Why Reputable SEO Agencies Will Not Promise Guaranteed Search Engine Rankings

Have you been promised Google ranking guarantees? Not sure whether to believe them or not? Sounds too good to be true?

They are a total scam, a waste of time, money and can land you in a Google penalty. You’ve been warned!

Updated by Steven Walberg on 24th January 2022 – director of SEO Sydney Experts

I cannot emphasise this point too strenuously. You must beware of SEO scams and know that there are far too many SEO companies out there online trying to scam you. They prey on your ignorance of SEO and are quick to address any decent or fair questions you have with outright exaggerated lies. They have extremely slick salespeople and know the spin to con and scam you out of your money. They make you feel as though you are making the right decision for your business, when in fact, you are making a seriously grave mistake. Be very warned – IT’S SO EASY TO FALL, VICTIM!

Following are some great SEO scams circulation out there that you should be aware of before you sign up and commit to an agency. The decision you make today will have drastic ramifications on your business moving forward, and they will NOT BE GOOD.

Knowing what scams to look out for is gold. So read and always refer back to this article if you are undecided about which SEO agency to go with.

SEO Guarantees are not worth the paper they’re written on

This is by far the very BIGGEST SCAM going around when it comes to search engine optimisation. It’s a real beauty and is the most common SEO scam. So whatever you do if an SEO company guarantees any type, any sort or any deal regarding guaranteed rankings – GET RID OF THEM. These guys are absolute criminals, shonks, scammers and will say almost anything to get your business.

SEO SCAM JARGON that we see all the time

Around 75% of businesses that contact us with SEO questions have been burnt and scammed by some type of SEO guarantee. They believe the hype and freebies that go with these guarantees and of course, they end up getting completely ripped off with seriously bad Google rankings.

Here are some of the incredibly bad promotions out there

a) Our SEO software comes with the latest link popularity and website optimization tools for helping you achieve guaranteed ranking.

b) $499 annual – Guaranteed fast listing on Google, MSN, AltaVista, and 100+ other engines and portals! Trace your traffic and guarantee a higher position!

c) We guarantee to keep you on 1st-page results each month, or you don’t pay for that month.

d) We guarantee to optimize your website for up to 100 different keyword phrases.

e) We guarantee to provide monthly reports that document all of your 1st-page positions.

f) We will optimise your website till we start to see results & all this is free of charge.

Let me address each promise so you can dissect and understand the scam better.

a) no SEO software can guarantee a ranking – they are just trying to bamboozle you into thinking they have some kind of ‘space age’ software that can somehow revolutionise rankings. What a load of garbage!

b) They mention the words FAST Listings…this contravenes everything SEO stands for as you need to have a slow and very gradual approach. Plus $499 for the year – you should go out and buy a Lotto ticket instead – you will have a better chance of something positive happening. These guys will take your money and do nothing.

c) Sure…what keywords are they keeping you on page 1 for? Have you asked them that – this is a really big con and it sounds so appealing that many businesses fall for this utter crap? No one and I repeat no one can guarantee you page 1 position for eternity. This phrase is commonly used to lull you into thinking that you have absolutely no risk and nothing to worry about with your SEO.

d) 100 keywords optimised…big deal. Why don’t they go for 1000? These scammers will say anything to get your business. DO NOT BELIEVE IT!

e) monthly reports are fine….but to add the word guarantee in there is a cause for real concern.

The premise behind most of these scams is this: most of the SEO agencies that are still gutsy enough to guarantee rankings have taken the smart tack of guaranteeing a number of keywords that they end up choosing.

YOU WILL HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT IN THIS PART OF THE PROCESS – NOW HERE’S THE CLEVER PART!

THEY WILL select those keywords that are SUPER EASY TO RANK and are highly non-competitive. Whether those keyword rankings provide any serious traffic is another matter altogether. PLUS these keywords ( being non-competitive) are going to have zero benefits to your business.

The issue is that people like to hear words like free and guarantee. Unfortunately, when it comes to Google these simply do not apply.

I think that I have made my point here. Just as insurance & used cars have high-pressure salespeople, with hefty sales targets they must achieve to keep their jobs, SEO has its own dangerous, crooked, cunning and dishonest marketing claims that legitimate providers like us at SEO Sydney Experts avoid like the plague.

Why? Because we are ranking on page 1 of Google organically and we do not have to make these claims to get your trust – we are there – this is proof enough!

Google Warns Us Against SEO Guarantees

If you do not believe what I am writing here and think that you still want to give these SEO scammers a try I want you to click on this like and in the article, you will clearly see that GOOGLE THEMSELVES SAY THAT No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google:

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35291?hl=en

If this is not proof enough, then I do not know what else to tell you – this link is from Google itself telling you that guarantees are a figment of your imagination. It’s a daydream a hopeful event that will never occur. It’s a complete fantasy and the more you believe it and succumb to its charms and allure the more danger you put your business in.

RANKINGS FLUCTUATE WHICH MAKES GUARANTEES IMPOSSIBLE.

Even with our own SEO rankings, we find that sometimes the ranking will fluctuate. Sure, they don’t leave page 1 of Google but there is a tendency for them to move. If this is the case how on earth can you be guaranteed a stable, solid, perpetual page 1 position – it’s simply impossible. Rankings on Google are inherently volatile and very unstable. Be aware of this, digest this information, make sure you can get your head around this fact and you will be the better for it.

IT SHOULD NOT BE ALL ABOUT RANKINGS.

There is so much more to online success than page 1 of Google. Sure, it’s great to be there but there are other metrics you need to take into account such as traffic numbers and conversion rates.  Crazy Egg has written a pretty good article titled The 13 Most Effective Ways to Increase your Conversion Rate. This will show you that there is more to SEO than just link building and pie in the sky guarantees. It just goes to show you that SEO is an ongoing service where you have to keep on measuring, refining and improving your website performance.

Any decent SEO agency will bring this up with you and not be focused singularly on trying to labour the point that you are on page 1 so therefore business must be booming.

Let me be very clear about something. Just because your website is ranking well, this does not equate to better sales or higher profits. Rankings should not be the only goal here. You need to be looking at what happens when people land on your site and if they are converting into actual sales. You need a website that has a focus on conversion rates and the user experience.

See: SEO Web Design

Nearly all of the shonky scammers will put all their eggs in 1 basket and focus on rankings. This is because they have a production like process to sell you the scam, sign you up and then do absolutely nothing.

Choose wisely and partner with an agency that can deliver on all fronts: SEO, Customer conversion rates and the user experience. Anything less is simply a waste of your time.

MAKING SEO GUARANTEES ABOUT SOMETHING WHICH IS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL IS DECEITFUL & UNETHICAL!

Politicians do it to get your vote and SEO companies do it to win your confidence and business. It’s highly unethical and unfortunately, due to the lack of controls online, this continues to go on day after day. The entry-level for any SEO company is really very low. Anyone can claim to be an SEO company and if they have any type of sales skills and are comfortable lying to you over the phone then they will end up ripping people off.

Unfortunately, the lure of money is far too strong for these people and they have no conscience when it comes to ruining the livelihood of many people.

In conclusion, all I can say is stay well clear of anything that sounds too good to be true. It’s a front, a cover-up for something sinister and what may seem like a great deal now will only end up costing you dearly in the future.

I am writing this because well-intentioned folks still succumb to these fabulous, unrealistic promises. They call me up and the first question they ask me is: ‘can I guarantee a page 1 ranking”. The reason they do this is that they have Googled SEO or SEO Sydney and have contacted some of those agencies with Adwords who are the main culprits of these SEO scams. Their sales pitch is so good and so refined that when they call me up they sound disappointed when I cannot offer the same.

What I do say is that I will guarantee the best advice possible to help your site earn more traffic and implement an SEO campaign that will deliver long term realistic results. This is why we are #1 organically for our keywords and why we do not have to pay Google to be ranked on the first page. We understand the very essence of SEO not the cunning art of deceit.

There are many times when I speak with prospective clients that I would love to be able to offer a guarantee because I am SO confident in my ability to rank certain keywords. I am literally about to say it BUT I cannot. Why? Because a guarantee is a contract a promise for something that I have to put my good name behind and I have to deliver on this. I wish I could but I can’t. My moral compass is too straight and I run an ethical, upstanding business. For those people that need to hear the word; ‘ guarantee’ – good luck – we are the wrong agency.

If there is one thing you should take away from this article: SEO companies cannot control the ranking results the way Qantas can control flights or Dairy Farmers can guarantee the taste of their ice cream. Google alone is responsible for rankings and their methodologies. And if an SEO agency starts talking about ranking guarantees or pay on performance; hang up the phone.