• Watch out for SEO firms that send you unsolicited emails from time to time.
  
  If you get emails about search engine optimizers and directories, ignore them. Take them as seriously as you would take publicity campaigns for diet pills that claim to burn fat at night.
  
• Don’t believe anyone who guarantees a #1 ranking on Google.
  
  Google does not give priority to anyone. The only way you can submit a site to Google is through their Add URL page or through the Google Sitemaps (Beta) program directly, and you can do this yourself at no cost. So, if you hear SEOs claiming to guarantee rankings, through their alleged special relationship with Google, ignore them. No one can advertise a priority submit to Google.
  
• Be wary of companies that are secretive about their intentions.
  
  You have a right to know what goes in your site. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of the companies you hire. So, if you come across something ambiguous, ask for explanations. You should know exactly how they intend to help you otherwise your site stands the risk of being removed from Google’s index. Make sure the SEO does not create false or insidious content on your behalf, such as ‘doorway’ pages or ‘throwaway’ domains.
  
• Avoid links to an SEO.
  
  Don’t get taken in by SEOs that talk about the power of free-for-all links, link popularity schemes, or the offer to submit your site to thousands of search engines. These are futile exercises that will have no positive impact on your ranking in the results of the major search engines.
  
• Weigh the pros and cons of the proposals of SEOs giving users the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
  
  To be able to type keywords directly into the browser address bar the users will have to install extra software that most users will not do. So, it’s best to assess the utility of such proposals carefully. Don’t get carried away by the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.
  
• Choose prudently.
  
  Before you decide to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. You can do that on Google and also read some cautionary tales reported in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. Though Google doesn't comment on specific companies, they know of firms calling themselves SEOs who follow unethical practices that infringe accepted business conduct. Beware of them.
  
• Try and understand what you are paying for.
  
  Be sure to ask the SEO which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising. Many search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs even promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs go to the extent of changing their bid prices in real time to make you believe that they ‘control’ other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. Of course, this fraud doesn’t work with Google because their advertising is clearly labeled and separated from their search results. Nonetheless, make sure where your money goes.
  
• Talk to other SEOs to get a realistic picture of the firm you're considering.
  
  Before taking the final decision, take your time to know as much as possible about the company you’re considering. It’s good to take references, but they don't give the full picture. Find out how long the firm has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. Basically, trust your gut feeling and play it safe. Don’t sign up if you feel uncomfortable. Wait till you find a firm you can trust. All ethical firms report deceptive sites that go against Google’s spam guidelines. So, ask your SEO firm whether it reports every spam abuse that it finds to Google using their spam complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html.
  
• Protect yourself legally.
  
  Don’t pay until you have a contract in writing. The contract should include pricing and should impel the SEO to stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine for site inclusion. Insist on a full and unconditional money-back guarantee. Don't hesitate to ask for a refund if you're not satisfied for any reason, or if your domain has been removed from a search engine’s index due to the SEO's actions.
  

Some common abuses a website owner can encounter

Watch out for ‘shadow’ domains. This is a common scam that uses deceptive redirects to send users to a site. These shadow domains are owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. They can prove to be extremely dangerous if the relationship sours between the SEO and the website owner. The SEO can point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain, and you will keep paying to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.

Sometimes the SEO places ‘doorway’ pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere to make the page more relevant for more queries. This is illegal besides being inherently false since individual pages are generally irrelevant for a wide range of keywords. Moreover, these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients. This can get you into trouble if any of these sites contain objectionable or illegal content.

Some other things to look out for

In the ultimate analysis, it’s best to trust your instinct before you sign up. However, to save yourself from dealing with an unethical SEO, look out for these warning signs and stay away from the SEO:

• that owns shadow domains
• that places links to other clients on doorway pages
• that offers to sell keywords in the address bar
• that doesn't separate ads and actual search results
• that guarantees # 1 ranking
• that works with many aliases or fabricated WHOIS info
• that gets traffic from fake search engines like spyware, or scumware
• that is not listed in Google or its domains have been removed from Google's index

Back to Article Directory