Is SEO a Scam? Top 10 Ways to Identify a Good SEO Firm

I have dealt with dozens of customers who are frustrated because they bounce from one SEO firm to another hoping to find a company who will generate results. Unfortunately, most of these clients fall victim to proactive sales campaigns. It is not uncommon to find SEO firms who invest 80% or more of the money you pay into the sales staff leaving almost nothing for the SEO firm. This is not limited to the small firms – nor is it a trademark of the larger firms. In the SEO firm’s defence, many companies have become so frustrated by clients who break their contracts in a ridiculously short time. Anything shorter than 8 months is a waste of the SEO firm’s time and the client’s money.   This friction between the SEO firm and the client is generally due to miscommunication and unrealistic expectations on the client’s firm. For example, you are not going to reach page 1 of Google for a keyword that generates millions of dollars in sales with an SEO budget of $500, $500, or even $5000 a month. No matter how much you invest there is always someone willing to invest more. This doesn’t mean that SEO is a scam. If you take your focus off vanity keywords, and focus on generating income and/or leads from your website then you’ll often find hundreds of keywords that you can rank for that are within your budget. The first step is to either create a DIY (Do It Yourself) ...