subject: No One Can Guarantee A #1 Ranking On Google [print this page] Beware of SEO companies that claim to guarantee ranking websites, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or promote a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way a site is submit to Google search engine is directly is through Googles Add URL page or by adding a Sitemap on your website. Both of these you can do yourself at no cost.
Be careful if a company is secretive or won't plainly explain what they intend to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed completely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you. If an SEO has FTP access to your server, they need to be willing to explain all the changes they are making to your site.
You should never have to link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the strength of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your website to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't impact your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would probably consider to be positive.
Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to choose an SEO, you might want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales, which have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices, which are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be cautious.
Article from Google: Search Engine Optimization SEO
