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Many entrepreneurs are attracted to agencies that promise visibility and SEO results small businesses. But while a guaranteed-results strategy may seem like the best way to ensure your investment pays off, it's a classic SEO mistake.
The truth is that these guarantees are often misleading, locking businesses into long-term strategies that lack flexibility and responsiveness to market changes. So instead of helping you climb the search engine rankings, they hinder your growth online.
In this article, I explain why guaranteed SEO services are not the best idea for your business and how to find one SEO agency that can provide organic growth and engagement without the need for empty promises.
Connected: How to choose an SEO agency
What are guaranteed SEO services?
Guaranteed SEO services promise a specific result, usually within a specified time. These results are often defined in terms of search engine rankings, traffic levels or numbers quality backlinks on a website.
Some examples of an SEO guarantee include:
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“We guarantee that your website will rank on the first page of Google for your chosen keywords within six months.”
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“Our SEO techniques are guaranteed to double your website traffic within three months.”
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“We promise to provide 50 high quality backlinks guest posting on reputable websites in your industry within the first four months of our campaign.”
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“We can achieve a 100% increase in your website's organic search visibility within the first year, or we'll work for free until it happens.”
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“You will be guaranteed the top three positions for your key phrases in the major search engines within 90 days.”
At first glance, such guarantees seem like a no-brainer for entrepreneurs looking to grow their online presence. Well, let's see why they aren't so great.
Do Guaranteed SEO Services Work?
In most cases, the answer is no.
Even if you're doing everything right with SEO, you never know when the next search engine update will happen and what its focus will be. Google is known for its frequent updates, each capable of reshaping the SEO game overnight. As a result, techniques and SEO tips that were effective yesterday may suddenly become so SEO mistakesdestroying rankings and undermining months of hard work.
When an agency offers guaranteed SEO services, you should approach them with skepticism. Such assurances may be well-intentioned but overly optimistic, revealing a lack of understanding of SEO best practices.
Even worse, it may indicate that they are using this approach to attract your business, even though they cannot guarantee results. Or they may deliver results that deliver on what they promised, but the result is not relevant to your business.
For example, an SEO expert can guarantee your website ranking on the first page of Google for 10 keywords. However, once they do, you find that these are very specific, low-volume keywords that don't bring in organic traffic.
So while the SEO agency technically fulfilled its guarantee, the result has no real value to your business.
Connected: 5 Tips for Choosing an SEO Agency (That Actually Delivers Results)
How to find SEO services that drive results
Finding an SEO agency that actually delivers results without resorting to empty promises requires a strategic approach. Here's how to find the best SEO services for your business:
1. Evaluate the case studies
Case studies are a great way to assess whether an agency is capable of delivering results. A comprehensive case study should clearly explain the journey from baseline metrics to results, providing a clear picture of SEO techniques the agency implemented and the impact they had.
See for details like:
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Field of work
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Increased traffic
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Deadline
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Customer transparency
2. Review customer testimonials
Client testimonials provide insight into the agency's reliability and the level of satisfaction of previous clients. Authentic testimonials from successful entrepreneurs and small businesses build credibility.
At the same time, the lack of testimonials or some generic ones that sound like a bot wrote them can be a red flag.
3. Value special expertise
Given that SEO challenges vary by industry, it's essential to partner with an agency that has experience in your specific area.
Familiarity with the unique aspects of your niche means they understand its common problems and challenges. This means that the agency is more likely to provide an effective SEO strategy, especially in highly competitive or specialized areas such as E-commerce SEO.
4. Discuss key performance metrics
Understanding key SEO metrics is important to align expectations and goals. Good agencies usually monitor:
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Increase traffic and impressions
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Search ranking improvements
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Increased leads and revenue
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Content SEO ranking in SERPs
You should always discuss what metrics an agency focuses on, because this can reveal a lot about how they approach SEO and measure the success of a campaign.
5. Insist on regular reporting
Regular reports keep you informed of the progress of your SEO campaigns. They are an indispensable tool that guides strategy adjustments to ensure long-term results.
To promote transparency and accountability, you should look for an agency that provides regular reporting with data such as:
Connected: 3 Tips for Choosing the Right SEO Agency
Guaranteed SEO services usually do not work due to the unpredictable nature of search engines. For sustainable online growth, look for SEO agencies with proven results, transparent reporting and a deep understanding of your niche.
In addition, consider their overall communication style, willingness to understand your business goals, and a broader digital marketing strategy. This can help you avoid empty promises and deliver consistently Success in SEO.