3 Top Tell Tale Signs You’re Dealing with a Phony SEO “Professional”

Search engine optimization (SEO) may get a bad rap from time to time, but it is still an absolutely vital part of online marketing. In today’s internet-driven world, businesses that don’t incorporate an operational SEO campaign into their marketing strategies get left in the dust. Knowing this, business owners have been scrambling to acquire supposed SEO experts to give their marketing departments an edge. And many self-professed SEO “professionals” have risen up to meet the high demand, although not all of them may be as knowledgeable as they present themselves to be…

When it comes to searching for qualified SEO staff, how does one separate the wheat from the chaff? How can one tell the difference between the smooth talker and the real deal? Here’s a start: Weed out the interviewees who exhibit these three tell tale signs as described below – chances are they’re just fork-tongued phonies with a lot of talk but nothing to back it up with.

1. They promote “black hat” SEO tactics. Back in the early days of Google, “black hat” SEO tactics – duplicating content, keyword stuffing, link spamming, etc. – used to be pretty effective. However, Google has since then updated the search algorithm to reward quality over quantity. Nowadays, web pages created with black hat tactics in mind actually get penalized and fall in rankings.

2. They make lofty promises without hesitation. When a prospective employee guarantees a #1 ranking on Google, it should immediately send up red flags. Unless that person has a high position in Google, the chances of which are probably nil, the promise will turn out to be nothing more than a promise. Remember, it is wise in any profession to resist soothsayers of any kind.

3. They claim that it is impossible to explain their SEO techniques in layman’s terms. In any field, the most knowledgeable experts usually make the best teachers. It’s the same with SEO. If the alleged SEO professional actively avoids giving you a rundown of what they can do to improve your business, chances are they can’t do much at all. A person enlightened in SEO should be able to bring you into the light, so to speak.

Before hiring an employee or contracting out a company to help out with your business’s SEO efforts, do your research. Look for online reviews, references, and testimonials. Ask your peers for their opinions and recommendations. Whatever you do, don’t make a decision based on first impressions alone. Charm is cheap while good work is hard to find.

Our SEO specialists at SLS Consulting stay abreast of the latest developments in online marketing and collaborate with our other departments to create holistic, effective strategies with the goal of improving our clients’ success. To learn more about what we can do for you, please call (323) 254-1510.