SEO should be guaranteed

[fisicx]

As for white hat being rubbish try telling that to BMW.

and JCPenney and overstock and and BeatThatQuote: http://searchengineland.com/wait-goo...te-again-69855

 

[RadiusBPO]

and BeatThatQuote: http://searchengineland.com/wait-google-banned-beatthatquote-again-69855

They just weren't smart. Never do dodgy things to a branded site. However, if they hadn't sold to Google they'd still be ranking.

 

[DesignerNick]

Why not?

It's just marketing in the same way I leave a link when I comment on blogs. Not everything has to do with SEO and ranking, a good marketeer will spread their net wide to attract leads form all sorts of places.

Just imagine if you were posting on a gardening forum, offering lots of free advice to the members (without promoting yourself). A link in your signature from that forum may well bring in a regular supply of new clients who wouldn't necessarily search for your services suing a search engine.

I totally agree with that and it is good targeted marketing, but I meant more when 5 or 6 unrelated links are in a forum signature. They aren't relevant to the industry or niche so must be there for SEO reasons.

For example the forum sigs on here are paid links as Johnny has pointed out, so must be breaking guidelines....

What would be wrong with getting 15,000 related blogs in Scrapebox and leaving a comment on each of them, you would just be leaving a link when you comment on blogs....

 

[DesignerNick]

I suspect you are confusing ethics with making damn sure a website earning considerable income is not taken down.

As for white hat being rubbish try telling that to BMW.

Earl

I think for huge branded sites it is a little bit different. It is back into the argument of "using grey / black hat doesn't work but I haven't tried it as I follow the rules" and then people saying "I have tried it, it does work".

It is endless back and forth between wearers of the black hat and wearers of the white hat and people will never ever agree.

 

[Ali-v-8]

Listen to the conflict of interest here...
Guarantee position = You "cant" do it - if did you would be a fool. You dont own Google and they cant really control who goes where (although its been proven Google mess with its own index).

You "can" Guarantee your service as a professional, by setting a standard that your client wishes to achieve and then provide them with that result.

 

[RedEvo]

As the wise people in this thread have suggested, guaranteeing specific rankings is a fools game, guaranteeing to improve the clients current standing should be standard.

Just my very humble opinion.

d

 

[loubycee]

who mentioned grey hat methods? Damned sure they're unethical, much prefer white hat

This thread was all about seo guarantees - you can't sell your client anything unless they understand seo in the first place, and to guarantee top position - well, we all know thats just daft!

 

[jhardy2008]

yes you are right....

 

[Chloe Taylor]

Surely SEO must guarantee results, if 100% white hat seo techniques are used....

 

[SEO Lady]

Surely SEO must guarantee results, if 100% white hat seo techniques are used....

I'm afraid that is the opinion of people who do not know anything about SEO.

 

[Mattzew]

How can you guarentee something you dont have full control over.

It's like guarenteeing someone it will snow at 4:09am on Sunday the 1th of September 2011

 

[Ali-v-8]

I better wrap up warm then

Like I said if your good at what you do, you can guarantee your own service.

 

[Chunkford]

How can you guarentee something you dont have full control over.

You guarantee what you're capable off.

So if someone says I want to be number 1 for "car insurance", you politely say jog on!
If someone says i want to be number 1 for "rapeseed oil distribution", you say, yea no problem, but here's my terms

EDIT: BTW, ranking for terms requested by clients isn't the way to go. The example above is just that, an example. In an ideal world, if there has to be guarantees then it should be on increases in traffic or sales or both regardless of the keywords used.

 

[SalesSurgeon]

I've just joined the forum and this is my first post. I have some experience with SEO work - here are my thoughts:

It's impossible to guarantee anything in SEO work simply because we have zero control over the search engines (read Google).

Having said that, I always aim for the number 1 spot for any keyword I'm targeting for a client. I don't tell them that though, depending on the competition it's either first page or top 5 I tell them I'm aiming for (but no guarantee given). It's kinda nice for the client when they get number one spot.

I know from personal experience that traffic drops rapidly as you move down from the top position. Even position 2 is nowhere as good as position 1.

 

[dubOnline]

it's impossible

As most people state you can't guarantee it because you are not in full control.

SEO is dependent on 3 key areas

1) Your efforts at building authority and of course your site quality.

2) You competitors efforts at building authority and their site quality

3) Google/Yahoo etc latest algorithm

If 2 or 3 change or simply out smart you then you drop.

A decent SEO campaign should be ongoing and not only tracks your sites performance but also how your competition reacts to your efforts and then the latest changes to google need to be constantly put in to play.

 

[loubycee]

Surely SEO must guarantee results, if 100% white hat seo techniques are used....

Oh dear, even I know that was a silly thing to say...

Perhaps a chosen company may say 'seo results guaranteed' - read into it more and anyone that knows what they're doing will offer a guarantee of their own and will have done the research / analysis to back it up.

Example: " 90% of our customers ranked top 10 in 12 consecutive months "

Nobody but nobody can say, even when using genuine respected methods, that you will even rank on the first page - who knows what the competition is up to. They may be one step ahead though a good seo guru will work properly to get a sites' rank right up there

 

Nobody but nobody can say, even when using genuine respected methods, that you will even rank on the first page -

Of course you can or there would be very little point to SEO.

Earl

 

[loubycee]

knew I shouldn't have written that, daft of me - but really?

I know with the amount of copy I do that alone can get particular keywords on the first page, but I might choose to not guarantee that because I'm no expert just dabble in it

This is a great post

 

[directmarketingadvice]

it's impossible

As most people state you can't guarantee it because you are not in full control.

But how does that stop you offering a guarantee?

As Earl said, there would be little point to SEO if you didn't have the ability to predict - with high accuracy - whether you could get page 1 rankings.

After all, how many people would want to hire an SEO who, when asked if he can get you onto page 1, replies, "No idea, gov"?

My guess is that most SEOs lead their clients to believe page 1 rankings will happen... but the same SEOs are horrified at the idea of giving back their fee should they fail.

Steve

 

[Ali-v-8]

You should guarantee that the service you provide will yield results. If it means you lose money then you should not have taken on the job in the first place.

 

[SalesSurgeon]

It's like predicting the weather; you can predict it accurately but you can't give a guarantee.

 

It's like predicting the weather; you can predict it accurately but you can't give a guarantee.

Hardly the sun shines all the time on page 1.

Earl

 

[SalesSurgeon]

Hardly the sun shines all the time on page 1.

Earl

Earl, spot on. And it shines the hottest in position 1 on page 1

 

[loubycee]

Hardly the sun shines all the time on page 1.

Earl

knew this post could count on you Earl

L

 

[SEO Lady]

You should guarantee that the service you provide will yield results. If it means you lose money then you should not have taken on the job in the first place.

Exactly Ali.

But it is difficult to educate people and manage expectations when you see job requirements like this on job boards:

"I would like to include a money back guarentee for certain keywords. ie, "your site on the first page of google for these 4 keywords or your money back.""

 

[awebapart.com]

I'm happy to provide a one year money back guarantee for google page 1 position 1 for any term, regardless of how competitive it is - I'd quite like an easy interest free business loan (point 7).

I'm not really offering this SEO service, just making a point.

 

[JohnnyCash]

I'm happy to provide a one year money back guarantee for google page 1 position 1 for any term, regardless of how competitive it is - I'd quite like an easy interest free business loan (point 7).

I'm not really offering this SEO service, just making a point.

Yeah, I get loads of spam emails offering "risk free seo" and "money back guarantee" etc. Good luck getting money back off some Indian spammer without a real website...

 

[SEO Lady]

I'd quite like an easy interest free business loan (point 7).

I wouldn't. If you agree to unachieveable promises and the elusive page 1 guarantee, if you do not meet the agreement you will have an unhappy customer. This unhappy customer may then name and shame you online. I would not want to risk that for any amount.

 

[ScottB]

http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/an-seo-clients-bill-of-rights.php

An infinitely more useful article on the topic than the usual trollfest that generally haunts this forum.

Note how the author clearly defines reasonable, well thought out points and at no point sticks to narrow minded, ill-conceived, naive perceptions of how he thinks "SEO should be", nor is there any mention whatever plucked-out-of-thin-air "evidence" used to back up flimsy arguments. Indeed it's nigh on unbelievable that almost 700 words have been written about SEO without the author feeling the need to point out his experience (whilst at the same time knocking the experience of his readers). In fact, it's almost as if the article was written for informational purposes and not just some forum trolls being arses for the sake of it...

 

[Bill1954]

No SEO "Guru" has ever told me the simple fact that only so many sites can get on page one ! 10 I think it is after sponsored ads are discounted. However, EVERY SEO "Guru" has told me they can get me on page 1. In a highly competitive sector where there are oodles of sites selling th e same stuff, someone is telling porkies aren't they

 

[JohnnyCash]

http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/an-seo-clients-bill-of-rights.php

An infinitely more useful article on the topic than the usual trollfest that generally haunts this forum.

Note how the author clearly defines reasonable, well thought out points and at no point sticks to narrow minded, ill-conceived, naive perceptions of how he thinks "SEO should be", nor is there any mention whatever plucked-out-of-thin-air "evidence" used to back up flimsy arguments. Indeed it's nigh on unbelievable that almost 700 words have been written about SEO without the author feeling the need to point out his experience (whilst at the same time knocking the experience of his readers). In fact, it's almost as if the article was written for informational purposes and not just some forum trolls being arses for the sake of it...

I thought the article was pointless when I read it on Sphinn... just had a quick scan again and yeah... still looks pointless.

Talk about stating the obvious with stuff like " Expect optimization work performed to increase sales and profits." No **** sherlock... I thought they were hiring SEO's so they could lose money :|

 

[ScottB]

I thought they were hiring SEO's so they could lose money

Ha apparently lots do!

 

[Annoying Donkey]

EVERY SEO "Guru" has told me they can get me on page 1.

I didn't tell you that!

Psst, but I can...

 

[awebapart.com]

I'm happy to provide a one year money back guarantee for google page 1 position 1 for any term, regardless of how competitive it is - I'd quite like an easy interest free business loan (point 7).

I'm not really offering this SEO service, just making a point.

If you agree to unachieveable promises and the elusive page 1 guarantee, if you do not meet the agreement you will have an unhappy customer. This unhappy customer may then name and shame you online. I would not want to risk that for any amount.

A "page 1 or your money back guarantee" technically is not a promise of reaching page 1, it is a promise of "either reaching page 1 or getting your money back". If the money is paid back when a client doesn't get to page 1 after a certain agreed period, then the agreement is actually met.

Some clients might even be happy about promptly getting their money back, getting money back isn't always easy, and the client might even give good feedback! without realising they have essentially given out an interest free loan (point 7).

The supplier could do nothing in this period, see the the site rise to page 1 for other reasons, and actually take credit for this and keep the money. The classic rainmaker con.

Yeah, I get loads of spam emails offering "risk free seo" and "money back guarantee" etc. Good luck getting money back off some Indian spammer without a real website...

And like Johnny mentions, even with money back guarantees it can sometimes be quite difficult to get the money back. Suppliers from other countries with contracts made according to laws from other countries are one example. Another more local example is large UK suppliers who have enough money and smallprint to argue and let it go to court if the client is small, and other UK suppliers who simply fold, take the money and run.

 

[RedEvo]

However, EVERY SEO "Guru" has told me they can get me on page 1.

Perhaps you have been speaking to the wrong 'experts'?

d

 

[Chunkford]

If someone wanted me to guarantee top spot and I chose to accept, then be prepared to pay for that privilege

 

[jimmyjimmerson]

I have joined this discussion late and haven't read every post but this is my feeling as I worked for an SEO agency for many years and I was asked to guarantee results all the time.

Although many good SEO'ers are very confident, hugely at times that they can get the results you need to get a good ROI. They can never guarantee results. This is plain and simply because only Google controls their database, not an SEO guy.

If anyone ever does get given the whole "i guarantee you first page positions" line then run a mile as they are lying to you from day one so god knows how bad things will get further down the line.

 

[tony84]

Ive read this with interest since it started, as im debating getting an SEO in to do some work on my site.

I think the general thing is to only promise what you can deliver. Its hard to promise position one, but page one may well be a lot easier to do.

Google tell you what theyre looking for so whith a bit of research you should be able to say whether you or cant do it.

To look at it from another way - im paying for a service, why shouldnt i expect some sort of guarentee? Should i just throw money at an SEO? If you cant do it, find terms that you can do and then negotiate.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

To look at it from another way - im paying for a service, why shouldnt i expect some sort of guarentee? Should i just throw money at an SEO? If you cant do it, find terms that you can do and then negotiate.

Don't see any money back guarantee on your site

 

[tony84]

Don't see any money back guarantee on your site

I dont charge a fee

I get paid commission by the insurer. If the client cancels the policy in a certain period the insurer claims their money back off me.

I also have PI so should my advice be rubbish, they can claim off my insurance company via the Financial Services compensation scheme...boom blew that one out of the water