Search Engine Optimization Scams to Watch For

People are constantly being bombarded with scams and get rich quick schemes.  It’s almost become an unavoidable part of everyday life.  Now once you get your web presence going people are going to start knocking down your virtual doors to aid you in your new online adventure.  Whether they can get you to the top of Google by Friday (on the map) or they can submit your site to Google for a one time fee of $$$, these scammers can take advantage of you and your hard earned bankroll.

1. "I can get you listed on the Maps Section of Google Search"

Well, no kidding. That is what the Google Local Business Center is for.  In the business center you can enter your business and website to the Google map in search results, along with the categories your site applies to.  When filled out properly this can put you on the map, literally.

2. "I can submit your site to Google so it can find you”

First of all, not submitting your site to Google does not mean that you will be sucked into a black hole, never to be seen or heard from again. With proper CSS and a little page optimization, your site will eventually get picked up naturally.  Yes, Google Site Submission can move things along a little faster.  However, you can do it for free in no time.   Adding your URL is as simple as clicking a link and entering your URL and a comment.  Don’t let someone charge you money for something you could do in less than a minute for free.

3. “I can track your website traffic for you for $$$ a month”

Your answer better be “So can I, but it’s free.” Setting up Google Analytics (as long as you have a way to add a small code to your site) is easy as 1,2,3.  Enter your gmail address (which you will need for all of these tips) and sign up for analytics. It will give you a code that needs to be entered into your website.  Once Google detects this code, your sites information will start pouring in.

4. “I can get you in the top 10 Search results by the end of the week”

Legit or what we call “White Hat” search engine optimization takes time.  Sometimes months, to start seeing a real difference in qualified traffic.  When someone tells you they can get you “quality” results in a weeks time, they are practicing “Black Hat” SEO, which is practically like cheating and can most of the time end up hurting your site in the long run.  As wonderful as “now” sounds in our impatient world, you have to realize that the methods getting you on that first page are probably dirty.  Whether they are hiding the words “Britney Spears” and “American Idol” on your site, or they are stocking your meta data with popular keywords that have nothing to do with your site, they are doing something shady.  Patience is a virtue, especially when we are talking about SEO.

5. “We can submit you to THOUSANDS of directories”

Great.  Just what you needed- to be listed in a directory called DirectoryDump with a page rank of 0.  Some companies say they can save you hours of your precious time by doing a mass directory submission for you, but this can end up hurting your credibility in the end.  Google wants you to have links, but they need to be quality.  This means page ranks of 4 and up.  If you are submitted to a “Link Farm” then this will bring down the quality of your site.

Keeping informed on what you can and can’t do for yourself is the only way to keep from getting scammed.  If you have questions about whether or not something is legitimate, ask a friend, google it, or ask your friendly neighborhood web guru.