The new year is approaching fast. I know…it’s hard to believe we’re going to be writing “2011” on the checks in just a couple of weeks—but it’s true.
And with the new year approaching rapidly, are you ready for what happens naturally as groups and businesses ramp up their freshly redrawn and refunded marketing plans and kick them into high gear for the new year? Yup, if you guessed and influx of marketing inquiries, cold calls, and flat out spam, you have certainly guessed correctly. Christmas might be in the hindsight, but the coming of a new year definitely ‘tis the season!
So, when you get the first call of the new year from a solicitor trying to sell you “top Google rankings” or a great new search engine optimization (SEO) plan, what are you going to tell them?
Tell them no.
Not a chance.
Never.
N-E-V-E-R.
Seriously, don’t be shy—the only thing these ambitious pitch people want is your cold hard-earned cash. They don’t want your business, and they certainly don’t plan to earn it. They don’t want your trust. All they want is a slice of your own newly replenished marketing budget for the new year.
Do they care if you don’t renew because the sleazy tactics they promote didn’t work? Nope. Again, all they want is your initial payment. And that’s a best case scenario. Worst case is they get your money and get your site banned from the search engines because of black hat SEO trickery.
Okay, okay. Maybe I’m being a little too tough here. But the point is still the same and we’ve seen it happen time and time again. These SEO con artists are out there and they’re downright rampant. They know all the right things to say and they know exactly how to overcome each and every one of your objections. What can I say…they’re good at selling their scam!
Just remember: N-E-V-E-R.
First of all, why would you want to do business with someone you’ve just talked to for the first time ever today? There are lots of excellent SEO firms out there—but like any legit business, the best ones are focused on relationships and earning your trust over time. With the legit professionals, there will never be a hard-sell or a spam email. They don’t work that way because they know it’s offensive and dishonest.
But the scammers do. So say N-E-V-E-R.
I know it sounds really good. Their promises of top rankings in no time at all do hit home. And who wouldn’t want to triple their website’s traffic in the next 2 weeks?
It all sounds so good. And that’s where they get you. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Don’t be the cold-call solicitor’s next mark. Just say no.
A Final Word To The Wise
If you do want to increase your web traffic—and you do think your web presence could use a little TLC when it comes to SEO—then by all means pursue it. But be sure to do it on your own terms. Ask your professional colleagues who they’ve used and if they’re satisfied with the results. Do some web research to find a great pro-SEO company staffed with true experts and learn more about their references and past successes. Or just ask us here at Sleepless Media—we’ll be more than happy to explain how all of this stuff works on the up and up.
But whatever you do, N-E-V-E-R settle for a spammer’s latest scam.
