The other day while I was in a meeting with a potential customer I got the feeling that he was just counting the seconds before I was done so he could kindly ask me to leave. It felt as though I had just stepped into a lion’s den. I stopped and politely asked if something was bothering him or if anything I had said had offended him in any way. He then told me he had recently held a meeting with someone I’ll refer to as an “SEO Monkey”.
The term (while not my own) can be applied to any person who offers “Search Engine Optimization” services, and claims that it is the end all be all of the online marketing world. They usually go on about how they can increase a businesses profits merely by doing a bit of on page optimization and tossing a few backlinks your way.
He went on to tell me that working with them felt much like tossing his advertising dollars inside a live volcano. The SEO salesman offered little information on what exactly he was doing for this client, and after a few weeks was not reachable at all.
Now, I do not want to give people the wrong impression, the fact is that Search Engine Optimization coupled with a solid strategy can over time help businesses get more exposure on the internet. I would however warn business owners to be skeptical of anyone who claims they can get your business on page 1 of Google inside a week, or any similar claim.
There will always be people out there trying to take advantage of others and their lack of knowledge in any field. If something seems to be “too good to be true, it probably is” If you’re thinking about hiring someone for the purpose of generating more traffic online, make sure you feel comfortable with their ability to do so. For more information on picking the right person take the time to read and educate yourself.
It details some information about basic Search Engine Optimization, and goes into detail about how to protect yourself against such malicious practices.
