteric_eSolutions said:
... As legit SEO professionals should we give such guarantees? What about the people who are giving it, because at the end of the day clients demand it.

What kind of guarantees can we actually give?
Click to expand...

and

Kneoteric_eSolutions said:
2. Thousands of irrelevant visitors flocking to your website will not generate sales, sign ups or fulfill your goals.
Click to expand...

As a professional, you should not be looking at SEO in isolation.
You should offer it as part of a wider marketing, or even business, strategy.

So only guarantee what you know you can deliver - e.g.:
You will consider the client's wider marketing strategy.
You will suggest appropriate keywords and phrases.
You will research nn appropriate competitors for your research.
You will agree measurable results to prove your effectiveness.
(and of course, define/agree what is appropriate)
​
If this is all a bit "me too", look for what you do for all clients that sets you apart - then make that part of your guarantee.

As far as specific claims go, quote actual clients - i.e. x client in y industry moved up nn places to appear on page n.
and have a case study and/or references to back it up.
 
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Let's look at the facts. Google has over 80% of all online search traffic. They change their algorithms roughly once a quarter, so only deal with specialist firms who keep pace with that frequency of change.
77% of all searchers only look at natural results. SEO has long term effects on search engine positions, PPC doesn't. More than 90% of businesses now do pre-purchase research online.
So as a generalisation investment in SEO makes sense and can deliver excellent ROI. The trick is to find the companies with genuine expertise, negotiate with them the contract that's right for your business, and as with everything else in business, measure the results.
The market is being discredited by rogue firms with aggresive telesales teams making wild and unsupportable claims.
There's a firm of SEO Brokers that can put you in touch with vetted SEO service providers with proven capability, so if in doubt about what you're getting for your money seek advice from in impartial source like that.
 
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A point of view from someone who knows zilch about SEO. I have dealt with several so called SEO guy's in the past couple of years, they all want paying up front but do very little in return for it. All talk hogwash about what they can achieve, some work out of the back bedroom yet market themselves as being large international businesses with a portfolio of clients as long as the M25. I spent nearly 2 years listening to different people saying "this needs to done" "that needs to be done" "this needs tweaking" waffle waffle waffle but in the process it has cost me a lot of wasted money for little return.
Then by chance I stumbled upon a DIY package for about £250 which I use myself, within a week my rankings had shot up overnight. I will admit I don't completely understand this programme or even if I am doing it correctly. What I do know though is by using it, it increased my enquiries 10 fold and was a far better investment than any SEO I've ever come across.:)
 
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my point regarding choosing the phrases was that it would be easy for a scamster SEO company to offer to get you page one positions for "i sell white yadda yaddas in my town"

which of course isn't competitive and probably never gets search, but woudl be easy to get #1 position for.

If they guarantee that a phrase will get to position whatever then you need to do a double take on whether thats the phrase you should be targetting.

Yes a real legit SEO company with loads of experience will be better than Joe Webmaster.. but how does Joe Webmaster know for certain that he is really dealing with a pro SEO and not just some kid with a copy of some bulk link spam tool.

Of course it comes down to trust at the end of the day, but I think any webmaster should have some idea of the keywords / phrases they are targetting.

A pro SEO may well be able to fine tune this.

Perhaps what a potential SEO client should ask for is guaranteed traffic rather than guaranteed position as this is what is really required..

Then again it has to be targeted traffic otherwise its worse than useless.

Bottom line SEO is an industry that seems to suffer from a large volume of scamsters and rip off merchants.

No disrespect to the genuine SEO's out there, in fact all credit to you.
 
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