Why Guaranteed SEO Services Don’t Work And How To Do It Right

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to your overall marketing plan and an important factor in growing your pest or lawn care company. Ranking high in Google search engine results pages (SERPs) opens you up to attracting increased traffic and more potential customers. According to one analysis, 25% of searchers click on the number one search result. Meanwhile, the results on the second page have a click-through rate of less than 1%. The difference is crystal clear.

Every business owner wants to reach number one. But doing so is easier said than done. With so many SEO agencies fighting for your business, you may have come across guaranteed SEO services. But what are SEO services guaranteed, and do they actually work?

What Are Guaranteed SEO Services?

An SEO guarantee is a pledge to provide guaranteed results if you sign up with a specific agency. The most common promise is that an agency will get your company to number one on Google. They may also make time-limited promises, such as increasing your traffic by 30% in three months or getting a certain number of featured snippets.

A first-page SEO guarantee typically means you’re paying premium prices, hoping that your pest or lawn care company will be the top brand in your area within a predetermined period.

But it’s important to note that these search engine optimization guaranteed promises are impossible to keep, and that the concept of guaranteed SEO is a myth. No matter how much experience an agency has or how strong its track record is, it’s simply not possible to guarantee results.

The bottom line is: If you’re looking at a company with SEO guaranteed results, it’s time to look elsewhere.

Why Guaranteed SEO Doesn’t Work

Those who are new to SEO may see an effective ad for a guaranteed search engine optimization agency and buy into their marketing. There’s no doubt that it’s tempting to work with someone who claims to provide guaranteed SEO rankings.

Unfortunately, working with such a company comes with significant risks to your brand. In the worst-case scenario, using guaranteed SEO agencies could even see your company removed from Google SERPs entirely, which will do your online marketing efforts absolutely no favors. Here’s why you should never invest your money in guaranteed SEO services.

Search Engines Have Issued Warnings About SEO Guaranteed Agencies

Google itself has already warned businesses against using these companies. The search engine giant has said in its Beginner SEO Documentation that nobody can guarantee that a company will reach the number one spot on Google.

They advise business owners that they should only work with companies that provide realistic estimates of improvement. Nobody can tell you where your website will be, even if they follow every best practice in the book.

Google SERPs are dynamic, meaning they’re constantly changing. The greatest SEO specialist in the world can only improve your chances of success—they cannot make a reliable first-page SEO guarantee.

SEO Agencies Cannot Control Search Engine Rankings

SEO agencies have no control over search engine rankings. And the truth is, nobody knows precisely how Google’s algorithms work.

While the search engine giant regularly throws out hints regarding what they look for, there’s no way to know for sure. Even Google’s own employees do not have the complete picture because of how quickly the algorithms change.

SEO agencies can uncover valuable insights to inform their strategies, but even they can only see a small portion of the picture. If nobody other than Google knows how to hit the number one spot, how can an agency possibly provide guaranteed SEO rankings?

External Factors Impact Your Ranking

SEO strategies don’t exist in a bubble. Other factors outside the control of you or an SEO agency can also impact whether you rise or fall in the rankings.

For example, the SEO activities of a local competitor could give them a boost in the rankings at your expense. On the other hand, they could fall down the rankings if they recently made big changes to their website without the proper preparations or make some common SEO mistakes.

In other words, SEO agencies can only control so much, which means a first-page SEO guarantee is unrealistic.

Guaranteed SEO Requires Black Hat Tactics

Historically, companies offering an SEO guarantee would indulge in black hat tactics to get websites to the top of the rankings. Black hat strategies aim to trick the algorithm and actively go against search engine guidelines.

Some examples of these tactics include keyword stuffing, buying private links, and even hiding keywords on websites using invisible text. In the past, these strategies were successful in achieving higher rankings. Google and other search engines are much more intelligent than they used to be, and any gains made through black hat tactics are temporary.

Black hat tactics are largely deemed unethical, as they don’t take into account the search intent of real people. The consequences of being caught using these methods often result in severe penalties from search engines, which range from being pushed down the rankings to seeing your website removed from SERPs entirely.

There’s little recourse if you find yourself in this situation. The company you worked with will not take any responsibility for the consequences of being thrown down the rankings. Still, it could destroy your business’s ability to market itself online forever. It’s simply not worth it.

Always be wary of companies providing SEO guaranteed strategies in just a few weeks. Remember, SEO takes time. If you follow legitimate tactics, it could still take months for you to climb to the first page of Google.

High Rankings Are No Guarantee Of Success

Businesses around the world value high rankings, and for a good reason. However, rankings are only part of the puzzle. Just because you appear on the first page of Google doesn’t mean that you’ll see an increase in your revenue. You still need to rank for the right keywords to bring qualified traffic to your site.

If the people clicking on your website aren’t interested in your services, all the number one rankings in the world won’t mean a thing. Shady companies will often choose unqualified keywords and ones with low competition to get you to rank. But if nobody is searching for that keyword, you’ll see few tangible benefits.

The Right Way To Implement An SEO Strategy

Because guaranteed SEO services are a scam, you need to know the right way to boost your pest control or lawn care company in Google SERPs. Whether you choose to hire an agency or do it yourself, the tried-and-tested tactics remain central to any successful SEO strategy today.

Here’s the right way to implement an SEO strategy.

Use Targeted Keywords

Targeted keywords balance search volume with competitiveness. Trying to rank for common and popular keywords like “lawn care” is incredibly difficult and unlikely to bring in qualified traffic. Instead, use targeted keywords that enhance your local SEO. For example, “lawn care in Minneapolis” is less competitive and increases the chances of getting clicks from people in your area who are likely to buy.

There are a variety of keyword tools you can use, including Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner. However, it’s important that you learn how to effectively perform keyword research. You can’t simply pick the keywords you like and stuff your site with them. The world of SEO is complex, and so are the strategies behind it. Either take the time to learn on your own, or hire a reputable agency to help with your campaign.

Write For The Customer First

Valuable SEO content is the key to improving your position on Google and other search engines. The Google algorithm in particular gets stronger and smarter every day, with constant human input taking it away from the robotic, mechanical function and helping it “think” more like a real person.

Google has told businesses repeatedly that they should avoid writing for the algorithm—businesses should write for their target audience. The SEO metrics that impact your ranking are heavily influenced by the content you post, how well it matches your searchers’ needs, and whether it actually provides them with a helpful and authoritative resource.

Some of these critical metrics include:

• Time spent on page

• Bounce rate

• Click-through rates

These three metrics are more likely to improve if you’re producing content that people actually want to read. For example, if you’re looking to enhance your pest control marketing strategies, don’t just saturate your website with meaningless, sales-y drivel. Instead, you can post blogs that educate people about the signs of a rat infestation, how to get rid of ants, or which pests commonly appear in your area during specific seasons.

The more value you provide, the more customers you get. Google ranks sites based on whether you’re fulfilling the expectations of people searching for a specific keyword. Build trust with your customer base, and you’re likely to be rewarded for it in more ways than one.

Make User Experience (UX) The Heart Of Your SEO Strategy

Nobody wants to use a website that’s difficult to navigate or provides a negative experience. Making it simple to book your services online creates an excellent first impression that Google and your customers will notice.

A good experience and a simplified navigational system also help Google’s crawlers to scan your website and determine where you rank for your chosen keywords. Everything from improving your page loading times to optimizing for mobile will reduce your bounce rates and up your conversions.

Think about what you would want from a website, along with what aspects would turn you away from one. With Core Web Vitals becoming a ranking factor due to the page experience update, optimizing for user experience has never been more important.

Construct A Link Building Strategy

As we mentioned earlier, poor-quality links are an aspect of black hat strategies that should be avoided. Lots of low-quality links pointing to your website will hurt where you rank. When it comes to link building, both inbound and outbound links are critical.

Links are a key ranking factor. Google’s crawlers will discover relevant content by following links from pages to other websites. They judge how relevant those links are to a search query. And you don’t just need other sites linking to your page (called backlinks), this also applies to your internal linking strategy. Hyperlinking valuable pages to your content is all part of the best practices for building a website that hits all the right SEO notes.

It takes considerable periods to secure high-quality links. Creating collaborations with other businesses in your industry and guest posting is part of your long-term strategy of defining your SEO strategy.

Formatting For Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are one of the pillars of SERPs in the 2020s. These are the answer boxes found at the top of the first page when carrying out a Google search. Earning a featured snippet will do wonders for traffic because these answer boxes are listed above even the #1 Google search result.

Landing a featured snippet is a matter of creating quality content and formatting that content in a specific way. Some of the ways to increase your chances of being awarded a featured snippet include:

• Bullet points

• Infographics

• Answering direct questions

• Numbered lists

Featured snippets are no guarantee that you will get more clicks and more customers, but they can raise your traffic levels and brand awareness.

If you’re the number one answer for “How to pull weeds,” people who plug in this search query will instantly know that your company is a top authority figure in lawn care. Whether directly or indirectly, the clicks will start rolling in.

Be Aware Of Updates to the Google Algorithm

Google will usually announce when they are implementing a new update, so none of these significant algorithm updates should surprise you if you’re paying attention. They have always detailed exactly what is changing and advised what website owners can do to maintain and grow their rankings.

Problems begin when people don’t keep up with how the algorithm changes. What was fine today could be considered spam by tomorrow. This is another reason why so many field service businesses will employ an SEO specialist to support their SEO strategy. These experts are always up to date with the latest algorithm updates and understand exactly how they will affect current SEO campaigns. They can also take preventative measures to prepare for updates, so companies minimize the risk of seeing a dip in traffic.

Not all updates will require you to make major changes to your strategy, but it’s still good to be aware of and prepared for any potential breakthrough opportunities that may appear.

Consider Hiring An SEO Agency

Should you hire an SEO agency or handle your own SEO? There are pros and cons to each option. Naturally, hiring someone else will require a monthly expense, but it also frees up your time to focus on delivering high-quality field services. Remember, these are professionals trained and deeply versed in SEO techniques and best practices.

Taking advantage of somebody else’s expertise can give you an edge over the competition. But some operations may prefer to preserve their cash flow by handling everything in-house and learning the ins and outs of SEO themselves.

If you decide to hire an agency, spend the time to do thorough research and speak to various agencies. Hiring an expert in your field opens up more opportunities for collaboration and ensures that they know your market. Either way, make sure the agency you partner with has a strong and positive reputation, history of proven results, and great reviews.

Boost Your Online Presence With FieldRoutes

Guaranteed SEO is something that should be avoided at all costs. While it may be tempting, these companies cannot guarantee results and may even cost you your reputation.

FieldRoutes is an industry-specific online platform for managing everything from your marketing strategy to improving the efficiency of your organization. Take advantage of next-generation technology and make your business a more effective and agile company. Whether you’re looking for pest control SEO services or in need of cloud-based pest control or lawn care software, FieldRoutes has you covered.

To learn more about some of the services available through this platform, request a free demo today.

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