Speaker 1: 0:54

Hello and welcome to SEO is not that hard.

Speaker 1: 0:56

I'm your host, ed Dawson, the founder of the SEO intelligence platform, keywordfupoleasercom, where we help you discover the questions people ask online and learn how to optimize your content for traffic and authority. I've been in SEO and online marketing for over 20 years and I'm here to share the wealth of knowledge, hints and tips I've amassed over that time. Hello and welcome back to SEO is not that hard. It's me, ed Dawson, hosting, as usual, and today I'm going to be talking about how to avoid problems with SEO and SEO service providers. So you know this comes from.

Speaker 1: 1:31

Just the other day, I was interviewed on the podcast Podcasting Amplified. That's a great show. It's very focused on helping podcasters grow, monetize and reach new audiences. So obviously, as you can guess, the topic turned towards seo for podcasters um, how to rank higher for searches and get your podcast in search, how to talk to my show notes, that kind of thing. But one particular question really struck a chord with me and that's what I want to share with you today. They asked what advice would you give to people to help them avoid being missold SEO services or worse to that effect? I can't remember the exact question because the podcast isn't out yet. But in other words, how do you avoid getting scammed or penalized by unscrupulous SEO so-called experts, experts? So I know this is a huge problem in the industry and I think you know I can see how every business owner, podcaster, blogger, whoever needs to hear this answer, because, as we all know, seo can be a bit wild west if you don't really know what you're doing. So you know, you've probably heard horror stories of someone such as a business owner paying thousands for an SEO package that promises number one rankings in short periods of time, or agencies that build hundreds of sparring backlinks, which can eventually cause penalties and destroy rankings for people. Then, after the dust settles, the site owners are left asking where did my traffic go? What am I going to do now? Because the dead truth is there's lots of seo scams out there and it's easy to get drawn in, especially when you know you might get people offering promises of quick fixes and massive return on investment. So if you've ever worried about whether an seo proposal in your inbox is legitimate or a load of nonsense, then trust me, you're not alone, because I just see this all the time and it's really frustrating.

Speaker 1: 3:17

A few red flags that I would suggest you watch out for. Okay, number one, guaranteed number one rankings. No one can guarantee a number one spot in google for competitive terms in a short time frame and even for some non-competitive terms, okay, it's not, you know, not something that can be guaranteed. Secondly, vague or secretive tactics you know, if they can, that can be guaranteed. Secondly, vague or secretive tactics you know, if they can't explain what they're doing, what their methods are, it's often because they're doing something they don't want to disclose, like a black hat or a spammy trick. Thirdly, super cheap deals. Quality SEO takes time, takes expertise. The bottom of the barrel pricing often means cutting corners or automated spam.

Speaker 1: 3:58

So, during the um interview on podcasting amplified, what I really emphasize to people is that the best thing anyone can do is educate themselves, at least on the basics. Because you know, if you obviously you're here, you're listening to this podcast, you're in the right place as it stands now. You, because you don't need a degree in search engine algorithms. Okay, we know that it isn't rocket science, but it is important to know what google's fundamental rules and guidelines are. So this is where I said to them you know, I brought up google search essentials, which you might still think of as google webmaster guidelines. I did during the podcast.

Speaker 1: 4:32

If you listen to that podcast episode, you'll hear me referring to it as google's webmaster guidelines, because it was called that for years and years and years. You know, and um, no one's perfect. I got the name wrong during the podcast. But if you google, um, google webmaster guidelines, you, it points you at google search essentials. But why did I bring it up? Well, it's because it sets those kind of like official guidelines of how Google wants websites to behave, and when you read through them and they're aimed at the layperson, they're not overly technical. So even at the high level of this app, you'll see the kind of content that's considered valuable versus what Google considers a spam, how to ensure Google can crawl and understand your pages and why user first content matters and how sneaky taxes can get you penalized.

Speaker 1: 5:21

So if an so agency is pushing you to do things that blatantly violate these guidelines, you'll spot it immediately and you'll think hang on, that seems like it might cross google's line. And if you decide to still push these boundaries, at least you're doing it knowingly, okay, rather than rather than walking into a penalty blindly. I'm not moralising here on what you should. You know what people should and shouldn't do. It's fine. As I've said before, if people want to do blackout, do blackout.

Speaker 1: 5:44

The important thing is if someone's you know. If you're going to someone buying a service, you need to know and you need to understand the relevant risks, because they might not be telling you, and that's the whole point. Okay, so if you're educated, you'll know what you're doing, you'll know what risks you're taking, and so to be to be forewarned is to be forearmed, as they say, so anyway. So, if we go into these search essentials, what are they? Okay, it's really it's desired this divided into three main areas. Okay, there's, first of all, there's technical requirements, and this is things like making sure google can crawl your site, not blocking important resources, optimizing mobile performance, that kind of thing. Secondly, their spam policies, and these are really important ones to understand if you're looking at buying in a service to try and avoid these spam services. This covers things like link schemes, cloaking, hidden text, keyword stuffing basically all the shady stuff that Google wants to weed out. And third, thirdly, they have their key best practices, which is things like creating original, helpful content, providing great user experience and being transparent about who you are and what your site offers. So if you read nothing else, read these, okay. It's not thousands of pages, it's just a small set of guidelines that can save you from a world of pain down the road.

Speaker 1: 6:56

Now, armed with the information in these documents, you can ask the right questions when you evaluate an SEO agency or a consultant. Now, practically, if you are looking for SEO help, then you obviously want to vet anybody that you're talking to, because knowing the rules is one thing, but finding someone who's going to follow them. So here's the kind of things I suggest that you need to think about. First of all, you need to ask for transparency. Any legitimate seo consultant or agency should be able to outline what the process is, how they talk, talk about the techniques they're going to use, and they'll provide some form of roadmap of what they're going to do for you. Secondly, you should look for realistic goals, and if they promise the sun, the moon, the moon on a stick, you know everything within a week, you know that's a big red flag, especially the more competitive an area you are working in.

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Seo is a marathon, not a sprint. I always say you know this. These things take time. Build for longevity, not for um, you know quick, quick hits. Thirdly, you want to check previous work. They've done so. You want to ask for references, case studies, client testimonials, all that kind of thing. Check their track record. Do they deliver sustainable growth to people? Fourth, stay involved.

Speaker 1: 8:09

Even if you're not a full-blown SEO expert, you should want to be kept in the loop. Regular updates from them, reports and open communication with them is really really vital. You don't want to be kept in the loop. Regular updates from them, reports and open communication with them is really really vital. You don't want to just pay them and then not hear from them for months. You want to be kept up to date. You want to know what they're doing.

Speaker 1: 8:25

And finally, just always compare multiple providers. Don't just go with the first person you talk to. Compare offers and see who's willing to be the most transparent and realistic. Even if you just ask four or five people, you'll see the outliers. You'll see those that are realistic. Compare multiple people.

Speaker 1: 8:45

You know I know how much confusion there is out there still about SEO. People want results I know that and they want them fast. But if you're in a hurry, they often miss the foundations, and that's understanding the rules of the game. Google Search Essentials are free, publicly available and they're not even lengthy okay, anyone can, in less than an hour, really understand by reviewing them, and it could save them thousands in potential SEO mishaps. So it's all about empowerment, knowing you don't have to be at the mercy of those kind of dodgy seo providers.

Speaker 1: 9:18

Just by learning the basics, you can at least confidently ask the right questions and, you know, ask for clear strategies. So, yeah, that's it for today. You know, I hope this has been useful. I hope it shed some light on how critical it is to avoid being missold if you're looking for seo services. So just remember, educate yourself, read those search essentials, know the boundaries, stay vigilant, you know, avoid anyone who's promising something that seems too good to be true and always ask questions. Demand that transparency from anyone you work with. So, yeah, that's it. So until next time, keep optimizing, stay curious.

Speaker 1: 9:52

Remember, seo is not that hard when you understand the basics. Thanks for listening. It means a lot to me. This is where I get to remind you where you can connect. Remember, seo is not that hard. Notes you can try our seo intelligence platform keywords people use at. Keywords people usecom, where we can help you discover the questions and keywords people asking online. Post those questions and keywords into related groups so you know what content you need to build topical authority. And finally, connect your google search console account for your sites so we can crawl and understand your actual content, find what keywords you rank for and then help you optimize and continually refine your content Targeted, personalized advice to keep your traffic growing. If you're interested in learning more about me personally or looking for dedicated consulting advice, then visit wwweddawsoncom. Bye for now and see you in the next episode of SEO is not that hard.