Here is a direct quote from an email sent from a company out of California that sells Search Engine Optimization services and pay-per-click management.  I received the email from a client who engaged them to try to bring more traffic to his website. I have since educated him that we also provide these services and we are going to meet next week.

Back to the letter… it raised a few red flags. I question their ethics and their abilities.

“Thank you for signing up. Ash said that he was able to cut a deal with Google, and you will get a report from Google in our behalf, and you will be able to track every  visitor from your site and you would be able to track every detail and you would know where your clients come from. They would be able to identify if it’s by eB——–W-b [name removed to protect the stupid], YP, search results, and other marketing endeavors. We would like to ask for your FTP access in order for it to work efficiently, and accurately. “

First off, Ash was able to cut a deal with Google, and will get a report from Google on our behalf, and you will be able to track every visitor from your site…”  Good for you Ash. You are going to open a Free Google Analytics account under the guise of a special relationship with some guy named Google whom you have rallied to be a part of your team. I’m pretty impressed that you have a direct line to Google.

The second red flag I see is when a purportedly professional SEO asks for FTP access to a client account. Specifically when the clients website is quite obviously built on a content management system. A professional web service or marketing company would be able to identify that this is a content management system and that FTP access could potentially open a can of worms. Come on guys, give your head a shake and try to understand the framework for the website you plan to optimize.

The third red flag is that this marketing company took the very first opportunity they had to add an image tag onto the clients website and linked it to their own website. Search Engine Optimization experts do not link your website to theirs… they link their websites to yours. Not necessarily their own marketing website, but lots of other relevant websites. Incidentally, they added these advertisements to their own website and did not do a cross browser check and the images that they added made the site look like crap in Internet Exploder.

I clearly failed this client by not ensuring that he understand the full breadth of ethical marketing services that are provided by us.  I have learned from this situation though, and I will look forward to winning my clients confidence around these services.

There are a lot of excellent Search Engine Marketing companies and services provided pay-per-click management. Shop with care and watch for promises of grandeur as well as indications that they have special “inside” information or relationships with our friend Google. Beware of Guaranteed placements on first page Google results.

Google’s own webmaster guidelines state;   —

• Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue.
• No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google
• Be careful if a company is secretive or won’t clearly explain what they intend to do.
• You should never have to link to an SEO
• Choose wisely
• Be sure to understand where the money goes.
• What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?

Google’s guidelines are explicitly clear & expand on the above points in good detail.  I highly recommend that you read them.

Have you had any dealings with an SEO or marketer with questionable ethics? Post a comment, we’d love to hear what you have to say.

We have developed a formula for success. If  you own a website that is not bringing you new business, or if you are planning a new website – talk to us. We’ll share the program with you and help you to succeed online.

David A. West, Director
eKzact Solutions Inc.

Share This Post