Beware of "Guaranteed" Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services, Says Main Street ROI

(NEW YORK, NY) – Main Street ROI is calling small business owners’ attention to a common internet marketing scam: so-called "guaranteed Google rankings" offered by many search engine optimization (SEO) companies.

According to Phil Frost, Managing Partner of Main Street ROI, an internet marketing firm, many SEO companies entice new potential clients with the allure of guaranteed Google rankings. As Frost explains, "This type of guarantee seems attractive to the client because it appears to decrease the client’s risk. However, we believe guaranteed rankings are actually a very risky bet"

Frost offers 3 reasons why guaranteed SEO services are a red flag:

1) Worthless Rankings

Frost says, "Most of the time when an SEO company guarantees rankings, they’ll rank the client’s website for random keywords nobody is searching with any frequency. That means there’s no real competition for the rankings, so it’s pretty easy to gain exposure. But the reality is that, because very few people are searching these keywords, these types of rankings are virtually worthless for the client"

According to Frost, the "worthless rankings" scheme is the most common SEO scam. The unsuspecting business owner is proud to have gained some rankings in Google, but isn’t attracting any new customers as a result. Instead, the client is only lining the pockets of the SEO company.

2) Promises They Can’t Keep

According to Frost, it’s unethical for SEO companies to promise that they can rank a particular website #1 in Google.

He explains, "At the end of the day, SEO firms don’t decide – Google decides who is going to be on top. Of course, we’re usually able to secure very profitable rankings for our clients. But we can’t predict or guarantee that Google will rank our client’s website on top"

Frost claims that no serious SEO professional would guarantee rankings. "If you’re speaking with a SEO consultant who is offering guaranteed rankings, there’s a good chance that person doesn’t really understand how search engine optimization works. The fact is that there are no guarantees when it comes to Google’s current or future search engine ranking algorithms"

3) A Sign of Desperation

According to Frost, the third reason clients should avoid "guaranteed SEO" is because this offer may be a sign of desperation on the part of the SEO company.

As Frost explains, "Whenever I see an SEO company offering ’guaranteed rankings,’ I assume it’s because they’re simply desperate to take on new clients. I imagine they’re doing whatever it takes to sign up a new client – and that would be a big red flag for me, if I were a prospective client"

Are All SEO Guarantees A Bad Idea?

However, according to Frost, all guarantees are not made equal. There are certain guarantees an SEO company can make to its clients without being deceptive or creating conflicts of interest.

As Frost explains, Main Street ROI provides the following guarantees to its SEO clients.

1. Timely. "We’ll get the work done on time and according to the specifications in our proposal"

2. Transparent. "We’ll be up-front and transparent with you about what we’re doing to help improve your website’s ranking in the search engines"

3. Accountable. "We’ll provide detailed reporting to show you what progress we’re making and to keep us accountable"

4. Reachable. "We’ll make ourselves personally available for a 1 hour conference call every month to discuss your SEO campaign and answer any questions you have"

In addition, Main Street ROI offers a satisfaction guarantee that says, "If at any time you’re unsatisfied with our service, we’ll refund your last month’s payment and let you to cancel future payments without any penalty"

According to Frost, "We believe this approach to ‘guaranteed SEO’ is professional, ethical, and much more effective for reducing risk for the client guaranteeing specific search engine rankings"

Free Report: Business Owner’s Guide to SEO

To educate business owners about search engine optimization, Frost has created a free report that provides advice about hiring an SEO company. This report outlines the common mistakes to avoid when hiring an SEO company, as well as 8 questions you should ask any SEO company before hiring them.

Business owners can download the report for free, here:
http://www.mainstreetroi.com/business-owners-guide-to-seo/


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About Main Street ROI

Main Street ROI is a marketing company that helps "main street" small businesses and independent professionals profit from search engine optimization. Main Street ROI provides each prospective client with a Free SEO ROI Estimate as part of the proposal process.

To request a free ROI estimate, call 646-470-3753 or visit http://www.mainstreetroi.com

Contact Information

Phil Frost

Managing Partner

Main Street ROI

Contact via E-mail