If someone guarantees you first page results on Google, run!
SEO has changed in the last 2 years. Google’s algorithms have changed. Social media has changed. What has not changed is the selling of solutions that used to work, but no longer do. People are still flogging them.
Take guaranteeing a first page result on Google. I know you don’t want to hear this (everyone wants to be on the first page), but it’s a bogus promise. If 2 different people are signed into Google and each searches for exactly the same thing, their results will differ. Google serves up the results they think each user is looking for. So, if that’s how Google works, how can you guarantee a result? Even Google cautions against “hiring a rogue or shady SEO (if they guarantee anything, that’s bad news)”
The landscape is beginning to feel a lot like the days of the shady advertising sales person selling you a bigger ad and promising better results, but then not backing up the claim with anything that measures results.
There are many reputable SEO companies out there that can help you move up the rankings for various search strings. Because much of their costs are made up of labour, it’s not cheap. Gone are the days of quick and dirty link-buying schemes that gave you a quick boost. If you have them you’re probably now paying for someone to remove them since they’re likely hurting your results.
So if someone guarantees first page results, simply smile, put on your sneakers and run away … fast!