I wrote a LinkedIn post recently listing 8 SEO red flags. Here is the gist of it:

⏰They require lots of time to do who knows what

A real SEO expert can show you exactly where they are investing their time and why. A scammer will act super busy reorganizing the same 3 spreadsheets a thousand times.

?They send you incomplete keyword data

If they ever send you a list of keywords that doesn’t include volume and competition numbers (at the bare minimum), they are scamming you.

?They pretend there are SEO emergencies

Unless your site is completely broken and non-functional, there is no such thing as an SEO emergency. But a scammer will act like there is one, either because they screwed up or they can’t think of any other way to show their value.

?Their claims don’t match actual results

Their reports look amazing and suggest lots of traffic coming to your site. But you’re not seeing more sales or revenue, and they don’t have an explanation as to why. Dump them.

✍️They rarely talk about content marketing

Once again for the scammers in the back: SEO does not exist without content marketing. It should be a major part of any SEO strategy.

?They use black-hat SEO tactics

Black-hat tactics lead to major Google penalties that can seriously damage your business. If it seems sketchy, it is.

?They recycle the same tactics over and over

There are some tried and trusted SEO techniques out there, but there should also regularly be new, exciting methods that align with the latest updates on any given search platform.

?They talk in riddles and circles

SEO isn’t as scary and complex as scammers want you to believe. If they can’t explain what they’re doing in clear terms, then they’re using smoke and mirrors to get your money.