SEO Marketers & the word "Guaranteed"

22 replies
I'm curious to hear peoples thoughts on this topic.

In the internet marketing world you see all types of ads for search engine optimization services. Things that I see non-stop from probably 90% of the SEO promoter ads I come across are similar to:

- We will get you to #1 rank GUARANTEED
- We will double your google traffic GUARANTEED
- We will get you to page one of google GUARANTEED

Obviously these are pitch lines. Since the pitch pages have no idea which keywords we are targeting, the competition involved for said keyword(s), and we generally assume that no one offering the services works directly under Google, isn't it a bit misleading to guarantee something you ultimately have no control over due to the constant adjusting, leak plugging, and refining of the google search algorithm?

Is this a case of the 'hype' mentality that has been discussed similar to that of the Make Money niche? What do you think?
#guaranteed #marketers #seo #word
  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    Escalated performance promises are in part the result of competition within the industry, like web hosting that falsely promises unlimited space and bandwidth (they always find a reason to kick out a bandwidth sinkhole).
    Guaranteed search ranking often involves an obscure keyword with no real competition, "Bills live bait" might be impressed that his site comes out top for it's name, but it doesn't translate to revenue.
    Signature

    “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field” Niels Bohr

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3959192].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jake Gray
    When someone says guaranteed, it's guaranteed.

    On this forum, if you claim to make a guarantee and
    don't follow through - You'll soon be joining a rather
    small group of forum vacationers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3959202].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AffiliateCookie
      Originally Posted by Jake Gray View Post

      When someone says guaranteed, it's guaranteed.

      On this forum, if you claim to make a guarantee and
      don't follow through - You'll soon be joining a rather
      small group of forum vacationers.
      I'd like to find out where these "forum vacationers" go on their vacation...

      Bet they won't be rising early to make sure their towels are on the deckchairs...or paying hotel staff to reserve the best sunbeds!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3959214].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Naeem Sikandar
      Originally Posted by Jake Gray View Post

      When someone says guaranteed, it's guaranteed.

      On this forum, if you claim to make a guarantee and
      don't follow through - You'll soon be joining a rather
      small group of forum vacationers.
      yes , jake is right.. if you uter the word guranteed, then you have to follow through , what it takes then. everybody have got the right to promote their products and services. and most of the type its hype , i agree. but you cannot do anything about it. if you are experienced then you will not be caught by hype. its part of the business.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3968553].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Originally Posted by Robert M Gouge View Post

    Is this a case of the 'hype' mentality that has been discussed similar to that of the Make Money niche? What do you think?
    No - it's just plain lying.

    It's a sign of desperation because they can't get business without making stupid claims.

    The biggest problem with this is that unsuspecting people start to believe that if you're offering online marketing services "number 1 in Google" is their default expectation.

    I've fired clients in the past because they've said "company x promises they can get me number 1" when I have clearly stated that I'll do what works but won't make any promises about things that I don't completely control (i.e Google's algorithms).

    The do usually end up coming back to say "it turns out that they meant for a really unpopular keyword with low competition, or that they offer a discount if they don't deliver number 1".

    I've never made such stupid promises but always actually achieve the result and when you do that for people they like it and are happy and tell others about you. If you make false promises in the hopes that you can deliver you're on shaky ground because it only takes one Google algorithm change and you could end up having to spend more than you're charging in order to deliver on your promise.

    Any business owner who knows about SEM will ignore anyone making promises that are out of their control.

    Andy
    Signature

    nothing to see here.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3960707].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author wklee
      Banned
      There are SEO marketers in "WSO" and "Warrior For Hires" that guaranteed page 1 ranking. In fact there has been an increasing number of warrior members offering this type of service.

      Most SEO marketers that offer this service guaranteed in 60 or 90 days, some even provide refund if they can't bring your site to page 1 and there is even one that choose not to receive any money until they bring your site to page 1.

      So which is the best service here in warrior forum that guaranteed page 1 ranking and does not harm your site for long term?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3960889].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author oneplusone
        Originally Posted by wklee View Post

        There are SEO marketers in "WSO" and "Warrior For Hires" that guaranteed page 1 ranking. In fact there has been an increasing number of warrior members offering this type of service.

        Most SEO marketers that offer this service guaranteed in 60 or 90 days, some even provide refund if they can't bring your site to page 1 and there is even one that choose not to receive any money until they bring your site to page 1.

        So which is the best service here in warrior forum that guaranteed page 1 ranking and does not harm your site for long term?
        Matt LaClear is very reliable in the WSO forum, I'd strongly recommend him.

        You can choose 5 keywords and he'll deliver a guaranteed page one ranking for one of them.

        But usually (in my experience) you'll end up on the first page for more than one keyword.

        Even if not, you'll be ranking far better for all your 5 keywords than before.

        You can check him out here:

        http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...-one-them.html

        Good luck.
        Signature
        'If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.' Vincent Van Gogh.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3960924].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
        Originally Posted by wklee View Post

        There are SEO marketers in "WSO" and "Warrior For Hires" that guaranteed page 1 ranking. In fact there has been an increasing number of warrior members offering this type of service.
        Well the good thing about that is that people generally will not last long if they don't deliver.

        You'll notice that some of the 'promises' in those offers actually have refund or non-payment guarantees. This is a good sign because it means that while they know that people want to be promised top rankings they understand that it's not actually possible to make that promise so they also have terms that say you don't pay if they don't deliver.

        This is the 'marketing' way of saying "we can't actually promise these results so if you believe us and we don't deliver - you get your money back".

        People will always want to promise what they think people want to hear, so that's about as close as you'll get some people to get to not actually promising it.

        I've used most of those services myself as I like to see what people are offering and what they deliver.

        Not all of them actually get the results they're promising so if you are interested you should find someone you trust that has bought and can give you real feedback, or at least buy without getting your hopes up so that if they do deliver you'll be pleasantly surprised.

        Andy
        Signature

        nothing to see here.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3960976].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author KunTaoM
          There is nothing wrong with such "GUARANTEED" claim. Anyone with good SEO would be able to do so but the issue here is how long it take for them to do ompimisation to get to 1st positing in SERP.

          This is buyer responsibility to do research before grab their service.

          You have to be more careful if they claim this way...

          - We will get you to #1 rank GUARANTEED [in a week]
          - We will double your google traffic GUARANTEED [in 72 hours]
          - We will get you to page one of google GUARANTEED [in just 5 minutes]

          As you know SEO result won't take that fast unless it involve illegal technique.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3961047].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Karen Barr
            I suppose it depends on what you mean the word "guarantee" to mean.

            Some people think "guarantee" means "This will definitely [not] happen".

            More usually in business, it means "We promise X, and if it doesn't happen then we will refund you."

            For example, if I buy a washing machine that is "guaranteed for 5 years", that doesn't mean that it's against the laws of physics for the machine to break - it just means that if it DOES break down, the company will repair or replace it.

            So that's how I always look at those type of promises - SEO or just general IM. If an offer says "I guarantee you will be making $200 a day within 4 weeks", then it had sure better have a note on the offer to say you can request a refund within 4 weeks.

            As a marketer, I always try to make achievable promises. If you under-promise and over-deliver, your customer will be more grateful than if you promised them the moon and only gave them a chunk of rock.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3961077].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author wklee
          Banned
          @oneplusone
          I am not sure we can put Matt's WSO here, so I do not want to mention it in the first place. Yes I bought that service beginning of this month, SERP is slowly raising.

          Earlier, I have used Matt's article submission service which is responsible to bring one keyword to second position. I am giving up on IM when I did not make any sales after 3 months. I only use Matt's service at that time and no other link building services. The 4th month, things really happened, I recevie an email that I have made a sale. That keyword is now in first position but it is not a buying keyword, so there is no sales. It's so silly of me to give up easily when I try only article submission for link building. Now I am looking for more link building services that deliver what they promised.

          @Andyhenry
          I agree those services that have many reviews and positive feedbacks, we can trust that they can deliver the promise. For some services even after work is done, results can't be seen, these people will not last. I have met one. We need to do some homework and put good faith in people that they will get the work done and results will come after a while.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3961096].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author mattlaclear
            Originally Posted by wklee View Post

            @oneplusone
            I am not sure we can put Matt's WSO here, so I do not want to mention it in the first place. Yes I bought that service beginning of this month, SERP is slowly raising.

            Earlier, I have used Matt's article submission service which is responsible to bring one keyword to second position. I am giving up on IM when I did not make any sales after 3 months. I only use Matt's service at that time and no other link building services. The 4th month, things really happened, I recevie an email that I have made a sale. That keyword is now in first position but it is not a buying keyword, so there is no sales. It's so silly of me to give up easily when I try only article submission for link building. Now I am looking for more link building services that deliver what they promised.
            Didn't you select the keywords you gave us? Next time check your keywords with the free version of market samurai. Then select the keywords with the highest oci. Those will be your buyers keywords.
            Signature

            Free Training for SEO Providers in the United States - https://happyseoclients.com/happy-seo-clients-training/

            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3963162].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author wklee
              Banned
              Originally Posted by mattlaclear View Post

              Didn't you select the keywords you gave us? Next time check your keywords with the free version of market samurai. Then select the keywords with the highest oci. Those will be your buyers keywords.
              The keyword that is 1st position now has an OCI of 40% and is not a buying keyword and low search.

              The 5 keywords I have sent, one is ranking and is slowly raising in SERP, it has a OCI of 92%. With such a high OCI, it is quite likely a buying keyword. It is now on bottom of page 4.

              Unfortunately Market samurai has removed the oci feature in their software back in April. Are there any free SEO software around that can check whether it is a good buying keyword?
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3963577].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author mattlaclear
                Originally Posted by wklee View Post

                The keyword that is 1st position now has an OCI of 40% and is not a buying keyword and low search.

                The 5 keywords I have sent, one is ranking and is slowly raising in SERP, it has a OCI of 92%. With such a high OCI, it is quite likely a buying keyword. It is now on bottom of page 4.

                Unfortunately Market samurai has removed the oci feature in their software back in April. Are there any free SEO software around that can check whether it is a good buying keyword?
                Oh wow. I wasn't awarwe they removed the oci feature. Let me put my ear to the ground and see what I can come up with as far as a replacement goes.
                Signature

                Free Training for SEO Providers in the United States - https://happyseoclients.com/happy-seo-clients-training/

                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3968176].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author asimbawany
                Originally Posted by wklee View Post

                The keyword that is 1st position now has an OCI of 40% and is not a buying keyword and low search.

                The 5 keywords I have sent, one is ranking and is slowly raising in SERP, it has a OCI of 92%. With such a high OCI, it is quite likely a buying keyword. It is now on bottom of page 4.

                Unfortunately Market samurai has removed the oci feature in their software back in April. Are there any free SEO software around that can check whether it is a good buying keyword?
                you don't really need a tool for buyers intent...
                you can judge that by how specific or generic a keyword is. plus in the adwords keyword tool high CPC and adwords competition are very good indicators of a keyword being a good converter..
                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3968193].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author curierat
    there is nothing guaranteed in SEO, you want first place but first page is good to
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3961055].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mattlaclear
    The word "guaranteed" is only as good as the integrity of the person making it. When we tell folks we guarantee a page one ranking for them that means we guarantee we will continue backlinking to their site every day until it happens. Even if it takes 18 months and we end up losing money on the transaction.

    Anyone wanting a guaranteed ranking or their money back I discourage from signing up for our service. Some keywords are harder than hell to rank for and will take extra time. By bailing out early and getting your money back all you end up doing is ripping someone off of links.

    Putting a guarantee on time as far as seo campaigns go is also a rookie move. Even with as many page one rankings that we grab we still have no idea whatsoever how long a particular campaign it is going to take to reach page one. So making predictions on them (or even asking for one!) smells of newbyness.

    Instead you find someone you can trust who will keep their word as far as the daily backlinking goes. If you feel like you need a time guarantee then you obviously do not trust the vendor. Which in that case you should not do business with them period.
    Signature

    Free Training for SEO Providers in the United States - https://happyseoclients.com/happy-seo-clients-training/

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3963203].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ciel
      First of all, the word "Guaranteed" is a way to attract more & more buyers to the service listing. But there are some providers that do the work to make sure you get guaranteed first page rankings but as a buyer of SEO service, you should be aware of what it takes to get the number one page ranking (good website, aged domain, on site SEO optimization, off site SEO process, time involved, your niche competition, etc.)

      Its duty of the service provider as well to inform the client about these things before going further with their order to avoid any issues.

      And being seen Matt working for warriors (on his many SEO services), I can surely recommend him if you are looking for a good SEO provider.

      Just my thoughts, hope to have helped.

      Cheers
      Ciel!

      Originally Posted by mattlaclear View Post

      The word "guaranteed" is only as good as the integrity of the person making it. When we tell folks we guarantee a page one ranking for them that means we guarantee we will continue backlinking to their site every day until it happens. Even if it takes 18 months and we end up losing money on the transaction.

      Anyone wanting a guaranteed ranking or their money back I discourage from signing up for our service. Some keywords are harder than hell to rank for and will take extra time. By bailing out early and getting your money back all you end up doing is ripping someone off of links.

      Putting a guarantee on time as far as seo campaigns go is also a rookie move. Even with as many page one rankings that we grab we still have no idea whatsoever how long a particular campaign it is going to take to reach page one. So making predictions on them (or even asking for one!) smells of newbyness.

      Instead you find someone you can trust who will keep their word as far as the daily backlinking goes. If you feel like you need a time guarantee then you obviously do not trust the vendor. Which in that case you should not do business with them period.
      Signature

      Take Action To Succeed In IM

      PM Me For Any Advice OR Help!

      SPREAD LOVE, ENJOY LIFE!

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3968617].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author asimbawany
    As with most people here, I too believe that guaranteeing ranking is OK as long as there is an element of money back in the transaction...

    SEO Rankings by nature is not something that can be guaranteed... But if a service provider is still going ahead and doing it to win your busy than he better be willing to give your money back in the even that he does not live up to his/her promise.
    If he is afraid to lose money and lose the resources he spent for that client, well then he should have thought about it before offering the guarantee...

    I would happily give my link building to a person who does not gurantee but is known to deliver rather than one who offers money back. On the other hand, SEO services could also and do offer guarantees in terms of the number of verifiable links they will build for you and also deliver you reports on them...

    With seo, guaranteeing activity is far safer than guaranteeing results... and I believe fair too..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3963618].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author anton343
    Other than the refund guarantee I think it is foolish to offer guaranteed results for any product.

    Anton
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3963623].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Midas3 Consulting
    I've seen so much "article spinning/s-bookmarking/SEN/yada yada" dressed up as SEO on this forum, the whole term has lost all meaning.

    The above might equate to SEO with 0.10 cpc long tails, will have minimal impact on on serious volume, high CPC keywords.

    As far as a "guarantee" goes, if somebody as one of the posters above mentioned, is happy to keep plugging away forever until they get somebody to number 1 for $99, good for them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3968209].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Anyone offering guarantees should be avoided in the SEO industry. Its just misleading hype.
    Signature

    BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3968240].message }}

Trending Topics