Why you shouldn't always trust search marketing agencies

During my time working in SEO I've come across a lot of search agencies, and while most of them seem to offer "honest" services, here are a few tips to follow when choosing one. After all, you wouldn't want to waste your hard earned cash on services with no return on investment, especially if you're a new or small business.

Promise of a number 1 position in google

Even though it'd be great if someone could guarantee you a number 1 position in search engines, do not believe anybody who would make such a claim. High rankings are achieved through hard work, a lot of tweaking and patience. Due to the nature of search engine algorithms, it is impossible for an agency to guarantee a defined position. So to put it simply, steer clear of unrealistic promises.

The old Google Places trick

Google Places is a tool that allows you to register your business with Google so that it displays in search results for location specific searches (see example for dentists here). So for example if somebody does a search for dentist + postcode, businesses registered with Google Places will display above the natural listings in the SERP, right at the top of the screen.
While this is a really useful feature for searchers, it is also used by some agencies to sell seo services to companies with limited understanding of search engines. The agency will promise buyers a top position within days in google without mentioning the fact that this result will only appear for an extremely specific geolocated search.
It is worth noting that like most Google products, Places is absolutely free and registering your business can be done in a matter of minutes (Google Places)

Top results via paid search

This is another trick used by unscrupulous agencies wanting to make a quick buck. The principle is very simple: Promise a business that they can get a top ranking in Google within a week for a certain amount of money. What the agency will do in that case is bid some money on a very specific keyword in the Google adwords programme and make the customer believe that they've achieved a top ranking with no effort whatsoever. This trick relies on the customer lack of knowledge of search engines, but you'd be surprised by the number of businesses falling for it. Once convinced that they can achieve better positions for more keywords, unsuspecting businesses will keep giving the agency money, but their organic SEO will never improve.

How to choose a good agency?

• Do your research and ask for references
• If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Use your common sense
• Ask the right questions and don't be afraid to ask for detailed information
• Have a set of clear and realistic objectives for your business

 I posted a quick checklist of criteria for choosing a search marketing agency back in 2009, and what was valid then is still valid now.

If you've come across suspicious agencies in the past, feel free to share your experience here.