Not only I do I teach SEO for Search Engine Academy, but I also provide search engine optimization (SEO) support services. One of the fastest ways I disqualify potential clients is if they ask me “How long will it take you to get me on page one of Google?”
I try to hang up faster than a starving man let loose on an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Those are kinds of clients who end up being pains in the assets, because they never stop with the questions that require answers that go into gray hat or black hat SEO.
Back in my old ‘hood in the District of Columbia, there was a saying you’d hear quite a lot. I’ve cleaned it up to publish here, and it goes like this: Don’t let your mouth write a check that your hind parts can’t cash. I’m sure you can guess how it really goes.
And so I say to you, those who are interested in SEO: A good SEO specialist/consultant won’t make promises they know they can’t keep.
- A promise like “I’ll always get you ranked on page 1, position 1 in Google.”
- A promise like “You’ll never drop in search engine rankings or traffic.”
- A promise like “I’ll buy you buttloads of links and that’ll keep you in the top of search results.”
- A promise like “We’ll write up lots of articles and submit them everywhere!”
Good SEOers know the line never just goes to the right and up without interruption. They know it’s normal to see some roller coaster tracks going across the screen. They understand that demand for keyword phrases may come and go, and that they always have to be researching phrases to create new content.
Good SEO consultants and specialists know that link building is a slow grind. If you can get one or two good links every once in awhile, count yourself lucky.
Good SEOers understand that Google and the client’s competition always changes, so they also keep changing and updating the client’s site.
Good SEO peeps understand that a new business just starting out can’t expect to rank for single keywords or phrases that are just a couple words long. They know the long tail keyword strategy applied diligently to many content pages will get the client’s site boosted in the SERPs.
So which one are you? Do you make a promise you can’t keep, or do you gently and lovingly tell the client or prospect the truth?
Nancy, it’s really a very nice thing to teach search engine optimization. SEO is a one of the best and crucial key tool for the business website owner to get more traffic to the website. I also agree with your term that here many companies are surviving which are promising to get a higher rank on the search engines and to increase the traffic for your website. But the truth is that they cannot guarantee that they will keep your website at the top on search engine and never drop your rank in search engines.
Hi Nataliey,
I totally agree, and I still see so many search engine marketing professionals and companies who promise results. It’s very difficult for me to have a conversation that level sets the client with the reality that nobody – nobody – can ever predict what Google will do, and how it will affect their site. Thanks for reading and your thoughtful comments!