SEO

Recently I've been noticing an increase in emails from 'SEO Companies' that claim to be able to get me to the top spot for my keywords (even though they don't know what they are). The last one was written in bright pink bold text but despite its colourful nature it still ended up being deleted just like all the rest.

Why?

Because they are a con - pure and simple.

Don't believe the hype

All these unsolicited emails have one thing in common - they make exaggerated claims about their SEO abilities. Normally they'll contain the claim that they can get you better results than your existing SEO company for a fraction of the cost. A common lure and one that's normally untrue.

Many of these companies employ 'black hat' techniques that will get you a slap over the wrists by Google (if you're lucky, if not you could end up with a hefty penalty and disappear forever). Some will take your money and not do a thing.

If you're even mildly tempted to enquire further about their services, stop and think about how you market your own business.

Who do you normally send emails to?

I'm guessing your list would include clients, people who've made enquiries about your services or those who have already opted in to receive your newsletters. I very much doubt you send unsolicited plain text emails to a random selection of email addresses (without any personalisation) trying to sell your services. If I tried that with my copywriting business I doubt it would go down very well.

The people who send these emails are spammers so don't respond, just delete them.

Choosing the right SEO company

There are a lot of charlatans out there, so how can you be sure the company you choose isn't going to rip you off?

The best advice I can give is find a genuine SEO company that knows what they're talking about.If you're looking for a local company to help you Google "SEO Company Ipswich" (or the location you're looking in) and see who comes up. If they know their stuff they will be ranked highly - beware the SEO company that doesn't enjoy good rankings online

Finally go by recommendation. Ask people you know and trust who they use and what results they've had.

Once you've found the company for you they should keep in regular contact, give you regular reports and feedback so you can see how your rankings are improving.