There are many problems in the SEO industry. I am going to talk about all of them today and give you strategies on the problems when it comes to choosing an SEO agency for you and your business.
Quick Links
Problem 1: Low Barrier to Entry
Unfortunately, anyone can be an SEO expert today.
Starting a website is easy and effortless. You can go to Weebly, sign up for a free website, call yourself an SEO expert. However marketing a site and publishing quality content isn’t.
Calling yourself the next coming of Warren Buffet is easy, outperforming the market is not.
Problem 2: Lack of Technical knowledge from consumers
There is a gap in SEO knowledge.
There are many ‘marketing gurus’ promising X% returns on the sales page. The unknowledgeable marketer may assume that generating X percent return on investment is effortless and easy as marketed by many course providers. Throwing in private jet planes, Lamborghinis…
However, the pros know that it’s not that easy.
Problem 3: Low industry regulations
There are no formal regulations or associations in the SEO industry.
It’s easy to make empty promises such as guaranteed SEO rankings. These are ‘internet marketers’ that guarantee Google page 1 rankings and show off their ‘5 figure income revenue generating trick’.
Our agency never promises page one rank one Google rankings. Our company also doesn’t sell ‘make money and work 4 hours a week lifestyle’ in any of our programs or services.
Problem 4: SEO Providers that Offer Kickbacks or Commissions
If this doesn’t sound shady to you, then I guess nothing will.
This is common in some countries, especially with government grants. Companies are able to manipulate invoices and give kickbacks.
If an SEO is charging a good amount of money, he must be able to iterate how he is able to add massive value to your business.
This way you’ll create students and clients for life. Trust is something invaluable in any industry. In the long run, there’ll be a flight to quality.
There’s a ton of noise out there. Just about anyone can create a simple website, install WordPress, promise you world domination on a sales page and run a Facebook ad to it.
How many of these people actually can back up what they say?
Solution 1: Take a Look at the Content Published
If you read my guide on link building, you’ll know that SEO isn’t a walk in the park. It isn’t easy, however, if you are diligent and work hard at it, you might be able to get results.
Sometimes, a simple Google search isn’t enough. You need to dig deep.
You’re encouraged to read his or her articles, follow them on Facebook, see if you agree or disagree with them. Is he or she a one page phoney? For example, does his website only consist of ONE sales page with blinking lights and flashing pictures?
Solution 2: Check Their Testimonials
Testimonials can be faked. It’s not that difficult to get a testimonial. It’s difficult to get a quality testimonial. You should take a look at the quality of the testimonial.
Is the person giving the testimonial focused on emotional selling, boasting, bragging… or are they going in-depth about the course experience, the things they’ve learned and how they’ve benefitted from the program or product.
See if they are boasting about how much money they or if their clients have said how much they’ve benefited from their services.
Solution 3: Track Record of Excellence
You also need to ask yourself: does that person you’re engaging have a track record of excellence?
You may typically think of a SEO marketer as someone who markets scammy eBooks, uses sales funnels and long cheesy sales pages.
It’s not common for an SEO to be labeled as an ‘online entrepreneur’ or an ‘online marketer’. This often comes along with flashy blinking highlights, fake testimonials, low quality products and ‘make money online photos’.
Hence forth, check the SEO agency’s track record (or complains)
Solution 4: SEO Providers that Take in Any Client that Comes Through
SEO providers need to only accept the right clients, and not sell their services like it’s watered down.
There was once an SEO client who came to me and emailed me 10 other quotations from other companies from the same industry and asked me to match the price of the cheapest one.
If you’re a serious SEO, you’ll know that this form of comparison doesn’t really allow you to demonstrate the true value of your work. If your client insists on finding the cheapest solution, then he/she is probably the wrong client. Good SEO can only be done by quality, and not watered down services.