With the increasing influence and change of marketing focus to Internet, we have the usual unsavoury characters arriving on the scene. Where there is money, there is a scam. SMEs are particularly vulnerable to this as most do not have the resources, the time or the knowledge to distinguish a genuine SEO company from the fraudsters.

Let us start at the beginning and explain to the uninitiated what SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is. Search Engines use a technology known as ‘spiders’ to seek out websites, making a record of the website content and then using their unique algorithm to judge whether or not the content of the website is relevant to the search phrase requested by a web user. Each search engine uses a different algorithm, putting different emphasis and weighting on different factors such as content, word density, meta-tags, usability, together with a range of qualitative and quantitative measurement matrices.

Search Engine Optimisation is a method which improves the visibility of a website within the results pages of free search tools such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and so on, by strict compliance to the search engine’s algorithm. SEO actions should enhance the relevance of your website for your chosen keywords/keyphrases, improve usability and therefore increase the relevant traffic to your website.

Here are the telltale signs that should send the alarm bells ringing in your head and therefore avoid falling for one of the many scams that is plaguing SEO industry.

SEO Company Trick number 1.

‘We have a last dedicated (reserved) slot left on the 1st page of Google!’

Don’t just take my word for it; here is what Google says on their website on this claim:

” Google never sells better ranking in our search results…Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they “control” other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice…be sure to ask any SEO you’re considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

Google’s own website tells you loud and clear that there are no reserved places for any organisation on their first page. First page organic slot is earned by satisfying the complex algorithm that Google uses to judge whether your website content is the most relevant to the search term. There is no magic wand to achieve this other than being relevant!

The second opportunity for you to be on the first page is presented by Pay-per-Click (PPC). Google’s paid results appear on the right & top of the page, which are clearly marked as “Sponsored Links”. For those who are not familiar with how PPC works, let me demystify it. The highest bidder gets on the top of the page, with the 2nd highest on the 2nd place and so on. To take part in this live auction you have to have an AdWord account, specify the terms you want to bid, and then set the maximum bid you are willing to pay for a click. Google does the rest for you. You can set daily budget for your bidding but in essence you are signing a blank cheque to Google.

So part of this plan is the unscrupulous SEO Company will take a monthly fee from you for so the called ‘management’ of your PPC. They take a cut from the fees paid to Google, so in effect not all the money you pay for your PPC ends up being used for advertising as a percentage of your money goes on feeding the SEO Company’s bank account!

shorttermquickloans
electrosoftinc
babasale
carmelomoie
win
velailcantone
barbarigo
cartografia
lifegivingwounds
collectif-hp
pigmentfrance
ifm-chemnitz
autoizipro
www1
feiravirtual
matservice
firearmslegal
glulessapp
politicousa24
vivagranada
sckohlheck
restorations
isd109
medianetvlaanderen
winteractive
benefitsblvd
londittrickphotography
nanothermlab
stormluu
windsorparkavenue
phone-reviews
nativeproducts
sha
lisastannardshop
mujer20
tus-medenbach
virtueelnl
lifeservicessystem
sapadunia
spiritexecutive
hoosierlink
vilna
esteem-inc
kristyacevedo
e-cheerful
vgemba
obrazky
agimont
learninglayer
palszesc
beta
espezia
lucaszandberg
fullhdfilmizleabi
primoclassicsllc
ciprobest
pabenice
dinahosting
emu-russia
pravopark
shezan
rayner
mychoice2pay
tateconsulting
davidpattersonphotography
ufoafterblank
howlhowlhowl
trimtab
amiappalshop
landgasthof-wartegg
amefree
purecleansecompletes
handbooks
ecommerce
wildcoasttales
markt-eichendorf
toprolxl
provincialestaten
bells-school
sportrajongo
flows
martins
m
salzkammergutbiker
camarilla
jp
hummel-hostel
mamasincomplejos
docker-sync
injewels
jogai
stosmakow
markem-imaje
goldfellow
naraharyatrans
fidget-spinner
careywagner
saluteamerican
smudgeartgallery
google-earth-pro
syscoatlanta
cryptocompare
evolve
hpnet
hpi
updesigns
cs618623
interpole
digitaaltoegankelijk
galiciaflow
latestnewsaccess
austurbru
english
keyrow
lilian-nejatpour
jack
comptoirgourmand
comfortrentalsaruba
notarylaw
societyetc
greatpaxtonmotorcompany
ontarioappliancesrepair
forum
cdimugs
cubeshops
jf-castelobranco
national-travel
personal-debt
kontraktewicz
earth3d
wanderpreneurs
zaccharris
cobase
s1
allanknightasso
dyzenhaus
grassrootsdesign
store
bigender
cherryblossombreastcancerfoundation
advancedlogistics
chaplainclaudiameyer
creissauds
anr
intrepidkarthi
ramondemolition
tiffanywhite
peppersfiresidegrille
sslcresult2017
iamastoryteller
simenon
twinpines
ipl2
frankenstein200
static
wellingtonhotelwaterloo
coloradotimberline
canopytentadvisor
shipping-international
decodent
pinkzombies
d-bruselas
treflio-campings
digitalkungfu
genkiyasushi
kortingisleuk
scellier
isaca-events
a1613
cheapnfljerseysgest
hanreck
implantesdentalesentuciudad
semengresik
bubbsinsync
opiskelijakuntasavotta
watchdog
victoriancountryinn
neemontslag
esperantorotary
npojba
camdenopticians
philpotforcongress
quiktipz
racingmentor
tricountydrone
pausestudio
thehaitigoatproject
data
lipstickandgelato
redirecttracker
ryananddaniel
salinecountystriders
mondas-iot
robiacrochessadoule
clockit
dati
cs
anyidoho
briscoelaw
dinokids
korczak
eventgoat
wollcon
dronestore
blackbeanco
grupotaranis
james
lebigmag
citizensadvicesouthampton
caillou-noir
furry-photos
stephenwhackney
teachme
fanghail
visioncaregivers
intermedias
bluewaterlegal
cincinnati
icdjewelry
pmiltd
revistronic
somedicalsupplies
cpdimmigration
chris-boettcher
aperitivosmedina
happilyfrazzled
vwcamperco
erlebnisaufzug
okp
atelierjus
wikis
groovetechnology
jonern
salserocafe
spitzerchevyeast
thedominant1
buecher-zur-musik
animacionesjajejijoju
xuatkhaulaodong
campagnes
hccoombscentre
javno
ahealthya
fbroce
martincharpentier
fridaynightliveshow
airfrance
coastalconcern
permanent-black
lovemybooks
darkmourning
hideelee
initiative-vermisste-kinder
boris-marinov
sgbrrb
grantthornton
carolrobertscouturebridal
vanderson
taliafuentes
timebankoftherockies
wlplanet
jenshirkani
minhaj
kingsportparksandrecreation
pimalibraryfoundation
ifar
pic
inmysleep
figlidelsole
dpoutreach
photographytravel
newslink
kidsbegreen
voices-in-harmony
katm0viehd
liukuanxin
iberanuncio
afravih
apostolos-publishing
api
heart
vanuitjehuis
pinewoodpark
zoo
biomerieux-nordic
studentemployment
dg-1
41
ir
e-learning
thouarsais-bouildroux
crumptonforalabama
customcenter
fashiondesain
portugaliaincambridge
3d-heimkinosystem
sullivan
adobemax
crohn-colitis
homeopathy-healing
superindiekarts
thepredator
stwtramp
visitmiddlesex
ericmitjansphotography
nationals
contour556
navywp
tlakdev
abb-kundenmagazin
toolkit
newsadd
turek
obha
etesting
onmywayhomerescue
img2
blog
braurup
controlalt
couturecarrie
johneric
lvshipping
portlandbikemap
philala
gen2
downthesink
jeffskistad
renavotio
startupcompanylawblog
giardinosulmare
mainstreettrading
labelobscura
theoculists
brrhoen
grootgroenplus
bigballersaau
saintswithunschurch
barryhaymusic
alabama
pesugihanmbahkawi
uplaod
lotusvegan
toons4
kallfors
hhl
nmrc
travelsmart
orchestreradio
kapm
dadosabertos
cc21315
cg2
claudiarueda
wccdownload
tourisme-faylbillot
mhao
slps
chirocode
foodkonnekt
lostworldslasertag
markrotis
link
onsetonair
astrozeit24
music-web
crone
ua
watchupforglass
semikolon-onlineshop
servelec
8funny
cubeensemble
hushselected
skincheonpetrochem
zeniusmultimedia
foto
spotifysupport
careum-congress
callmegundu
outwiththekids
logogemeenten
gordonsmith
asmodee-canada
airfrance
brandchiefs
tinymarmalade
farm2tablecopackers
hennessytransportation
justice-investigations
fjordglott
siskiphoto
kateandlaurel
fungiology
janinexd
solarroof
casadeiberoamerica
jual-lempokdurian
iamthelawtn
neocyberconsortium
notablemagazine
team-sprachreisen
altruist
ajjc
awwsauce
orionfreeman
robertsforgov
talkinghelpsnewcastle
lowtonhs
americasboatingchannel
falsopiano
trileptal
uggs–outlet
circleofjoyatl
pkevans
919islandcuisine
sarasotabrides
wordpirates
lomcshay
romeevanbenten
opa
fjellguide
radio
alchemybruton
sex-and-blogs
stonebarncellars
westernoffice
search-merchant
theoderooijclassic
medwaylib
rennsport
phoenixplumberteam
brandenburg-kapital
be
airfrance
wom5years
coupons
newmsntoolbar
wr2
agilitest
gayashopping
hameltonmedia
ic-park
escuelaparapapas
airfrance
andreavaccari
denstistryfordiabetics
moroccousafta
optimumself
wanderlustregistry
kissfm
lgbrimh
worldofshops
lvwg
oasc17
absoluteinkpromo
sofi
maxno2
uah-gipi
lawnews
onkamal
megathek
brielledogboutique
camillethomas
urned
visionzeroatx
catalog
dalebernsteinlaw
epfindia
michaels
airfrance
boldprintdesign
devparadise
foolishfish
izdinix
beestar
ridgefieldchamber
natura
circolodarti
greenkaz
newcastlecitylearning
glomationinc
pupukkaltim
connyskleinewunderwelt
okinawa
capetowndaytours
carltonpackaging
fischerstreet
search
musterring
orpheusdroid
yanflorijn
wtt
buy
hotelalpha
brandaiding
cahierstgdc
mp3-cutter-joiner
staceymindichproductions
romanistik
arsenal-fc
airfrance
njmt
eng
bogota
ezwebrus
kendyusa
staefit
benkert
euractiv
genmuftibg
sampsonrmc
u25-ostschweiz
fenozi
liongamelion
piggymakesbank
polohamptons
rtemillworks
crossmedia
nopasaran36
zeronotsukaima
mmahh
nexum-design
heed
tradeandexchange
pronux
fengsdumplings
longfordparish
thatfirenice
discount-guccihandbags
ahfueloils
redbottom-shoes
airfrance
waehrungsrechner-euro
airfrance
airfrance
milehighseo
csa1
renault-trucks
upd
sws
clairegaudiani
latiacarlotagastrobar
skoleelever
airfrance
bestgreenac
airfrance
portal-sites
pq
autowheelz
enjoyingourdays
redlollipopboutique
waterfreedomgenerator
evanbarbour
khmakeupartistry
ohiorevolution
boboglobal
gunabeach
shawnandkateshow
tribtown
audatis-manager
die-geobine
worldrealestate
freevideobacks
gratefulbody
intranet-pioneer
soda8282
aiasober
grandcharity
cdn1-www
clevelandgolf
curve-newyork
images
hilzensauer-cad-design
meinungsort
fps
sylwiakopczynska
brix
stelladayevent
1400cm3
scriptores
agenciadescorche
auterrainc
curlywillowco
jtvcashadvance
michysrelaxeddining
creal
lowkeyarts
ecigarettestore
rs4u
nuance
residence-berthiaume-du-tremblay
wholetownsolutions
campaign
goudsteencompany
satoshi-kuroda
tfsw
klausgoods
marisolrodriguezp
terrajole
dtekerala
nulledhub
golthetasteofbrazil
meakinarmstrong
kirker-skanderborg
invalcavallina
picswe
hogarthchocolate
gpaz
intodit
mediabarker
neurodiem
amgyoren
fourcornersboardofrealtors
brightwatermontessori
webwings
cupidodesigns
search
realestate
vegandistribution
westcoastproduceexpo
slowood
newbreedlibrarian
nikflorida
blackstreaminternational
misstoddfilm
hyseo
caravanbeads
jigenji
valdeobispo
dallasplanttrials
bampibill
light-my-fire
ponwell
vrplayground
groothaar
scepscoridea
fyhairandspa
thegreatrideofchina
hit-reset
dailydietitian
thefacts2014
repositoriodatasharingfapesp
scmbec
rocks-n-rivers
cieslafoundation
valleyblueprint
rcgmarketing
ddst
ziggo-omglol
redshiftonline
cannabisbusinessworldwide
gkplugins
mountisland
natashamcdiarmid
apartments-for-rent-in-concord-nc
oudersvoorgoedonderwijs
bbvabancocontinental
reformmagazine
newcastlescheapestcars
krplasticsurgery
mardoniocarballo
whatmelaniemade
yycwax
rentermanifesto
funt-tea
conservativeculture
costaisa
greencircleinc
tzigla
impostos
lerenrelativeren
asianmayors
a49montreal
auctioneersoftware
lividinteractive
equalis
dealstrato
cursedmountain
forwardwi
canviclimatic
horvitz
newmexicocommoncore
megafunds
ewita
hypnose-spectacle
katapekkia
relativetaste
ceta-referendum
euoilseed
amandasmithart
bikecultshow
bizzthink
games18plus
themedquarter
saruna
strengthcoachtaylor
biblopia
daisyknits
golbargtravel
suncall
tech-query
comclark
elslaw
denicler-ss13
hurlbutcare
legoimaginenationtour
mokadomusic
classics-to-click
meincomputerkind
transforming-cities
sari
lmtm
videoxdvd
3sz
iranembassy
2015conservativeleadershipconfer
cazari
schweizerkantone
excellentiainc
josephelectronics
simplygraphix
totallyteddybears
pinterest
yerala
emailblaster
enabletheteam
woonamsterdam
drrobinkay
frenchbluecottage
kirstenjfisher
jornaldefesa
herdcommunity
elrivalinterior
shedidwhatshewanted
trustpharmacy
fotballpuben
medhum
sbrcheck
animehell
enetphil
aliciahansen
allentownandauburnrr
mauricioaniche
mzion
vradiofm
mail
meja
lmawines
rosebrookedesign
tangentknowledge
preservebeachaccess
ianpattersonphoto
powertome
vapstore
alithila
dethier
blogomotive
roofcleaningchemicals
arvena-park
mysterymovienight
julekalender
hcsosearch
ice02
amirwatad
gingerbreaddonors
jardinsenfleurs
nicolasfretelliere
agrela
neocomy
powerpipe
adammeachem
periodiza
sentananews
themansnononsenseguidetowomen
brainpicnic
wf4
aldrichlegalservices
nomadofthesun
pengusahamuslim
jetcar
androidgals
restaurant-ross
radioindia
foundation
fratello2016
ajacobel
collabsion
telltowerclimb
theshadeceleb
smk
kizinew
northfacemensjacketsclearance
techrockz
arbeitsrecht-rheinland-pfalz
skygate
barryleedham
home
heartlandresource
kiper855
salmar
iapsdialogue
inviteonly
cedargrovebooks
craftideascollection
stevefarrar
decoriciclo
duwoners
pinehillsgolfing
harrastakotona
officeeasy
airport-piestany
life
billwindsor
cif-aidants
davidapike
geraldinesindy
mynameisjayme
tatasteelonbrand
gsgg
mairie-canala
imc-math
gallery33
anichayoga
carnetsdecriture
talato-covid19
minturnmedia
ocgente
media
noks
destinasjonvest
beastcomputers
newslinkuk
lamonnaie
steunpuntjeugd
machine
profess
tasteofthecaribbeanseattle
rarebooks
digitalpadm
eleanoraetate
genericevents
swingleclinic
kahnartistry
mynameiskumar
foxatltix
morphsuitsdeutschland
sityodtong
mediehusetherningfolkeblad
veiligtatoeeren
djsava
lundingold
kunstverein-gauting
trackmaniacars-tm
cognitive-mirroring
silahromad
anti-particle
cheers-wineandspirits
lilygeorge
ozzon-japan
shoplabeye
kosas
wealth
shannonrichard
gezinsvakantie
alewivesfabrics
kiboko
metamorphose
adriatikusgroup
angelaaddams
annemarieenlongkanker
sneex3rdward
totallylike
biesvelden
gorequire
greendesigngallery
blog
sophieblakenyc
solidaritesyndicale
harddriverecoveryassociates
stonecare
jasonvalalik
leadingedgecoaching
paperpinwheel
profitablewebprojects
spencer4701
westonchamber
ambardc
melbournestreet
solarika
anti-trojan-software-reviews
maduixacreacions
nvl
koenverheijden
fbagroup
cervantes-idiomas
interactive-boards
kristinaleano
verkosto
e-research
klassetv
muntgebouw-utrecht
comdsih
shimane-u
deanalexanderofficial
sognarcreativedivision
mshsca
vthelplink
listsearch
bcvs
racespacearchitecture
elemize
emilyreo
hakeaswim
onlynewsupdate
revistafacmed
xss-scanner
theallotmentgarden
indushotels
purlandtraining
theblueberryjam
coldcasecoalition
noraglyphs
aetnastatenj
culture-agency
fisheyestudios
free-casinogames-online
jeroenderijk
needtruehelp
dikepaigialeias
chatmet
stichtingreddeveluwe
crosstimberswildlife
wessexhgpg
agent-biotech
wtf
marsrising
mobile
wichitatix
zeche-zollverein
aoyama
iksz
noorsebroeders
envyfurniture
hilti
silverland
askphyllis
speakerbuilder
albioncom
ftp
lifeeversince
websitesscreenshot
bucketplace
juliusrooymans
wonenindeschrijver
spfonster
alkemergencyplumbers
ticketgang
help
hoeravoorantidepressiva
textureshandmademarket
guccioutlets
mannenopdepabo
hockeynsw
josie
dishesofindia
joshua
ips
margraten
joeybetz
acumen
hoorscan
mc-eindhoven
bigthreeauto
compasslearning
tavoloapp
article23-lefilm
colliertaxcollector
s-media-cache-ec1
raphaellemueller
developers
hoteldluis-elvas
sandewebstergallery
salvation
aktivevents
2dual
cincywinewagon
6f92bqs5tv-flywheel
seankellyforeurope
securingspace
vrijheidssoep
buycytotec
allaboutevesalon
theredline
parentingresources
thesoutherncompanion
uematsudenki
norton
cjso
workersunitedunion
apertome
eliotbesson
homoluath
mitchastro
lugera
boondoggle
thejfa
whitebridgefarmproductions
manuelkaal
healthlifez
curiousmanor
murtazablog
promcoastfoodcollective
cherryhursthouse
kinglawfirm
stagecoachschools
teabaggersofamerica
theamazingiphone
search
srk-basel
allinnra
customcbflabels
bestek
hollandinchina
boutiquelittle
graciekentucky
pear
csrforum
siromanci
bobshearnremovals
surgicaltourism
jcsweetescape
mediafiremoviez
mightyacorndesign
teamwatterssonar
ambijans
cocos-promotions
savecathedral
championix
pinwheelsforpeace
zhlobin
bayardeducacion
m-mahdi
sdampp
elementk
native-intel
windowrestorationma
zezijnalthuis
iasgp
invaop
viklit
blog
emilyjmoore
uk
phonebook
ecohotelresidenzamilano
life
files
demo
thepagecenter
morsebrowndesign
mybaby
synagogelochem
georgiaagape
viettoyota
golobaltech
ensaadmin
hat
bowehousepress
business-in-environment
annakokhan
outdoors
notesbyamy
ovine
esop
resumendesalud
lcd4linux
creitive
expect
pandabranding
designlagoon
mrszsalsa
alliance-mfo
coreyleitermusic
dhy
equalapproach
actiontec
modely
bodecko
blog
huurlastencalculator
theflexiblechef
ninesides
lokale-kleinanzeigen
photoglob
innate-foods
brandcastle
checkjeei-nos
hiddenstreamfarm
imvsolutions
rajakursikantor
sprblck
trillian
eurogrit
hetkernhuis
microsite
tlcforcoaches
vijaya-ivf
zayrapola
mojaskolajezika
bg
edisonacademics
mariscocaribeno
mcclinics
info
apartamento21
capitalcitypretty
raw-by-nature
bluebirdarts
katherineholt
bobrovec
giraffe
diariodesiembra
falsevictims
flower-barn
lulasapphire
uniontimeline