FREE SEO for links rant

[SEO Lady]

Yesterday I had a potential client contact me, they are low on budget and described several issues and 404's following a platform migration. They previously signed a 12 month contract and had hardly any SEO results (common) and now are looking for a problem solver.

It's a simple solution for me to fix, but the client doesn't have the funds and kept referring to "SEO Expert advice" and "An SEO expert said X, Y and Z" so eventually I asked why they are not working with the SEO expert?

Turns out this SEO Freelancer is actually an agency, trading as a person's name. Their website indicates they have a team of marketers. So, here's my train of thought:

• People desperate to make a living online have a Google search and find this company's website, and send an enquiry
• Their reply contains information about FREE SEO for 10 hours
• They supply articles of other businesses, where possible the industry will be similar, together with creatives and web URLs
• They offer to upload on your behalf or you can follow their instructions to publish yourself
• You get 10 hours free SEO (services unknown, non technical client unable to explain)
• They also backlink to themselves

Now, whilst most of us understand that most of the time when something is a free product, you become the product.

In this case, non technical website owners who don't have the budget nor the knowledge to understand the gravitas of the expectations laid out will likely take the free 10 hours and then run.

However, the agency already has taken what it needs to perpetuate their high Google rankings. You can't argue with the results like this, despite them seemingly gaming the system.

 

[Fagin2021]

No - because those backlinks will do them no good whatsoever.

Remember the days when people were offered a free 'hit counter' for their site - that came with a link back to the provider's site ? It's the same principle - and Google got wise to it many years ago.

 

[fisicx]

It’s a bit like those free SEO analysis offers. Apart from the fact they are automated and useless their only purpose is to generate a lead for the SEO company.

SEO has always been a marketing cash cow. You don’t even have be any good at SEO you just have to be good at marketing. There are still plenty of gullible punters who believe the hype.

 

[DontAsk]

It’s a bit like those free SEO analysis offers. Apart from the fact they are automated and useless their only purpose is to generate a lead for the SEO company.

They always seem to be from someone called Mike.

 

[antropy]

No - because those backlinks will do them no good whatsoever.

So @SEO Lady, where do they rank?

Paul.

 

[fisicx]

The company will rank well and be visible in all the right places. As I said, it’s all about marketing.

There were plenty of discussions here about iffy SEO companies. But they took legal action and the discussions were deleted.