Web Events Europe

[JasonG]

Has anyone had any dealings with www.webeventseurope.com

They are an internet and search engine marketing company who have approched me offering to get us onto the first page of good for various keyword phrases.

They use a 'landing page' on their own highly ranked site which is basically a screen-shot of of our website with their own optimised advertising copy.

An example they gave is to search for 'wireless router repair' in google. You will see that the first result is for Comet who are one of their clients.

It sounds ok in theory but has anyone used this company or similar?

Regards

Jason

 

[edmondscommerce]

weird approach

not sure paying them to SEO their own site is a great idea

 

[iamlijo]

I dont think that is a good method . Doorway pages are against google's rules .

 

[JasonG]

Yes, that is what I was thinking too. They (webeventseurope) claim that the page hosted on their site is just an 'advert' for our site and that it's not misleading etc.

However, I'm thinking that the short-term gain from using a method such as this may damage our search engine rankings in the longer term?

Jason

I dont think that is a good method . Doorway pages are against google's rules .

 

[fisicx]

They use a 'landing page' on their own highly ranked site...

Highly ranked for what? I couldn't find them.

Best thing to do is ignore the offer and concentrate on improving your conversions.

 

[dolphin77]

yeah they contacted me as well. load of cxxp really, only use if you have a budget to use up.

Just another example of a company who rip off businesses who don't know much about seo. just like 90% of seo businesses out there (.. runs )

so you are basically paying £150 a month to have an article on there site for a couple of backlinks. .... uh yeah right

I'm sure there are a load of better ways for you to spend £150 a month!

 

[Deleted member 27344]

It's not a scam but it's a pretty pathetic way of getting your money off of you.
They will take your money and then say something like "well, we don't control google so it's really up to them where you are listed".

If you do sign up, check out their own positioning, ask loads of questions, seek past clients and definitely get a lawyer to check the small print.
But most of all, don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed.

oh ... and where's this 'highly ranked site'? all I got is 4 for their home page.

 

[allsquare]

This is what they told me;

if you type 'internet marketing' into Google, you will find that we rank top out of over 80,000,000 competitors - this shows the calibre of optimisation of which we are capable

To be fair, they are currently no. 1 on .co.uk and no.2 on .com for that phrase..............

 

[Vending Siting Services]

If it's Web Events in Harrogate, Yorkshire then I can higly recommend them. We have used them for several years.

Regards.

Barbara Fellowes

 

[jaamit]

These guys are using doorway pages to get these rankings, which as techsol says above, are against google's regulations:

Doorway pages are typically large sets of poor-quality pages where each page is optimized for a specific keyword or phrase. In many cases, doorway pages are written to rank for a particular phrase and then funnel users to a single destination.
Whether deployed across many domains or established within one domain, doorway pages tend to frustrate users, and are in violation of our webmaster guidelines.
Google's aim is to give our users the most valuable and relevant search results. Therefore, we frown on practices that are designed to manipulate search engines and deceive users by directing them to sites other than the ones they selected, and that provide content solely for the benefit of search engines. Google may take action on doorway sites and other sites making use of these deceptive practice, including removing these sites from the Google index.

Also it seems they are using thousands of paid links to achieve these rankings, again in contravention of Google's guidelines.

I wouldn't be surprised if they get banned sooner or later...

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Guys, these aren't doorway pages, theya re adverts on a site. it is only a doorway page really and in breach of the guidelines if it re-directs to your site.

The use of paid links etc is a whole different matter.

 

[jaamit]

Guys, these aren't doorway pages, theya re adverts on a site. it is only a doorway page really and in breach of the guidelines if it re-directs to your site.

As far as I understand it a page doesn't necessarily need to redirect to qualify as a doorway page. I'd say these pages on webeventseurope.com definitely fit into Google's definition: "In many cases, doorway pages are written to rank for a particular phrase and then funnel users to a single destination." In this case the "funnel" is the fact that all the links lead to the client's site. Admittedly

This company is creating exact copies of pages on the client site, optimising it to rank for a certain phrase and using their own site's pagerank to get those pages to rank for a keyword that has nothing to do with their site.

In any case, if you were hiring an SEO company wouldn't you rather have them optimise and build links to your OWN site and improve its strength in search engines? It might take longer and require some hard work but you're not relying on referral traffic and the benefits are permanent, whereas with these guys they could just pull down or redirect all your pages one day...

 

[OldWelshGuy]

As far as I understand it a page doesn't necessarily need to redirect to qualify as a doorway page.

Agreed, but these pages are hosted independently of the main site. so how can they be clased as doorway pages? They are adverts

I'd say these pages on webeventseurope.com definitely fit into Google's definition: "In many cases, doorway pages are written to rank for a particular phrase and then funnel users to a single destination." In this case the "funnel" is the fact that all the links lead to the client's site. Admittedly

What Google are talking about here is having hundreds of doorway pages, all optimised for different phrases, but all funneling the traffic to a single page. This isn't hapenning.

This company is creating exact copies of pages on the client site, optimising it to rank for a certain phrase and using their own site's pagerank to get those pages to rank for a keyword that has nothing to do with their site.

This is pretty much what ALL directories and portals do isn't it?
Pedantic moment though how can you create an exact copy that is different

In any case, if you were hiring an SEO company wouldn't you rather have them optimise and build links to your OWN site and improve its strength in search engines? It might take longer and require some hard work but you're not relying on referral traffic and the benefits are permanent, whereas with these guys they could just pull down or redirect all your pages one day...

I 100% agree with this, show me where I said otherwise I was just commenting on people saying they were doorway pages when they weren't

Google state that ANY SEO that optimises their own owned pages then drives traffic to your site is as dodgy as hell (tecyhnical term)

What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?
One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.

Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavory or illegal content.

 

[edmondscommerce]

the point is that one google hand job woudl see all of these pages dropped from the index

http://www.chrisbaldwin.net/the-google-human-editors-manual-and-guidelines.html

they do have human editors in case you wonder - I also read the manual, it was leaked last year sometime I think.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

the point is that one google hand job woudl see all of these pages dropped from the index

I am not so sure they would though.

let's look at things on face value. This companyis effectively running a client directory on its site. They have client sub sites hosted on their site (as all directories do to some extent). They HAVE NOFOLLOW in place on the links to the client sites, so they are not selling page rank.

I honestly don't think it is as cut and dried as some are making out here.

What is the difference between what they are doing, and what a respected ditectory like say Applegate, are doing?

NB. I would like to point out that i don't agree with the practice, as it is not in the clients best interest, and, I don't think it should be sold as SEO as it isn't. It is a simple £150 a month directory listing.

 

[Just_a_bloke]

Further to my post in another [urlno="http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=101692"]thread,[/urlno] it turns out these people also trade under the name of the 'Web Marketing Group'.

So I'll walk on by.....

 

[jaamit]

OldWelshGuy - thanks for all your comments. I do take your point at the difference between these pages and the traditional concept of doorway pages. However the dodgy thing for me is that (unlike directories) they make each page look identical in terms of layout/stylesheet to their client's site, so when users click through from search they are lead to believe they are on another site, not an advertisement on webeventseurope. To my mind that is a manipulative/spammy search result.

I think we both agree that whether their tactics violate google guidelines or not, the fact that they don't actually help their clients rank better in search, just their own 'advert'/doorway page, means it is a real waste of money and you could get much better, longer lasting and more effective results going to a legitimate, ethical SEO company.

Just_a_bloke - good you pointed that out, I did notice but forgot to mention their other name. Glad this thread has helped you!

 

[CEC Harrogate]

I would also recommend Wonder Media, as they do the same type of thing and have a great team on board who will look after you. However all above board. Give them a call. 01423 790 103. Ask for Holly.

 

[kevin555]

Hi all - apologies for bumping thread.

Had a long conversation with WMG and they didn't mention anything about this type of 'product'.

We talked about natural search listings and optimising for keyword phrases (2-3 words) by writing articles and getting links to my site - they seemed to be providing what I want and I will have a good think about whether to employ their services.

The cost per month is £100 per low level keyword (i.e. easier to rank for) rising to £300 for a high level keyword.

What do others think about the cost? I suppose its relative to how much work goes in - seo is such a difficult thing to quantify.

I understand that WebEvents Ltd trade as WebMarketing Group but do the two offer different types of products.

 

[property_girl]

These guys will make wildly exaggerated verbal telephone claims, pressure you into signing a 12 month contract and when in one months time you ask to have the contract cancelled as the salesman lied to you and you haven't received any traffic they will ask for written proof of the salesman's claims. Which you won't have. You will then be liable for a 50% cancellation fee and they will send you county court summons for the full contract if you don't pay up. At all costs steer well clear of these charlatans!!!

You'd be much better off paying £200 a month on Google ad-words at least they only charge for the traffic you actually receive.

 

[property_girl]

How many times did they say your phrase was searched and how did the substantiate these numbers? This is very important.

 

[kevin555]

property_girl - quite a damning statement and I will take notice of what you say. I will hold back at the very least for a further month while I seek out more options.

They provided a report showing relative keywords, number of searches, page rank, and how easy/difficult it would be to rank for these terms.

We went through an online meeting and the whole process seemed above board and legitimate.

I can't say I've felt pressured - ok they keep calling to see if I'll sign up but the same goes for tons of businesses.

Basically, I haven't signed up due to the cost - they only produce monthly reports if you pay £1000+ per month and I don't want to do that. I was thinking in region of £300 per month just to see how it goes but then I don't think I'd get the progress reports.

 

[property_girl]

You don't need to have their reports. If you sign up to google analytics for free they will provide all traffic information for your site including where referals are coming from. These guys told me we would get about 11,000 hits per month. We actually got 6!

 

[Joshgreenslade]

I would also recommend Wonder Media, as they do the same type of thing and have a great team on board who will look after you. However all above board. Give them a call. 01423 790 103. Ask for Holly.

KEEP CLEAR OF THESE GUYS, THEY DO NOTHING BUT LIE TO YOU AND TAKE YOUR MONEY...

 

[Jason Hopkins]

Waste of my money IMO, paid over £750 for 75 clickthroughs to my site. Learnt a valuable lesson though!

 

[specspost]

We have used webevents Europe for 'instant listing'. They are great at promoting themselves, but the results and aftercare are really poor. If somethings sounds too good then it normally is and this is a classic example. Avoid.

 

[soundbite]

I have spent over £750 per month and they have not done any work. Actually they have produced 12 links in 3 months.

What a bunch of scammers! They are a very unprofessional company and very disorganised. I can't go into too many details but please avoid them at all costs.

 

[edmondscommerce]

youch!!!!

 

[property_girl]

We filed defence against thier claim together with counterclaim for all payments already made to them. We transferred case to our local court and waited for hearing. 2 Days before hearing Web Marketing Group contact us and say that they will drop claim if we drop counterclaim.

It seems to me that they don't want there contract tested in court.

 

[dagaul101]

In my opinion all you need to know about SEO you can find from reading up on SEO related forums, the "experts" are no more exposed to the same material than you are, from a simple web search

 

[Horizon Capital]

I would totally agree with the above comments - this company uses a very convincing cold calling practice and convinces you to sign up to a 6 or 12 months contract and once you've agreed to it do absolutely nothing other than take more and more fees for no work whatsoever. I have also been threatened with county court proceedings and decided to take them to court for all the fees they have embessled to date. I hope that we can put a stop to these guys and expose this scam once and for all for what it is - False promises and great buzz words but no deliverables. It is tough making money out there in the business world and giving it away to these guys is just a sin, hold on to your hard earned funds and keep well away.