How to Avoid Black Hat SEO Providers

It is difficult to argue the value of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in gaining qualified traffic to your website. With the rise of search engine use and its increasing influence in the virtual marketplace, nearly every business is looking to capitalize on SEO for increased website revenue.

While deciding whether or not you need SEO is simple, choosing the right SEO company can be a challenge. The limited regulations on SEO and the novelty of the industry leave many businesses feeling helpless when it comes to sorting out the quality SEO providers from the imposters.
Choosing an unethical or “black hat” SEO consultant can cost your business more than just lost fees and wasted time. It can actually get you penalized by the search engines, causing your site to be banned from search engine results.

Empower yourself to choose your SEO Specialist wisely by learning how to spot the Top 5 Lies Told by Black Hat SEO Providers.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Avoid Providers Who Guarantee Page One Rankings.
   It is simply not possible for any SEO company to guarantee page one rankings! While many providers may have achieved page one rankings for clients in the past, they simply cannot guarantee that you will experience the same results. Avoid SEO companies that promise to get you on page one.

2. Avoid Providers Who Promise To Get You Listed In Two Weeks Tops.
   Just as it is impossible to guarantee first page results, it is impossible to guarantee how long it will take for the search engines to crawl and index your site. While a good SEO provider can discuss trends and give a general estimate of how long it will take to be indexed, there are never any guarantees.

3. Avoid Providers Who Tell You To "Fix It And Forget It."
   SEO requires consistent, ongoing efforts in order to be successful. Once you achieve high search engine rankings, you must constantly work to maintain those results. Any company that says they can get permanent rankings in one fell swoop is basically saying that you only have to water your garden once all summer long. Don’t fall for it.

4. Avoid Providers Who Use Gateway Pages.
   Gateway pages, often referred to as doorway pages, attract the search engines with black hat techniques such as keyword stuffing, and then automatically redirect the user to another page. The user never sees the gateway page because it is written for search engines only. Gateway pages qualify as spam and could get your site banned from the search engines.

5. Avoid Providers Who Practice Link Buying.
   While building quality backlinks to your site can help to boost your search engine rankings and website traffic, link buying (or link farming) will not. If an SEO provider talks to you about buying links, then it is likely that these links come from poor quality, “free for all” websites that will not provide you with any traffic and could get you banned from the search engines. While some legitimate sites such as Yahoo directory do charge for submission and can add value to your online presence, link buying as a general practice should be avoided.

Resources

• Get help with SEO.