If you have a website online you have most likely received unsolicited emails for SEO services; a client recently forwarded me one which he had received that noted problems with his website’s optimization and promised to improve his website’s SEO ranking. I wanted to write this post since many of our clients have questions on the legitimacy and potential value of these type of emails.
While out-sourcing for SEO services may be beneficial for some industries, it is unlikely that an unsolicited email will be from a credible company, one that can provide the necessary services that are needed. Upon review of the email that my client received (which is formatted better than most) it is still easy to see that the claims are misrepresented, and that the “company” noted is not appropriately qualified.
Let me explain:
The first thing to ask when you receive unsolicited email is if they are a real company or just a spammer? The information provided is “I am Manish, seo specialist of a leading Web Development & Digital Marketing company.” The problem is that there is no authentication — no business name, no website provided, no phone number, no address/location, just a personal gmail address, and skype (Skype.049), and SEO is always written capitalized. I trust you recognize this but any credible company would at least have a website, a domain specific email, and a contact phone number. In addition, the skype name would represent the business name (SEO value and name recognition), not be numerical. A company email will almost always include a full contact footer and will utilize spelling and grammar check, especially in mass-production emails such as this one.
The email initially references “reasons” (which I’ve copied from the email) why this site is not getting enough Social Media and Organic search engine traffic per their “analysis”.
The specific reasons provided are:
- Relevant & competitive Keywords are not in the first page of Google, Yahoo and Bing
- Website content quality is not high standard.
- Not wow! in all Social Medias
- Existing errors and issues in website
- Landing page is not conversion optimized
- Website is not responsive (compatible in all devices)
If you are new to SEO services what they have noted may appear credible on the surface; for this reason I wanted to briefly comment on each point:
Relevant & competitive Keywords are not in the first page of Google, Yahoo and Bing
The wording here is that “Keywords are not in the first page of Google…” which doesn’t make any sense? What they meant to say was that the necessary keywords for the specific industry have not been correctly added to the page/s to be fully optimized in the three primary search engines for the specific website’s industry. This is not true with my client’s site.
Website content quality is not high standard.
How is the content quality not of high standard? Such a statement requires qualification. It is also not noted how this “lack of content quality” is a concern or otherwise affects the website’s SEO ranking? And again, not true for my client’s site.
Not wow! in all Social Medias
No website will utilize all social media options, and while I would actually agree that my client would benefit from an improved social media presence, the “not WOW!” reference doesn’t clearly identify the need here, which is to better utilize the diverse social media options for the sake of engagement and inbound linking benefit.
Existing errors and issues in website
Can this statement be any more vague? And no, no display errors in the browsers or issues.
Landing page is not conversion optimized
Here “landing page” is referring to the home page, and conversion refers to an action that you want taken by a visitor. This “action” could be to send an inquiry email, purchase a product, join a mailing list, etc. So the question is if the desired action is being appropriately provided for? For this particular client the intended action is that visitors will view his custom woodworking, like what they see, and contact him by email or phone for the purpose of sales. To provide for this there needs to be good photos that are easily viewed, user friendly navigation, and a contact page. My client’s website provides for all this. His website is also ranked in the first page of Google for most relevant keyword searches.
Website is not responsive (compatible in all devices)
This statement is completely untrue. This site is fully responsive.
Okay, so as I trust you recognize the email notes “issues” that don’t exist. In fact, it is doubtful that anyone actually visited my client’s website at all. Instead a “bot” is used to harvest emails and website names, which are then populated into mass-mailer email spam through a database listing. There is no “analysis” being done as was noted in the first paragraph where they note “…traffic/visitor is poor from the last couple of months”. Well, unless Manish has access to my client’s Google Analytics account (which is not publicly available) they would have no way to know what the site’s visitor traffic was per a given month for the sake of comparison.
The services listing provided (copied from the spam email) is as one might expect, yet poorly written and misleading.
Organic Visitors: Drive organic or natural visitors through search engines and other media (not through paid ads) through most relevant & profitable keywords
It is not noted “how” they plan to drive visitors, what “other media” is, and what makes a keyword relevant or profitable? While a listing of this type can’t explain the meaning of each term used, a reputable company would at least provide a link to a business website which would explain the specifics of this service.
Being Social: Brand promotion through media platforms & micro blogging sites
Previously they noted the need to “Wow!”, … seems as if the engine is losing steam. Brand promotion is important in social media and industry related blogs, yet again there needs to be an explanation provided, and why small blogging sites instead of larger, industry specific ones? Doesn’t make sense?
First Page Ranking: Number of visitor increases once your choice of keywords is placed in the first page
This statement loosely references that the appropriate density and relationship of target keywords in place on the home page will increase visitor traffic. Yes, of course this is true, yet this is not a service, it’s merely a statement that they will get your site ranked on the first page of Google (which it already is).
Paid Advertisement (PPC): On Google, Facebook & Bing, etc… to keep you above all
This statement brought to mind “Lord of the Rings … One Ring to Rule them All!”. In any case, pay-per-click advertising will get one’s site listed on the first page of Google, Bing, and Facebook for a hefty fee for each. If the appropriate “organic” methods were applied then PPC advertising wouldn’t be needed.
Conversation Optimized Responsive Web Design & Renovation: Expert Website design & Development team helps redesigning or developing with mobile compatibility
Here they clearly meant to say “Conversion”, not “Conversation”, … why it is important to ensure that the company you hire actually speaks your language.
Shopping Store Design, Renovation & Development: E-commerce & websites are our forte and we help you stand above & beyond competitors
I studied Journalism back in college, and it was noted to never use a cliche or metaphor in business correspondence. The reference “… help you stand above and beyond” made me smile.
Web Technology Migration: We are expert in technology migration (example: migrate your old website to a new website with new features, better look & feel, new functionality & desired technology)
In this service they are merely stating that they will use/utilize your existing content in the site redevelopment.
Mobile APPs: Design most cost effective Android, iOS & Windows mobile apps for better user interaction
Mobile app development is a mobile only website that uses the JQuery mobile framework. We have created mobile-only websites of this type, and to be clear this is a service completely separate from SEO optimization.
The next paragraph notes:
Guaranteed visible result 3rd months onwards: Though SEO & Online branding are continuous, we are accountable for better potential visitor, better keyword ranking & better conversation. If fails to meet our commitment we will do more 3 months campaign free to make your website top ranked.
Not quite sure what they are promising here? Visible results? If your site is online then it is “visible”. They note they’re accountable for better ranking/conversions, and if they “fail” they’ll provide you 3 months free. So again, to be clear, if their optimization services don’t work they’ll spend more time doing optimization that doesn’t work? To be fair, Manish may in fact have skills in the areas he has noted, but to send out an unsolicited email, and then not provide supporting evidence or appropriate contact information is suspicious at best.
As a web developer I care about my client’s success, so when I hear about people who spend a good deal of money for SEO services that don’t deliver I get really irritated!
The best companies for SEO will typically be the one’s that ranks highest (by organic means) in the search engines, and most importantly, the business websites they develop must rank high. Our clients do! We also provide evidence of our client’s websites ranking, and clearly identify what our SEO services are. If you would like to know more about SEO, please contact us for a free SEO assessment or for additional information.
