The Golden Hat

I thought it would be a fun exercise to perform a Google search for “SEO” and see what kind of Sponsored results appear. One might figure that the quality of the results would be a notch above the average PPC advertiser. The top Sponsored search results though ran the spectrum from sketchy to moronic. Below are some screen shots of the results. The following images carry graphic material and may not be suitable for all adults…..

Position #1

I find it interesting that the first call to action is about the basics. And that white paper better be free! If someone wanted the basics they can hop online and check out any of the several, credible SEO blogs to learn the basics. This is probably just a gimmick about how meta data runs the SEO world and will get you page 1 rankings overnight…. blah blah blah

Position #2

What makes this companies SEO services high-end? Is their website wall paper Louis Vuitton? I’m not too sure about the URL either. I think this falls into the sketchy category.

Position #3

You can call an SEO operator now??? Imagine that conversation! “Hi. My name is Jim. I’m not ranking very well for www.himynameisjim.com. Can you help me?” Operator says, “Sure Jim! We can definitely help you rank! First, may I have your credit card number?” Need I say more?

Position #4

At first I thought this was a Spanish language ad that somehow ended up in the English results. I figured “Comapre” was some kind of conjugated Spanish verb. Then I realized that the fool who uploaded this just can’t spell and the company obviously doesn’t have a QA process in place either. My advice: work with these guys and you’ll “comapre” your results to the sites found on page 52 of the Google SERP.

Position #5

Well, I think they tend to over simplify the process a bit, but at least it’s better than the rest. The URL is pretty bad though. It again simplifies the process. SEO is a lengthy and patient process. A snap of the fingers won’t render your SEO efforts complete. I definitely wouldn’t recommend these guys unless your SEO budget is $299 as a one-time fee.

Sadly it turns out that the top 5 PPC results for the SEO industry in Google search house some of the worst examples of relevant, credible PPC results. I wouldn’t use either of these companies to discuss SEO efforts for my organization. Then again I work in the SEO industry and have a better idea about what to look for and what to avoid. If you’re a company shopping around for SEO services then I hope you read this blog post because I wouldn’t want you burning up precious phone minutes speaking to an SEO operator ;D

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