Guarantees and Unethical Search Engine Optimization

by Mike Banks Valentine
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

Guarantees Mean Unethical Search Engine Optimization
by Mike Banks Valentine

Guarantees are being offered much less often by Search Engine Optimizers to retain clients, but as long as there are aggressive and rapacious customers, there will be an SEO to accept work by offering guarantees in a category that can never be [honestly] dominated using generic and popular search phrases.

SEO experts can not "guarantee" a placement in the top ten for any keywords on any of the search engines. This is simply a marketing ploy used by unethical SEO's to get work. None of the [honest] best would ever take on a client who insists on being number one for common two word phrases. Everyone should know by now that results come only from honest page content, link popularity and proper use of targeted terms.

THE proven method of ranking well in your desired search phrases is simply to provide great content with appropriate page architecture in a category that is not already dominated by cheaters doing keyword stuffing and using other unethical techniques to gain top positions.

Invisible text keyword stuffing is not acceptable at one single search engine and most will ban those who insist on using the technique, but not until they find out that it is happening. Perhaps that is why more of the top search engines are offering methods of reporting the use of unethical techniques through their own sites. Here's the address to report this behavior at Google.

http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html

That is given from the 'Information for Webmasters page

http://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html

The second bullet point on this page will tell you that "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google" I recently turned down an attorney client for SEO who wanted to dominate the search engines for the term Los Angeles Attorney and appear within the top ten results for that single search phrase after some basic research where I found several cheating competitors for the terms he should be targeting legitimately.

Perhaps Google hasn't discovered them yet? I just can't see myself playing ethics cop to SEO firms that offer top results when their techniques could get the client banned from many search engines.

If you go to Google and search the phrase Los Angeles Attorney, you'll find that the number one and two positions are held by http://da.co.la.ca.us/ the LA District Attorney's Office web site. Number 3 position is held by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

This is not unusual for any term that could apply to a government web site, as they often properly structure their pages, avoid using stupid techniques like keyword stuffing and provide tons of useful TEXT based content.

This is also very likely due to the link popularity of the LA DA site with 954 links pointing to them, followed by proper page architecture of using Los Angeles Attorney in the most important place on the page -- the TITLE TAG. The Title tag is ignored by the vast majority of amateur optimizers. Then, appropriate and intelligent use of the search term in the metatags, use of the targeted search phrase in the body text, and finally, many pages of useful, text-filled content that is RELEVANT to the search phrase!

I recommended to that potential attorney client that he more tightly target his search phrase at his specialty, which I won't disclose here. That technique is what I insist on with all clients who want to rank in the top ten, but I still won't guarantee the position, but simply suggest that it would better serve them to have a top position in their specialty rather than using generic search terms and resorting to trickery.

Beware fast talking salesmen and unsolicited phone calls. NEVER Believe in guarantees!

Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimizer specializing in ethical small business SEO http://SearchEngineOptimism.com/
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