by Mike Banks Valentine copyright
© 2003
Guarantees are being offered much less often by Search
Engine Optimizers to retain clients, but as long as
there are aggressive and rapacious customers, there
will be an SEO to accept work by offering guarantees
in a category that can never be [honestly] dominated
using generic and popular search phrases.
SEO experts can not "guarantee" a placement
in the top ten for any keywords on any of the search
engines. This is simply a marketing ploy used by unethical
SEO's to get work. None of the [honest] best would ever
take on a client who insists on being number one for
common two word phrases. Everyone should know by now
that results come only from honest page content, link
popularity and proper use of targeted terms.
THE proven method of ranking well in your desired search
phrases is simply to provide great content with appropriate
page architecture in a category that is not already
dominated by cheaters doing keyword stuffing and using
other unethical techniques to gain top positions.
Invisible text keyword stuffing is not acceptable at
one single search engine and most will ban those who
insist on using the technique, but not until they find
out that it is happening. Perhaps that is why more of
the top search engines are offering methods of reporting
the use of unethical techniques through their own sites.
Here's the address to report this behavior at Google.
http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html
That is given from the 'Information for Webmasters page
http://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html
The second bullet point on this page will tell you that
"No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google"
I recently turned down an attorney client for SEO who
wanted to dominate the search engines for the term Los
Angeles Attorney and appear within the top ten results
for that single search phrase after some basic research
where I found several cheating competitors for the terms
he should be targeting legitimately.
Perhaps Google hasn't discovered them yet? I just can't
see myself playing ethics cop to SEO firms that offer
top results when their techniques could get the client
banned from many search engines.
If you go to Google and search the phrase Los Angeles
Attorney, you'll find that the number one and two positions
are held by
http://da.co.la.ca.us/
the LA District Attorney's Office web site. Number 3
position is held by the Los Angeles City Attorney's
Office. This is not unusual for any term that could
apply to a government web site, as they often properly
structure their pages, avoid using stupid techniques
like keyword stuffing and provide tons of useful TEXT
based content.
This is also very likely due to the link popularity
of the LA DA site with 954 links pointing to them, followed
by proper page architecture of using Los Angeles Attorney
in the most important place on the page -- the TITLE
TAG. The Title tag is ignored by the vast majority of
amateur optimizers. Then, appropriate and intelligent
use of the search term in the metatags, use of the targeted
search phrase in the body text, and finally, many pages
of useful, text-filled content that is RELEVANT to the
search phrase!
I recommended to that potential attorney client that
he more tightly target his search phrase at his specialty,
which I won't disclose here. That technique is what
I insist on with all clients who want to rank in the
top ten, but I still won't guarantee the position, but
simply suggest that it would better serve them to have
a top position in their specialty rather than using
generic search terms and resorting to trickery.
Beware fast talking salesmen and unsolicited phone calls.
NEVER Believe in SEO guarantees!
