Hi Business Owners – Jessica Here.
There’s always a mixed bag of business owners at the functions I attend. This weekend, when I spoke to a group of veterans about online marketing, a smiley and enthusiastic audience member made it known that he was starting an SEO company. Good for him, more power to him . . .
Until the big uh-oh.
I was in the middle of describing to the group the warning signs of a shady SEO consultant. The number one sign being, anyone who says, “I can get you on the first page of Google in six weeks.” A promise that’s too good to be true. After I said that line, my new friend said under his breath, “It takes more like 90 days.”
Oh geeze . . . He either has shady SEO practices or he hasn’t worked with enough businesses to know that it’s hard to rank. Period. It’s hard because most businesses haven’t figured out why they’re special and WHY people buy from them. It’s nearly impossible to have explosive online marketing results when the business you’re working with hasn’t narrowed in something interesting about themselves.
Any SEO consultant that puts a timeframe on the work is fooling himself or you. The sad part about hiring an SEO is that the people you should trust are often more expensive and hesitant to make promises.
So, buyer beware of the big Uh-Oh when you interview online marketing companies. Typical results vary.
What’s your experience with SEO companies? Share it online #mybizjournal.
