7 Common Lies Your Indianapolis SEO Agency Might Be Telling You; Be On Guard!

Unfortunately, the SEO industry has not always been well regarded.  SEO agencies would manipulate the system and trick Google into giving good rankings.  Because of this, many SEO agencies received bad reputations.  Today, while many SEO agencies practice genuine, white-hat practices that you can rely on, sometimes there are still folks out there who rely on trickery and black-hat techniques to get the job done.  Here are some common lies your SEO agency might be telling you.

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Look out for them, be on guard, and make sure you are employing someone who is going to do the best possible work for your company.

  1. You Will Absolutely See Guaranteed Results. It is a dangerous claim to make to promise someone predictable, accurate results. While it is true that if best practices are being used, results will come, it is absolutely impossible to tell when and how.  Some SEO agencies will promise their clients results such as top rankings in a very short time frame.  They will also make claims that their overall organic traffic rates will increase.  Again, this is impossible to tell right off the bat, considering each and every company is different and unique in its own way.  There are different goals, budgets, competitors, and other various factors involved.  Do yourself a favor, and make sure that your Indianapolis SEO agency is not making ludicrous promises regarding your SEO marketing campaign.
  2. There Is One Way to Success. There are different types of SEO agencies.  Some refer to themselves as ‘specialists’.  The specialists focus on one type of SEO, whether it be content SEO and their main focus is blog writing or link-building SEO and their main focus is gaining as many links as possible.  There are other SEO agencies that employ multiple types of SEO strategies, and this is the camp in which you want to be.  As you know, it takes several strategies to really make your SEO campaign successful.  Your Indianapolis SEO agency should focus on social media marketing, marketing tiPS for SMall business, on-site optimization, link-building, and off-site content.
  3. This Same Strategy Works for Everyone. There are SEO agencies out there who will provide SEO packages.  While packages are not necessarily completely bad and a reason to run away from an agency, make sure they aren’t promising that the exact package will work for your business.  They should be flexible and open to customizability.  As previously mentioned, each business is unique and comes with its own set of variables.  You should not pair with an agency that promises one specific package they offer will get the job done for you.
  4. More is Better. This is a very common problem in the SEO industry, and it is not specific to newcomers or seasoned SEO professionals. It is human nature to think that more is better, and because of this people assume that the more blog posts or links they have, the higher their ratings will be. This is not the case, unfortunately.  The focus must be on quality, rather than quantity.  Do not let your Indianapolis SEO agency waste their time on producing tons of content that isn’t worth reading.  Make sure they are spending their time producing quality content that will get your company much farther in the long run.
  5. Google Can Be Exploited. Many people believe that Google’s algorithm can be understood, manipulated, and ultimately exploited. SEO agencies look for loopholes, or way to beat the system. However, if this were a useful tactic, more and more people would be practicing it.  The reality is that doing this only brings attention to Google where their loopholes are and they end up closing it, negating all the work that was just done.  Instead of trying to exploit Google, your Indianapolis SEO agency must be researching how Google evaluates the quality of a particular site, and then providing criteria that matches this.
  6. You Cannot Do SEO Alone. This ‘lie’ is only a partial lie.  In reality, you can absolutely do SEO alone.  If you put in the necessary time, gain the appropriate resources, and do the necessary research, you can create a very successful SEO marketing campaign.  It would be crazy to assume this is an easy process, however.  In reality, there is actually a very steep learning curve to learning all of the ins and outs of proper SEO techniques.  If you have other duties for your business to focus on, chances are it would be better for you and your business to spend time doing those.  When it comes to your SEO, relying on an agency to do the work for you can and is a very helpful thing.
  7. Search Engine Updates are Responsible for any Poor Results. Google absolutely does update its algorithms often. And it is true that they can interfere with your SEO rankings. If your Indianapolis SEO agency is using this as an excuse for poor results, however, they are certainly lying to you.  Despite Google updating its algorithms often, it follows a very predictable pattern.  Google has made sure to refine its pattern so that it rewards, rather than punishes, sites with high quality links, content, mobile optimization, etc.  Before Google even makes a huge change to its algorithm, it will announce it is doing so.  It is your Indianapolis SEO agency’s duty to research these algorithms, be aware of any changes, and act accordingly.  Do not buy into the lie that poor results you are getting are to blame on Google.

All in all, if you notice any of these 7 lies happening from your Indianapolis SEO agency, consider it a red flag.  It does not necessarily mean that they need to be fired on the spot, but will definitely give you some good ammunition for a productive conversation.  They may not be intentionally trying to deceive you, and have good motives behind what they are doing.  The best thing you can do is sit down and have a good talk, making them aware you are knowledgable on the subject.  In the end, the most important thing is for your business to have effective and productive InDianapolis seo, therefore you need to carefully pick your marketing firm.