SEO Scams: 15 Ways to Avoid Them

What qualifies companies to be SEO experts is competence. And the way you find out if a company is competent as well as legitimate is to check their credentials thoroughly, by exercising good old common sense and following these steps:

1. Verify their contact information.


2. Talk to previous customers.

3. Visit top SEO forums like Jill Whalen's High Rankings Forum to find out what other legitimate SEO experts have to say about them.

4. Check their Better Business Bureau record.

5. Check them out with the Attorney General's office.

6. Check them out with local police agencies.

7. Check them out with various online scam watch sites like Scam.com

8. Avoid companies that send you unsolicited e-mail (Spam). Legitimate companies don't send spam.

9. Avoid companies that aren't among the top 100 SEO sites, (although there are exceptions to this rule).

10. Avoid companies that try to pressure you into making a quick decision.

11. Avoid companies that aren't willing to stand behind their work. (Money back guarantee, etc.)

12. Avoid companies that promise top 10 rankings. Legitimate SEO companies don't make those kinds of promises.

13. Monitor their willingness to answer your questions. If they seem evasive, walk away.

14. Monitor how quickly they respond to your communications, or if they respond at all.

15. Listen to your gut. If it doesn't feel right don't do it.