How to Spot Shady Internet Marketing & SEO Service Providers
SEM November 17th, 2008
It’s incredible the deluge of junk and spam out there originating from hack SEO and SEM service providers. If you’re a business owner or a marketing director who’s new to search engine optimization and marketing it’s easy to get lost and discouraged among the promotional swill. I’ve put together a list of warning signs that will allow you to steer clear of the hacks, what you can expect when searching for SEO or SEM services within specific sites, and where to look for reputable people and firms.
Warning Signs
Broken English
Broken English in a provider’s ad, pitch, or website doesn’t necessarily mean that their service is sub-par but more often than not this seems to be the case. The main concern would be that this provider is probably going to be working on your title tags, descriptions, URL structure, content, etc. They will be doing things and stuff to your site that require an intimate knowledge of the English language. They’ll need to be able to do appropriate keyword research and determine what keyword phrases are going to be most beneficial to your business. This would go for any strategy or campaign that has to do with content or keyword research, especially PPC.
“We will submit your site to over 500 search engines!”
Wherever you just saw this – run, run away! There are many crappy programs out there that will auto-submit a domain to hundreds of search engines. Many hacks think or want you to think that there’s value in this when there’s none. The only search engines that people care about and use is Google, Yahoo, MSN, Baidu (Chinese), and Yandex (Russian). You don’t have to submit your domain to these engines in order for them to find you. The more links you have pointing to your domain the easier it will be for them to realize your domain exists.
“We’ll get you to rank #1 in Google!”
If you’re niche is incredibly unusual and there’s not a lot competition this may be true but more often than not, this is complete and utter BS. Due to high competition, more authoritative domains and their age, the chances of your domain ranking 1st for ‘widgets’ is highly unlikely. Not to mention Google cycles its results, provides you with results based on your individual search history, serves results based on the geo-location of your IP address, throw in about 200 other variable ranking factors and you get tailored SERPs. This isn’t to say that they can’t be (to a degree) leveraged in your favor but that takes a lot of time and a lot of careful and expert link building (among other strategies). An experienced and advanced search marketer would never tell you that they could get you to rank 1st in Google for your term. Expect an evaluation of your domain and its niche and then expect your potential search marketer to give you realistic expectations of what they can achieve.
“Let us handle your link exchange program!”
Ugh, if anyone touts this as an important aspect of a campaign then they’re way off base. Some people today still think that exchanging links has a great amount of value and granted link building in general does but the simple fact that your link is on their domain and their link is on yours doesn’t mean much. What it probably means is that you’re participating in the outdated mentality that exchanging links is a great SEO strategy. It’s a waste of time and you’ll want to avoid anyone selling this technique.
Sites or places to Avoid When Searching for an SEO/SEM provider
Craigslist
Every once in a while you can find a legitimate and experienced person posting on here and if you do find someone good, chances are they’ll be relatively inexpensive in comparison to the larger firms or more well known folk. However, about 90% of the postings on here are by inexperienced providers who will probably end up damaging your domain and will take your money in exchange for little value.
A Search Engine’s Paid Search Ads
If a search marketing company has to pay their way to make a dent in the SERPs then how are they going to provide any real value to your business? Specifically search for the services you’re looking for and browse through the listings. Note that there are many companies listed in the organic SERPs that are using unfavorable techniques to gain visibility for general terms like ‘seo services’. Get as detailed as possible in your search and the chances of you finding someone who meets your needs will be more likely.
Low Grade Directories
There are hundreds of thousands of low grade directories out there and just about anyone can submit their website to them. Trusted directories are usually hand edited, have good, reliable content, and do not require a submission fee. Directories you can trust would be DMOZ, Yahoo’s Directory, Business.com, Best of the Web, and the Librarian Internet Index.
Some Good Places to Look for an SEO/SEM Provider
SEMPO
SEMPO stands for Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization. There are hundreds of search marketing companies listed here and most are well-known, reputable firms. You can search for providers using a few different filters, including a search within your geographic area.
PubCon, SMX, or SES Speakers
These are industry conferences that are held all the time in various locations nationally and overseas. Visit the conference websites and see who’s been speaking and in what capacity. If you’re interested in hiring someone who specializes in viral content, check out the session details of past conferences and see who’s talking. If you find someone but there’s no contact info listed just Google them. You’ll be sure to find their domain and contact information.
Sphinn
I hesitate to suggest Sphinn since there is a lot of misinformation and gaming happening here but there’s also a lot of really good and reputable people who participate. If you go to Sphinn and click on the Network tab and then Hot Spinners tab you can see the popularity percentage of user submissions. I’d say about 95% of the people listed here are very good at what they do. If you click on their usernames you can access their contact information. Send them an email or IM and see what happens. If they don’t provide the services you’re looking for I’m sure they’ll know someone who does.
Word of Mouth and Referrals
It’s always good to ask people you know. Most of the big players in this industry don’t do any advertising because they don’t have to. They’ve worked with enough happy clients and have received enough attention to get client inquiries on a regular basis. Send out an email to friends and family and see if they know of anyone. If they do reply back, Google the person’s name to see what you can find. If they’re experienced they should have a website, their name should be associated with or mentioned on other domains or social sites, and they should be able you provide you with a list of references.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
You had me agreeing until almost the end. Goodness; a “made for sphinn” SEO blog post. Who’d have thunk-it?
An inner circle blog post as well? SEMPO and speakers? Throw on social media types from Sphinn. Really?
And what the heck is wrong with a SEO doing PPC advertising for themselves? Granted; some who do have no clue, but many others DO have a clue. Maybe they just don’t give a hoot about ranking on SEO terms, or don’t have the time because they are busy with client websites?…. just saying.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi Doug,
A “made for Sphinn blog post” it’s not, couldn’t be bothered.
“An inner circle blog post as well? SEMPO and speakers? Throw on social media types from Sphinn. Really?”
I’m not sure what you’re saying here.
“And what the heck is wrong with a SEO doing PPC advertising for themselves?”
Nothing at all but as a potential client I’d rather hire someone who had personally made a visible dent in the serps for themselves or their brand.
“Granted; some who do have no clue, but many others DO have a clue.”
Totally agree.
“Maybe they just don’t give a hoot about ranking on SEO terms, or don’t have the time because they are busy with client websites?…. just saying.”
If it’s any consolation, I’m not a SEMPO member, have not spoken at any conferences, and hardly participate on Sphinn. I’m a bit too busy to bother. However, those three places are a good place to start if you’re researching and looking to hire someone.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I’m trying to understand where you are coming from about where to look for a good firm. You are saying that if my firm paid monies to SEMPO, it makes me automatically qualified as being good? You do know that they do not vet ANYone. You become a member simply by paying their fee.
Sphinn; so you are saying the good firms contribute at sphinn? Really?
You are also saying good firms are speakers? While that may be true for “some” of them, how about That firm called “TopPile” who spoke in London a few years back and then went out of business because he and ALL his clients were caught for search engine spam?
To give out blanket advice like you are on ways to find good firms; I would expect a more careful approach about it. That’s all.
And no; judging a good firm to be if the firm is positioned on industry terms is NOT a good way at all IMO.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Hi Doug,
To quote my comment above, “those three places are a good place to start”. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I have to mostly agree with Doug (I can’t believe I just said that) on the section titled “Some Good Places to Look for an SEO/SEM Provider.”
Yes, word of mouth is good, but SEMPO lacks any actual credibility since the types of firms you warn against throughout the rest of the post can (and do) pay for membership to make themselves seem more credible to SEM buyers.
As far as Sphinn goes, 95% is better used to describe the percentage of good SEM’s that do NOT regularly contribute there. I would actually have passed this post along to potential clients if it weren’t for that last section.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I can’t believe you’re agreeing with Doug either. I’m with you on the SEMPO credibility part, there’s no quality filter which in a way makes it similar to AdWords. There is a large collection of companies here to research. I’ll say that SEMPO may not be the best place to absolutely find a GOOD provider but it is a place to begin researching providers. Pertaining to Sphinn, granted most good SEOs don’t bother with it but I do have to disagree with you here. I recognize just about all of the names (95%) listed here under the ‘Networking’ tab. I’m familiar with them and their quality work. Sphinn doesn’t have the best rep for being populated with quality information but I would absolutely recommend a good majority of the people listed under the ‘Networking’ tab, sorted by submits gone hot.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Hi Brendan,
I don’t disagree with you that most of the big Sphinners are quality folks . . . I just think it’s important to point out that there are many, many quality SEM’s that don’t spend much time there. Unfortunately, there isn’t a really good, objective, easy way of qualifying SEM’s.
So buyers would be well served to take the time to learn a little bit about SEM for themselves before they hire anyone. Being able to ask the right questions of a perspective SEM is crucial to avoiding a bad situation.
Here’s a Tweet with a twist on your AdWords hesitation: http://twitter.com/timstaines/statuses/1011991018
November 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Good advice Tim, totally agree.
November 20th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Nice article Brendan.
But I agree with Doug about SEMPO (We are actually listed with them).
I also disagree when you say avoid SEO companies found with paid search Ads.
In your list, I would probably add:-
1) Client References / Testimonials.
2) Contact those clients and understand their experience working with SEO vendor.
3) What type of customer support do they offer (email/ chat/ telephone) and their response time to an average question by client.
November 22nd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Good information overall. It is difficult for companies who are inexperienced with seo to know who to trust. I agree with Doug about SEMPO not necessarily being an indication of quality (I am a member though) but do agree that speakers at their conferences might be a good place to start looking. For instance, their December 2008 meeting in Boston is sponsored by HubSpot which is a very good SEM company.
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
If you want to spot a “Shady Internet Marketing & SEO Service Provider” just look for companies that offer packages that include SEO for 500 keywords and many other services for $250/month, this just isn’t realistic. Also, beware of comments from people who have ads or “Certified Partner” credentials on their site for companies who they are calling a “very good SEM company” in their comment.
November 24th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
If you had taken the time to look what they are all about, Tim, you would have seen that what they offer is education and tools for folks to do their own internet marketing. The $250.00 per month is for the use of the tools, not for someone to optimize their site. I am not an employee of the company but do use their product. I am a partner who consults with anyone who needs my services and also HubSpot clients who want some help learning about internet marketing or the tools and how to use them effectively. I recently became a partner because I have used the product with a number of my clients who have had very good results with it. There is nothing shady about it or me. I have been in the business of web development and sem for more than a decade and have many, many happy customers. If you attend the SEMPO meeting in Boston this December, you will be able to see what this company is all about. I am sure they will be happy to give you a demo. Or perhaps you are more worried about the competition? I didn’t leap to conclusions like the others who said this was “made for sphinn” post. Too bad you couldn’t have treated me with the same respect.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Linda, I do want to apologize. But here is the process whereby I was led to my comment. 1. You promote a company as a “very good SEM company” on a blog discussing SEO SERVICE PROVIDERS. 2. I visit your site via the link on your name. 3. I see the “Certified Partner” credential on your site, which you didn’t mention in your comment, and follow the link to the home page then immediately navigate to http://www.hubspot.com/products/ (please accept this link as part of the apology) where I find the Business Owners section with what I still believe to be services based on the previous points. 4. I write my comment.
When I went back to check out how many times I missed the words “tools” and “education” after your reply, I found two occurrences of “tools” and zero occurrences of “education.” Though it may very well be completely unintentional, I’m sure you can see how that page seems to be designed to lead visitors into thinking that they might receive the ten services in the bulleted list for $250/month, especially considering I do SEO for a living and know that if I was targeting “tools” and “education” (my products) with that page I would have them on the page more than zero and two times respectively.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Linda, I wrote an apology comment last night, but it was not approved for some reason . . . no time to rewrite it now, but it was sincere. Will follow up later.