SEO/SEM cold calls
Google has a job
Google’s job is to give you what you want when you want it. It would be completely contrary for them to give you organic results to anyone that hadn’t earned it in real life. The goal of becoming the #1 person for any industry is a great goal, even one I strive to obtain and maintain, but google doesn’t want to tell people you are the best choice unless you are. No company can change that without cheating.
the call
I got a call yesterday from an SEO/SEM company, “usaseopros.com” that immediately wanted to explain SEO to me. They stated that they had found me online and there were some things wrong with my keywords that they could help me with. In fact they would guarantee #1 results on all search engines, read what google says about this:
This was ironic considering that it was also the first day I had achieved first page results for a competitive keyword on google, “phoenix photographer” organically. I had lots of help in this endeavor and it wasn’t too long ago that this sales call would have probably caught my interest.
Then again I am so critical of sales that I still wouldn’t have bitten the bait.. They made two glaring mistakes right away. First was they introduced themselves under a different name than the URL they wanted me to visit. Second when I googled “usaseopros.com complaints” Check out the results coupling them with a scam.
When I called them out on this they became angry and hung up on me. I might have been a little abrassive (oops).
how I know
I am lucky because I have many friends and clients who I would consider SEO/SEM gurus. From architecture and building it right the first time fame Chuck Reynolds to the whole content/adwords/keywords package client Chase Granberry to SEO product manager for OrangeSoda based out of SLC Utah Rian Fowler. In fact now that I think about it I am surrounded by resources that I’ve learned from. A former client Pearly Writes and Bump Interactive are active in the #phx community and specialize in organic search engine results.
So I definitely had the upper hand in this sales call, Chuck had already shared the google page on SEO with me prior and his work on my website was a huge part of me ranking in the top ten yesterday. This prior knowledge meant that as soon as the salesman stated the #1 guarantee I knew something was up.
avoid scams
If you want to get into the competitive race to the top results on google please read the article above and educate yourself about what is truely going to help your company. Remember it is googles job to serve relevant results. Once you understand that take the time to choose a company that understands the benefits and limitations of SEO/SEM. And maybe, just maybe being known in your community is more important than being #1 on google.
@AcmePhoto should send them to my seo scam post: http://tinyurl.com/3f5kkq :)
September 9th, 2010 at 11:39 amgreat article, tyson – very helpful.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:18 pmcheers!
~ chanelle
Great info on SEO and scams, but also demonstrates the difference between “networking” and “passing around business cards.” You really connected with the people you mentioned, shared knowledge and worked together, and it paid off. There are amazing things to learn from the people you meet in all these online communities if you take the time.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:16 pmWell said Tyson… *claps*
People hear SEO and think “oh yeah I have to do that” and these guys just stick it to them. Like the lady that just called me about her little site, she wants me to “add css” so she can “submit her site to the search engines” – sigh…
There will always be people that don’t understand something and always somebody else to take advantage of those gullible people. (religion anybody?) ;)
Thanks for posting this though, the more people that post this stuff that aren’t like guys in the industry like me (the seo guys they now think are bad guys) the better because it’s not me just downing everybody else and talking up my services.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:35 pmThis post is now #3 on the search listing for usaseopros.com complaints! Take that, you bastards!
September 4th, 2008 at 5:10 pmchanelle– Thanks. Glad it helped.
Jeff Moriarty– Exactly my friend, exactly.
Chuck Reynolds– Yes, frightening how easily people are taken when they just don’t know any better. Love the new information super highway, guessing this will become less and less a problem as people figure out that basically all knowledge is on the internet.
BM5k– Now that is interesting, scary too.
September 4th, 2008 at 5:45 pmPalapple Blog | SEO Solutions for your Business…
Thanks for sharing. Search engine optimization is indeed one of the most crucial areas in Internet marketing, it is a perfect bridge between technology and business….
September 4th, 2008 at 6:02 pmIt’s exactly these kinds of goobers that give SEO a bad name. Did they tell you what keywords they could guarantee ranking for?
September 4th, 2008 at 7:48 pmwow, i need to learn more about SEO and i got very useful tips about seo. For More info you can visit my blog.
September 5th, 2008 at 5:26 ammade my blood boil reading about this call to you….good eye to call them out.
September 6th, 2008 at 11:43 amTyson,
Thank you for the props! Yes, the scam cold calls are so not the way to bring in SEO business and glad that all the #PHX peeps prepared you for such an experience. Let's say that we all ROCK!
Shauna and I are so involved in Organic SEO; we live it and breath it! We would even EAT it if that was possible. The Internet is an amazing tool for any sized business and I am so happy you posted about the SEO/SEM company scams. No company should guarantee SERP's results and if they do, then run away!
As an Organic SEO company, we receive the phone calls as well as the emails! Umm, hello? We are ranking for our targeted keywords on page 1 for many years! Way to conduct your research before “cold emailing” us! So then I respond back with an email asking if they need organic SEO help. ;) I don't usually get a response…
Keep up the great work Tyson! You Rock!
September 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pmNice article… Maybe you know why Google spam patrol aka Matt Cutts allows these types of businesses to continue building link farms and using doorway pages to try and achieve great organic placement. I went to Google and typed in UsaSeoPros.com and seen their entire client base. Isn't that one of the dont's of google seo practices? never have a link with your seo firm?
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 amHi Tyson..
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 amWhat do you think of First Web Search.com?
google them, another fraud
November 21st, 2008 at 3:57 pmBookmarked this, very useful information. Keep up the good work.
November 23rd, 2008 at 4:13 pmCheers
I've heard firstwebsearch was started by the same people as usaseopros. They have the same pitch, the same lies, the same scam.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:35 pmseems interesting, anyway thanks for this post!
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:10 pmseems interesting, anyway thanks for this post!
January 4th, 2009 at 12:10 amThis is not bad advice, unlike a lot I have come across.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:24 pmReading: “SEO/SEM Sales Calls | tyson crosbie photography” ( http://tinyurl.com/3f5kkq )
April 9th, 2009 at 3:28 amRT @destiny911: “SEO/SEM Sales Calls | tyson crosbie photography” http://tinyurl.com/3f5kkq <– getting lots of new traffic on this old post
April 9th, 2009 at 5:32 amThis is a great video that exposes the truth about usaseopros: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgiY88EN7gc&fea
Anyone scammed by them, file reports with S. Nevada BBB (D+ rating) and the FTC. Help these agencies establish a pattern of fraud perpetrated by them. Tell your stories to the media. On top of unethical Terms of Service and strong arm selling tactics, they practice black hat SEO, which can actually get your website banned from search engines altogether. Don’t answer calls from usaseopros(dot)com, Business Development Institute, BDI. Put these scammers out of business for good!
April 26th, 2009 at 11:00 pmExactly- There are lots of people that promote themselves as experts and they just are not. Next time one calls me I will ask what they 5 keywords are and go see where they are ranked, and ask them why not #1?
October 19th, 2009 at 4:40 pmExactly- There are lots of people that promote themselves as experts and they just are not. Next time one calls me I will ask what they 5 keywords are and go see where they are ranked, and ask them why not #1?
October 19th, 2009 at 9:40 pmtotally agree – if a firm says they can surely give you number 1 Rank on google search result, think again on getting their services
but being on page 1 search result, positive!
great post, and yeah definitely avoid scams
August 11th, 2010 at 7:08 am