Beware of any SEO company that tells you they can guarantee #1 or page 1 rankings in Google.
Here’s three things to keep in mind regarding Google’s rankings:
- Nobody knows exactly how Google ranks websites
- Google’s ranking algorithm is constantly changing
- Google itself has said ‘No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google‘
For a further explanation of this issue, watch this video from Google’s Matt Cutts.
This won’t stop aggressive SEO companies from making this claim as a marketing gimmick. Can these companies deliver? Sometimes, but they’re likely to be using shady tactics to get there which could pose a risk to your business.
What these companies are likely to do is either;
- Get you good rankings for very unhelpful keywords which won’t bring you much traffic and/or won’t convert into leads and sales, or
- Use black hat tactics to rank you for good quality keywords
You should carefully consider the risks, returns and costs of each SEO strategy so you can find one that’s right for your business. Some SEO providers will use ranking guarantees to impress you and make you forget about the potential risks so make sure that you’re using an ethical SEO provider and don’t get blinded by impressive sounding guarantees.