Why Overseas SEO is a Risk That You Can’t Afford

If you have a business website or email address, you might already be familiar with the pitch.

“Dear Sir/Madam,” it begins. “I am affiliated with an SEO company based in India that has helped over 400+ businesses rank on the 1st Page of GOOGLE for even the most competitive Industries. We have experience 4 years. We are a team of 85 professionals which includes 35+ full time SEO experts. We have the necessary experience and resources to deliver you the best quality of results possible in the industry.”

Does it look familiar? At ABORG, we get dozens of these overseas SEO pitches, almost always originating from India, every day. And we’ve often wondered if our own clients get them as much as we do.

So then, let’s set the record straight: as a legitimate business owner in the Ottawa area, outsourcing your SEO to an overseas company is a bad idea.

Not only is it unlikely to bring the long-term results that you’re seeking, but it actually has the potential to harm your website… and therefore, your business as a whole.

Here’s why, and how to make sure you don’t get swindled.

How to Spot an Overseas SEO Pitch

It all starts with an unsolicited email. Sometimes, in that email, they’ll mention within the email that they’re based in India, but sometimes not. In case you’re not able to tell right away, here are some things that can indicate you’re being contacted by an offshore operation:

• Be extremely skeptical of any SEO company that promises or guarantees a first page ranking. Often, it’s a promise that they won’t be able to keep, made in the name of landing the business.
  Sure, in some cases, it’s quite realistic to aim for a first-page ranking. In other situations, it’s next-to-impossible, and disingenuous to make those claims. It all depends on your company’s particular situation and the competitive landscape you’re facing. Legitimate SEO practitioners do not make these promises, because they don’t want to set unrealistic expectations with their clients.
• Pay close attention to the quality of writing within an email. These emails are almost always written by someone who speaks English as a Second Language. Read the questionable email carefully for poor grammar.
• They may try to scare you. Many of these pitches include scare tactics. Often, they’ll include a line such as, “I noticed your website does not rank for key terms.” Now, that may be true, or may be total nonsense. Either way, they’re not doing any research on your company to back up those claims; it’s just something they include in every email as a scare tactic.
• Take note of the sender’s address. The emails often come from a free, web-based email service such as Gmail or Yahoo. The spammers use free email accounts to send thousands of emails… before the account is, inevitably, flagged. Then, it’s on to the next account!
• Watch out for exact prices (for example: “SEO Services $99!”). SEO services are generally performed on a case-by-case basis, and the price can depend on any number of factors. Be skeptical of any company that offers to increase your ranking, or gives you a firm price, without first reviewing your situation.
• Keep an eye out for a fake disclaimer at the end of the email. Usually, it’s written along the following lines: “Note: We are not spammers and are against spamming of any kind. If you are not interested then you can reply with a simple \”NO\”,We will never contact you again.” Do not reply at all. Doing so is like a fish nibbling on the line… an indication to the spammers that they’ve got a “live one.”

The Dangers of Using the Wrong SEO Company

Optimizing your website so that you can be found in search engines for relevant terms is a no-brainer, and something we recommend to almost all of our clients. But overseas companies tend to use tactics that are irrelevant, or worse, harmful. Here are a few.

• Bad link profiles. A common tactic used by these companies is to point hundreds or thousands of low-quality backlinks at your site. Sometimes, this actually works – for a bit. Inevitably though, Google’s algorithm picks up on these unnatural links and your site gets hammered as a result. In some cases, this makes it difficult for your site to ever recover its rankings.
• Outdated tactics. The SEO spammers will use all sorts of other outdated tactics that Google has cracked down on in an effort to reduce the effectiveness of “black hat” or “grey hat” SEO techniques that were, in the distant past, effective. These include things like:
  • Directory submissions: Having consistent listing information in high-quality online directories will definitely help your local search engine ranking over time But a large amount of low-quality directory links, suddenly appearing all at once, can actually be harmful.
  • Press Releases: An old-school SEO tactic was to load up press releases with anchor links that point to your homepage. This has been completely devalued within Google’s search algorithm due to abuse and manipulation by shady SEO practitioners.
  • PageRank promises: The companies will often boast of links from “PageRank 8” or something similar, a metric that’s obsolete and is no relevant in modern search engine optimization.
• Poor quality content for users. Your website content is a reflection of your company. It’s your one chance to make an impression on potential customers who’ve found you online. You want to present users with the best possible image that you can. That probably doesn’t include poorly-written, barely readable website content.
• The promise of multiple “search engine submissions”. There are essentially two (maybe up to five, if we’re being exceedingly generous) search engines that you need to concern yourself with.

3 Things to Look for in a Good Quality SEO Company

• A legitimate SEO company will set realistic expectations and timelines for clients. A good quality SEO agency will do the background research to put together a realistic plan, approach and timeline for success. Sometimes, a good SEO company will focus your attention on opportunities to rank for keywords that have less volume, but highly-targeted sales potential. They set expectations and uncover real opportunities to draw targeted traffic to your site.
• A legitimate SEO practitioner stays up-to-date on the constant changes to Google’s ranking algorithms. Professional search engine optimization is a full-time profession and requires updated skills and knowledge. As mentioned, using outdated tactics and techniques has significant potential to do more harm than good.
• A legitimate SEO agency will generally take the time to research and understand your business and your current situation, and then quote you based on the time and/or amount of work it will take to start seeing results.

Ottawa SEO Services

Search engine optimization is not the place to try and cut corners in your company’s online marketing. Using the wrong company and tactics can leave you with some short term gain, but long term pain.

Rely on a reputable SEO company to use industry best practices and techniques to give your website the best possible chance of ranking for the terms that bring the relevant traffic you need to drive leads and sales for your business.

Looking for SEO Services in Ottawa? Contact us today!