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Unfortunately,
the search engine optimization (SEO) world has become
congested with companies that over-promise
and under-deliver (or never deliver at all).
Companies making statements like “Guaranteed
number one listings” and “Guaranteed
rankings in 1-7 days” give the entire
industry a bad name. While there are honest
SEO companies out there, they can sometimes
be hard to distinguish among a sea of less
reputable companies.
The
following should be red-flag items for
you when interviewing SEO companies. If
they use or employ any of these techniques,
tactics, or terminology, then you should
continue your search.
| 1. |
Optimization
via software – Many SEO companies utilize software
programs which attempt to trick search
engines or manipulate them into giving
your site better placement than is really
deserved. If an SEO company uses words like shadow
pages, cloaking, doorway pages, link
farms, proprietary software, etc. when talking to you, then
they are not a reputable company. These techniques can get your site banned from the search engines altogether, and if you ever decided to leave one of these companies, then your rankings stay with them. You do not want their software, YOU WANT YOUR SITE OPTIMIZED!
Socius
Marketing is different.
We don’t employ software when
optimizing your site; we
optimize your site. We
take the time to do it right the
first time so your site will achieve
high placement, which you will maintain
for many years.
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| 2. |
Guaranteed
#1 – Guaranteeing first page listings is, quite simply, impossible. Typically, when an SEO company makes this promise, the “guarantee” involves one of three things. First, the company is just planning to take the money you give them and buy some keywords to obtain the listings. You could have done this on your own, and a whole lot cheaper. Second, the company will point out obscure keywords or phrases they say they can help you rank on, but these will be keyphrases that nobody searches for and won’t help you a bit. And lastly, the company won’t give you their guarantee in writing, which is unfortunate because you will probably need it. Hopefully, this hasn’t happened to you already.
Socius
Marketing is different.
We work hard to get your site first-page
listings in major search engines, with
keywords that people search. Socius
Marketing customers enjoy thousands
of first page and number one listings,
but we would never make such a general
promise.
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| 3. |
Tricks
& Secrets – SEO companies are not magicians and most people don’t like secrets. When did these words become part of an acceptable sales presentation? This is your website and your business, and you should not rely on tricks and secrets.
Socius
Marketing is different.
Socius Marketing will provide you
with a detailed plan on how your
site will be optimized. We employ
proven strategies, not tricks, to
achieve placement.
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| 4. |
Content,
Content, Content – If
you meet with an SEO company that does
not emphasize a lot of relevant, optimized
content, then look somewhere else.
Socius
Marketing is different.
Our writers don’t just fill
your page with content, but take
the time to make sure the message
of the content is clear, and the
text is optimized for specific keywords
and phrases.
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| 5. |
Low
Hanging Fruit – Many
optimization companies simply optimize
your site for keywords that are rarely
searched, or worse yet, not searched
at all. This practice is referred to as low hanging fruit. Not all instances of low hanging fruit are bad, but you want your site to be optimized for the more highly searched terms as well.
Socius
Marketing is different. Socius
optimizes websites to rank on highly
searched terms as well as terms
that aren’t searched as frequently.
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